12 Misconceptions About WCW You Probably Believe
11. The Cruiserweight Division Died With Oklahoma
Ed Ferrara’s cutting and cruel parody of Jim Ross did strangle the previously-excellent Cruiserweight division in late-1999 into early-2000, but that wasn’t the end of the story for high flyers. Not even close. This is often forgotten, but nimble workers like Elix Skipper, Chavo Guerrero, Shane Helms and more put on bangers for the Cruiser prize following OK’s insulting reign of terror.
The less said about Madusa holding it and working terrible matches aplenty the better too, but it’s untrue to say Cruiserweight fun evaporated in 2000-2001.
Eric Bischoff pushed the division to the forefront of Nitro and pay-per-view once he seized control of WCW operations. The man knew what he was doing, and he's since revealed via his '83 Weeks' podcast that he knew front loading cards with action, action, action would serve variety and differentiate WCW's stuff from everybody else. He was right, but things didn't die out following the dreadful Oklahoma gimmick.
March 2001's Greed show even introduced brand new Cruiserweight Tag-Team belts and had a scorcher between Helms and Guerrero to brag about. WCW wanted to rehab one of their best aspects before going out of business, and that's important to remember. The Cruiserweight giggles would've continued full tilt had AOL/Time Warner execs not shut the whole thing down pre-McMahon buyout.
So, if you're right into the kind of fast-paced action that's translated well to the upper card in WWE and AEW today, then look no further than some of the Cruiserweight fun seen on WCW events during the second half of 2000 and into 2001. There are some real hidden gems awaiting the uninitiated.