Cruiserweight (professional wrestling)

In professional wrestling, a cruiserweight is a wrestler weighing 220 lb (100 kg) and less, sometimes 215. In some cases like the WWE wrestlers must be 205 lb (93kg) or less to compete as a cruiserweight. The older term junior heavyweight, which was used to describe the division, is more favored in Japan, where many titles for lighter-weight competitors are called junior heavyweight titles. Prominent titles include New Japan Pro Wrestling's IWGP, Pro Wrestling Noah's GHC, and All Japan Pro Wrestling's World championships.

The weight limit utilized by World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Japanese promotions is "up to 220 lbs" (100 kg). Due to the scripted nature of professional wrestling and that the billed weight of wrestlers can be changed, weight classes usually are not strictly enforced as they are in professional boxing and mixed martial arts. New Japan and Noah also have junior heavyweight tag team titles, for teams composed of junior heavyweights. WCW tested such a format with their own title shortly before the company was purchased by the World Wrestling Federaion (WWF, later WWE). Cruiserweight divisions and championships have risen to much greater prominence in wrestling promotions in Japan and Mexico than the United States.

Due to the scripted nature of professional wrestling, many American promoters and fans feel that limiting smaller wrestlers by placing them in weight classes relates a message that the smaller wrestlers are inferior to larger ones. While there have been various wrestling companies over the years that have promoted cruiserweight/junior heavyweight titles and divisions in the U.S., they have had comparatively little prominence. For instance, the National Wrestling Alliance is a governing body of professional wrestling and has actively recognized its own junior heavyweight championship since 1945, but few champions have become major professional wrestling stars in the U.S. over the decades while many heavyweight champions have become celebrated icons of the industry.

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