WWE Cruiserweight Champions: Ranked From Worst To Best
1. Rey Mysterio
You know how people always intermittently mention how someone is going to be the 'next Rey Mysterio'? 'Mistico is coming in from Mexico, he's super talented and is sure to take over from Rey Mysterio'...'Oh Kalisto, yeah he's really good and wears a mask. He's the next Rey Mysterio'. Et cetera, et cetera...
Well, it's all nonsense, because there really is only one Rey Mysterio and try as WWE might to replace him, it just ain't gonna happen. Rey is genuinely one of the best in-ring performers ever and one of the best to take a cruiserweight style and make it fit WWE.
He is also, for my money, the best WWE Cruiserweight Champion ever. It took Rey a year of being in WWE to win the thing, beating Matt Hardy in an awesome main event match on Smackdown. He'd hold the title for 112 days, defending against any and all comers, before being displaced by Tajiri thanks to a little help from the dreaded red mist.
It would be the man from the Land of the Rising Sun that Mysterio would beat to reclaim his title, doing so on the Jan 1st, 2004 Smackdown. His reign wouldn't be a long one, though, as he'd lose it to Chavo Guerrero following a long match at No Way Out (although Mysterio managed to squeeze in a couple of defences against Jamie Noble in the interim).
His final Cruiserweight Title reign came later in the year when he beat Chavo Classic on Smackdown. He went on to have some good matches with Chavo Guerrero, including an underrated outing at the Great American Bash PPV.
His reigns may not have been as legendary as they were in WCW, but Rey was the best WWE Cruiserweight Champion. The belt just looked like it belonged on him and he always brought it in the ring, having cracking matches with one and all.