10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Aug 5)
2. Eric Bischoff Told Cruiserweights He Wanted Them To Be 'Human Car Crashes'
During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Eric Bischoff tapped into the success of WCW's Cruiserweight division during the mid-1990's. Firstly, Bischoff didn't want to simply call these smaller wrestlers 'Light-Heavyweight', feeling it gave a sense of inferiority that wasn't necessary. Cruiserweight, by contrast, was used in boxing, and fights were remarkable for their differences to the heavyweight bouts.
The first group of men Bischoff placed in his revamped Cruiserweight division were the likes of Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio. Gathering some of these men backstage, Eric said he wanted their matches to be like 'human car crashes'.
In other words, they had to be strikingly different to what was happening in the WCW World Title picture. The Cruiserweight Title quickly became a highlight of shows, pinning down the undercard on Nitro and pay-per-views with death-defying moves, smooth spots and an often frightening pace.
Regardless of their smaller stature, the likes of Guerrero and Jericho were able to show what they could do inside the ring. There's little doubt the way WCW featured them helped these guys stand out.