9. Essa Rios vs. Gillberg - WWF Light Heavyweight Title (Sunday Night Heat 2000)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSBAJF-tyE8 Career jobber Duane Gill holds the distinction of being the longest-reigning WWE Light Heavyweight Champion, but it was his last title defense that most fans remember, and not necessarily for the match itself. After not being seen on WWE television for several months, Gill who was parodying WCW star Goldberg as Gillberg returned to Sunday Night Heat in early 2000 to throw out an open challenge, which is never a good idea in pro wrestling. Out came the former Papi Chulo, who was re-debuting as Essa Rios. Rios demolished Gillberg in less than a minute, capturing the Light Heavyweight Championship. But it was Rios new valet who really was the star, the Extreme Diva, Lita. In her initial WWE appearance, Lita accompanied Rios to the ring, and then hit a moonsault on a prone Gillberg after the match, kicking off a six-plus year, Hall of Fame run with the company.
Scott Carlson
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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
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