1. Dean Malenko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WbLlfRo8zc Dean Malenko was instrumental in rounding out the Cruiserweight division and helping build a solid foundation for it. The second wrestler ever to hold the cruiserweight crown was involved in many of the best feuds/matches within the division. His matches with Mysterio were plenty and never the same, whether they were on pay-per-view, Nitro, or syndication on WCW Worldwide. Relying more on technical skills and grounding his opponent with submissions, Malenko's moniker of the man of 1,000 holds was no joke. He was a no nonsense type of wrestler and was a great contrast to the high-flying colorful luchadores that made up the majority of the cruiserweight roster. One of the highlights of Malenko's career was his battle royal and eventual Cruiserweight Title win again Chris Jericho at Slamboree '98. When he
unmasked himself after wrestling as Ciclope it was the biggest pop of Malenko's career. After jumping ship to the WWE as part of the Radicalz, Malenko along with Perry Saturn had a difficult time finding success in the WWE unlike Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero. It being the Attitude Era and all, Malenko was saddled with a James Bond gimmick and given the nickname "Double Ho Seven" - much better than the "Man of 1,000 Holds." But instead of actually sexin' up the ladies a la James Bond, he found himself
feuding with them. And when he wasn't wrestling women (as most cruiserweights, at one time or another, were for some reason forced to do) he was busy being creepy and sneaking up on Lita while she was
showering. But his WWE-run aside, Dean Malenko was the best cruiserweight in the business, who not only pushed the other cruiserweights to be on top of their game, but originally brought prestige to the title and made it something worth fighting for.