CMLL World Lightweight Championship

Background

Lucha libre, or professional wrestling, is a form of entertainment where matches are presented as being competitive, but the outcome of the matches are pre-determined by their promoters. As part of presenting lucha libre as a genuine combat sport, promoters create championships that are used in the storylines presented on their shows, they are not won as result of genuinely competitive matches. The championship is represented by a belt for the champion to wear before or after a match.

The Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL; "World Wrestling Council") introduced the CMLL Japan Super Lightweight Championship in 1999 and later renamed it the CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship in 2003.}} In 2011 CMLL decided to adjust the weight class, changing the name to the "CMLL World Lightweight Championship. All championship matches promoted in Mexico take place under best two-out-of-three falls rules. On occasion, single-fall title matches have taken place, especially when promoting CMLL title matches in Japan, conforming to the traditions of the local promotion.

History

In 1999, CMLL began to tour Japan, promoting a series of wrestling shows under the name "CMLL Japan". The shows featured a mixture of CMLL and Japanese wrestlers. On February 27, 1999, CMLL held a one-night tournament to determine who would be the inaugural CMLL Japan Super Lightweight Champion, marking the first time in the history of CMLL that they used a championship specifically for that weight class. The tournament finale saw the Japanese Masato Yakushiji defeat CMLL wrestler Rencor Latino to become the first champion. The following year, CMLL promoted additional shows in Japan, during which CMLL wrestler Virus won the championship from Yakushiji. Virus and Ricky Marvin, a Mexican who was working for Japanese promotions at the time, exchanged the title in the fall of 2000. The last title match between the two took place in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, after CMLL's last tour of Japan. The championship was discontinued by the end of 2000, as CMLL stopped promoting shows in Japan.

In 2003, CMLL reinstated the super lightweight championship after a series of well-received matches between the Southern California team the Havana Brothers (Havana Brothers I, Havana Brother II and Havana Brother III) and the CMLL team of Ricky Marvin, Virus, and Volador Jr. CMLL announced they were establishing the CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship, elevating the championship from a regional to a "World" level championship. CMLL held a torneo cibernetico elimination match, which included the Havana Brothers, Sangre Azteca, Ricky Marvin, Virus, Volador Jr., Super Comando, Loco Max, Tigre Blanco, Neutro and Sombra de Plata. Havana Brother I won the tournament—and thus the championship—by eliminating Volador Jr. A few months later, Virus defeated Havana Brother I for the championship,

In subsequent years, the championship was not defended, nor referred to by CMLL. In 2004, Havana Brother I returned to CMLL, this time working without a mask under the name Rocky Romero. CMLL openly acknowledged that Romero had previously worked as "Havana Brother I" and was a former champion as part of a buildup to a championship rematch between Romero and Virus. Romero became a two-time champion on December 10, 2004,}} CMLL made no attempts to retrieve the championship from Romero at that time. Romero would on occasion defend the super lightweight championship on the Southern California independent circuit. In 2005, he lost the championship to Tommy Williams in a match that received no mainstream coverage; the title change was only reported on after the match. When Romero returned to CMLL in 2008, it was as an enmascarado (masked character) called "Grey Shadow", with no public acknowledgment of his history with CMLL as he never wore nor defended the championship.

The CMLL World Super Lightweight Championship was not officially declared vacant until Romero left CMLL to work for their rival AAA. CMLL held a tournament to crown a new champion, and on April 7, 2009, Máscara Dorada won a torneo cibernetico elimination match for the super lightweight championship. During Máscara Dorada's reign, the weight class was adjusted from the "Super Lightweight" to simply the "Lightweight" division, expanding the official weight limit of the championship.}} On January 23, 2016, Dragon Lee defended the championship on the 2016 Fantastica Mania tour of Japan, marking the first time since 2000 that the championship was defended in Japan. The following day, Dragon Lee's first reign came to an end as he lost the championship to Kamaitachi on the final day of the Fantastica Mania tour. 40 days after winning the championship from Dragon Lee, Kamaitachi lost the championship back to Dragon Lee during CMLL's weekly Super Viernes show on March 4, 2016. On June 14, 2019, Dragon Lee announced that he was vacating the championship to focus on defending the CMLL World Welterweight Championship that he also held at the time of the announcement.

Reigns

Stigma is the current champion in his first reign. He won the vacant title by defeating Suicida in a tournament final at Martes Populares in Mexico City, Mexico on March 15, 2022. Previous champion Kawato-San was stripped of the title due to suffering a knee injury. Eight different wrestlers have held the championship for fifteen reigns in total. Virus holds the record for most reigns, with four: two in Japan and two in Mexico. He held the title for a total of 2,046 days, more than any other champion, and his fourth reign lasted 1,398 days, the longest individual reign. Ricky Marvin had the shortest individual reign, lasting somewhere between 1 day to days.

Title history

Combined reigns

As of , .

Footnotes

References

References

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