With pro wrestling mostly dominated by the giants and muscular brutes, it’s refreshing that the smaller high flyers were given their chance to shine. In the United States, Paul Heyman, the owner of ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) brought the Luchadores (Mexican high flyers) to his company and gave them the time and the platform to shine for the American audience.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
High flyers like Rey Mysterio, Juventud Guerrera, Eddie Guerrero and Psicosis was featured on ECW programming and the fans loved it. Moves like the Hurricarana, Plancha, and moves from the ropes became common place in the company. While there were wrestlers doing similar moves years before in WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), AWA (American Wrestling Association) and NWA (National Wrestling Alliance), they were not as appreciated like they are now. Guys like “Jumpin’ “ Jim Brunzell, Hector and Mando Guerrero, Mil Mascaras, and Ricky Steamboat were doing moves that defied gravity and the fans weren’t recognizing them as great.
When ECW came along, Paul Heyman put the spotlight on Mysterio and the rest and they amazed the fans in the crowd because they were involved in the action. The wrestlers would fly from the ring apron to the floor right in front of the fans. Sometimes, the wrestlers would be sent flying into the crowd. This changed the dynamics because the fans felt like a part of the show.
Not too long after, Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit, and smaller guys like them were brought in ECW and given a chance to shine. This provided fans with American wrestlers that they could identify with.
A rival company called WCW (World Championship Wrestling) hired Jericho, Malenko, and Benoit and added Mysterio, Psicosis, Guerrero, and many more high flyers and created a division based around their amazing talents. The division was so popular with the WCW fans that WCW had to stop their progress because they were becoming more popular than the bigger stars like Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash. Nash was famously known for calling the cruiserweights “vanilla midgets”.
Fast forwarding to present time, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Benoit became huge stars in WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). Their styles meshed with great grapplers like Kurt Angle, monsters like Kane and The Big Show, and more importantly, each other. Jericho, Benoit,Rey Mysterio, and Eddie Guerrero all won the top title in their respective brand of either Raw or Smackdown.
A new group of smaller stars are emerging to wow the fans. Guys like Sin Cara, Epico and Primo, and TNA stars Shiima Zion and Austin Aries are continuing the tradition of the small guy who can do amazing moves in the ring. We honor some of the smaller wrestlers in professional wrestling below. (You may also read about the smallest wrestlers in pro wrestling history.)
Rey Mysterio, Jr. (WWE)
The most famous of the lucha libre wrestlers who transitioned nicely into American rings and made a positive impact in the World Wrestling Entertainment product. Rey won numerous championships in his WWE career, including a run with the Heavyweight Championship. Loved by the younger fans, Rey places his head against the head of fans who wear his mask and gives them a positive message as he prepares for battle. His mask is the most recognizable of any traditional lucha masks. He also dresses in superhero gear like Superman or Flash for special events like Wrestlemania. His most popular move is called “619”. He drops his opponent across the middle rope and runs the opposite ropes. When he nears his opponent, he swings through the middle rope and kicks the downed opponent in the face. Rey has wrestled in WWE, WCW, and ECW in the United States.
Chris Jericho (WWE)
The man who lead the way. Jericho paved the way for the little man to become main eventers with the big man. His talents as a wrestler and a talker provided him the opportunity that most little men never had before him. Jericho has fought the biggest men in the business; men like Undertaker, Kane, Big Show, and Kevin Nash all felt the wrath of the smaller Jericho. Multi-time championship holder in organizations like ECW, WCW, and WWE guarantees him a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Jeff Hardy (TNA)
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Jeff Hardy started wrestling at sixteen years old in WWE rings. As a enhancement talent, he and his brother, Matt, were hired to get beaten down night after night for the bigger talent. Then all of a sudden they were given the chance to shine. After a few years, the Hardy Boyz won tag team gold and began a series of matches with tag teams The Dudley Boyz and Edge and Christian in Ladder Matches. These matches were a turning point for the smaller Hardy. He was then given a series of matches with the Undertaker in singles competition. Hardy held his own and was given respect by the dead man. He captured singles gold a few times in WWE before moving to TNA Impact wrestling. Hardy finally won the TNA Heavyweight Championship after a few years in the company and helped break the small guy stigma.
