10 Times WWE Misread Their Own Audience

8. Making A Mockery Of The Once-Presitigious Cruiserweight Title

Eric Bischoff deserves a lot more praise than he's often given for adding variety to his WCW product in the mid-1990's. Aware that he needed much more than the slower headline acts who resided in the main event, Bischoff keenly sought out talent which could form a new and exciting Cruiserweight division. High-flying luchadors like Rey Mysterio Jr and Juventud Guerrera were joined by Japanese tour regulars like Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero and others. The results were spectacular, and the Cruiserweight Title scene became one of the must-see aspects of the promotion. In the WWF, the McMahon clan followed suit with a slightly-less dynamic Light Heavyweight division (Brian Christopher, anyone?). Eventually, once they swallowed up WCW, the WWF embraced the idea of the Cruiserweight Title and, for a while, Mysterio, Billy Kidman and co. wowed fans with excellent matches, but it was never going to last. Feeling fans weren't digging the Cruiserweights, WWE oddly put blame at the feet of the wrestlers themselves. Things got so bad that the once-proud championship was treated like a joke and put on guys like Hornswoggle. Fans of the usually fast-paced action of before must have been scratching their heads, because this was not what they wanted to see. There was still interest in Cruiserweight matches, they just couldn't take it seriously or invest in them, because WWE didn't.