World Championship Wrestling was known for their thrilling cruiserweight competition. The high-flying superstars of the cruiserweight division had become a signature of WCW during the Monday Night War. It was something which helped the companys undercard stand out from the more typical WWF affair. As such, the WCW Cruiserweight Championship was a highly sought after title in the company. Countless legends have held the strap, including Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho, and Rey Mysterio. WWE brought the belt into the fold when they purchased WCW. The WWE version of the title was defended from 2001 until 2007. However, one WCW title that WWE did not adopt was the extremely short lived Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship. Created just one week prior to the final Nitro broadcast, the Cruiserweight Tag title was an attempt by WCW to broaden their niche division. It made sense, as at the time there seemed to be better established cruiserweight teams and stables then there were singles competitors. The Jung Dragons, 3 Count, and the Filthy Animals, among others, were lighting up the cruiserweight scene. On the March 18th broadcast of Nitro, a tournament was held to crown the first-ever Cruiserweight Tag champs. Ultimately, the team of Kid Romeo & Elix Skipper were victorious. However, just one week later the duo was forced to defend their gold during the final Nitros Night of Champions event. They lost the titles to the Filthy Animals -- Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio -- however, the WWE had no desire to use the championships on their own broadcast. As such, the belts were quickly retired -- lasting just two weeks.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
