It's official: the cruiserweight division is returning to the WWE on the main roster.
WWE Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon announced during Monday Night Raw's opening segment that with the success of the new Cruiserweight Classic series that the company was bringing back the Cruiserweight division, and that the division would be exclusive to Monday Night Raw.
The division will provide much needed in-ring time to the three hour show of Raw, possibly following the same formula as WCW Nitro in the 1990s. The WWE has no shortage of talent available, especially considering that they're already signing talents from the Cruiserweight Classic, namely Kota Ibushi and Gran Metalik.
One major difference in the division is that the weight limit is 205 pounds, as in the Cruiserweight Classic. The former weight limit in WWE was anywhere between 220-225 pounds.
WWE issued the following statement about the return of the division.
In an extremely bold move, Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon opened a whole new wing of the New Era by announcing that – following the success of theWWE Network exclusive Cruiserweight Classic – Monday Night Raw will be the exclusive host to a trailblazing WWE Cruiserweight division!
Although little is known about which competitors might be a part this exciting initiative, it is clear that newly-empowered Raw General Manager Mick Foley plans to utilize the fast-moving, high-flying athletes to help bring Raw to new heights. How high will the longest running episodic television show in history soar? Find out each and every week at 8/7 C on USA Network.
The Cruiserweight title was retired in 2007 after Hornswoggle won the championship. The title was held by the likes of Rey Mysterio, Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Sean Waltman and Shinjiro Otani.
By Sean Ross Sapp
