10 Awful Championships WWE Doesn't Want You To Remember
7. Light Heavyweight Championship
This belt has way more history than you realise.
Despite having WWE in its name, the Light Heavyweight Championship started life in the Universal Wrestling Federation after Vince McMahon began a working relationship with the Mexican lucha-libre promotion. When the UWF closed in 1995, the belt was handed over to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Ultimo Dragon and Jushin Thunder Liger both held the gold in the East, before WWE took the strap back via a stopover in Michinoku Pro Wrestling.
TAKA Michinoku was the first person to hold the belt in the ‘E and reigned for 315 days. It sounds like a prestigious title… just you wait.
Not only did WWE ignore the belt’s history in Mexico and Japan, but on November 17, 1998 they did the unthinkable. J.O.B. Squad member Duane Gill was given the belt. Soon he was rechristened Gillberg and left with the title for a mind boggling 448 days. How many times do you think he successfully defended the strap in that time? Once. What were you thinking, WWE?
In its third reign on American soil, they completely destroyed the championship for a joke nobody was laughing at.
Essa Rios, Dean Malenko, and Tajiri tried to restore some honour to the belt, but it was just too late. It’s no wonder WWE decided to retire it for the Cruiserweight Championship.
There’s an irony to the fact that they sacrificed the belt to mock WCW, only to replace it with a belt that their southern wrasslin’ enemies took seriously.