Tony Schiavone Thinks The WCW Cruiserweights Changed Wrestling History

When "WCW Nitro" switched to a three-hour format in 1997, one of the selling points of the show — at least for fans who enjoyed diverse in-ring styles — was the "cruiserweight block" of the broadcast that ran from anywhere between 20 to 30 minutes on a weekly basis. The portion of the show featured the likes of Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Juventud Guerrera, Ultimo Dragon, and several other luchadors who are now considered all-time greats.  

While answering fan questions on his "What Happened When" podcast, former WCW announcer Tony Schiavone was asked if WCW's cruiserweight division in the '90s had a bigger impact on the industry — from a work rate perspective — than the series of Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels matches in the WWE. 

"The cruiserweights had a definite impact on the product of WCW," Schiavone began. "Even though we want to think it's all about [Hollywood] Hogan and the nWo — that had an impact, too, but when you go back and think, Shawn Michaels was the best wrestler ever. Then, maybe Shawn had a bigger impact. But, here's another thought — Vince McMahon was into the big guys only, right? It's well-known. And then, the cruiserweights started to appear and started giving good matches. All of a sudden, a guy the size of Eddie Guerrero became his World Champion. Chris Benoit became a champion, right? 

"So, maybe they [WCW cruiserweights] did change the business — for the best," Schiavone concluded.

Former WCW President Eric Bischoff has previously explained that he featured cruiserweights on "Nitro" to bring uniqueness and diversity to WCW's in-ring product, no different than a boxing or MMA card with multiple weight divisions. Bischoff had admittedly consulted the likes of Masa Saito and Brad Rheingans at NJPW before creating the division.