10 Fascinating WWE SummerSlam 2001 Facts

7. It Marked The Last PPV Defense Of The Light Heavyweight Title

Steve Austin Kurt Angle SummerSlam 2001 Ankle Lock
WWE.com

Ahh, the WWE Light Heavyweight title. Those who complain that the Cruiserweights of 205 Live are treated like second-class citizens with their stupid purple ropes, I counter with the Light Heavyweight scene of 1997 through 2001. When the likes of Taka Michinoku, Dean Malenko, and Scotty 2 Hotty weren't having enjoyable matches for the strap, it was either a comedy prop (for Gillberg), or it was more invisible than JTG was during his last four years with the company.

At SummerSlam 2001, WCW Cruiserweight Champion X-Pac defeated WWE Light Heavyweight Champion Tajiri, giving Sean Waltman possession of both belts. The Light Heavyweight belt would never be defended on pay-per-view again, and was abandoned for good in November 2001.

For some random trivia, the final WWE Light Heavyweight title match took place at a house show in Lexington, KY on October 28, 2001, with X-Pac defeating Scotty 2 Hotty.

Contributor
Contributor

Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.