5 Former WWE Cruiserweights: Where Are They Now?

Where is Rey Mysterio now?

The recent re-emergence of WWE’s Cruiserweight division has met with mixed results. While this past summer’s Cruiserweight Classic certainly received high praise, the subsequent booking of the division has come under scrutiny.

They have been lumped together and had little character direction, and the Cruiserweights have been segregated from the overall product and have not crossed paths with the other talent. It has taken the WWE a number of years to reassemble a division with talented workers that demonstrate the kind of high calibre in-ring work the division was once synonymous with.

After WWE’s purchase of WCW, the company made a concerted effort to re-establish a division that is exciting to watch. The cruiserweight division in WCW once included the names of Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero and Ultimo Dragon, men from different countries coming together to put on high tempo and engaging matches.

Fans wanted to see them, and it certainly captured their attention each and every time they stepped into the ring. What about those wrestlers that laid the foundation for today’s Cruiserweights? Where are they now? Here are five former WWE cruiserweights who have found new life after leaving the WWE.


#5 Rey Mysterio

After a thirteen-year tenure with WWE, Mysterio's contract expired and he was deemed a free agent at the end of February 2015. Though he had left the company, Mysterio still carried his reputation and name value with him and could compete anywhere in the world.

He initially went back to Mexico and was performing for AAA less than a week after his contract with WWE expired. While there he faced the likes of Pentagon Jr and the late Perro Aguayo. A few months later Mysterio, along with Alberto El Patron (Del Rio) and Myzteziz (the original Sin Cara in WWE) competed as part of the Lucha Libre Cup and scored the winning pinfall.

Mysterio has also been active competing on the independent circuit, facing the likes of PJ Black, Amazing Red and Ricochet, not to mention facing Kurt Angle in the United Kingdom. His value to the Mexican people cannot be minimised, and knowing this, the wrestling program Lucha Underground brought him in, where he has faced the likes of Johnny Mundo, Son of Havoc and Jack Evans. Whether or not Mysterio returns to WWE remains uncertain, but his ability to compete at the highest level possible remains.

#4 Paul London

London has clearly taken on a different look as part of the Lucha Underground program.

He is a former WWE tag team champion, and his former partner Brian Kendrick has become an integral part of WWE's new cruiserweight division. Paul London was released from his WWE contract in 2008, and long-time fans didn't know what became of the talented wrestler.

After leaving the company, London returned to the independent circuit in the United States. He has been very active competing for the likes of Dragon Gate USA and Pro Wrestling Guerilla, and in the process faced some of the biggest names in wrestling today. His opponents have included Dean Ambrose, Kevin Steen (Owens) and his former partner Kendrick.

Last year, London joined the El Rey Network's Lucha Underground, and since then has had a recurring role as part of a faction known as The Rabbit Tribe, a trios team that is slated to compete for the Trios championship. The inspiration for the gimmick is much like that of Alice in Wonderland, with London being the Mad Hatter and leader of the group.

#3 Chavo Guerrero Jr

Guerrero is as active in front of the camera as he is behind it as part of Lucha Underground.

Since leaving WWE in 2011, Guerrero has been very active competing all over North America. He first competed in Carlos Colon's WWC, and later that same year was part of TNA's venture into India, the Ring Ka King project. While with TNA he competed for them over the course of a couple of years.

There, he was aligned with ‘Big Mex' Hernandez as they became something of a renewal of the Latin American Exchange faction that had been successful years earlier. Guerrero was consistently booked alongside Hernandez for a couple of years, and the duo captured the TNA tag team championships.

Also read: 5 Former Cruiserweights that WWE could bring back

After departing TNA, Guerrero worked alongside his father, the recently departed Chavo Guerrero Sr., and battled him in a father and son matchup. Since 2014, much like a number of other former WWE talent, he has been part of Lucha Underground, and in fact is a key behind the scenes figure.

On the program itself, he began as a face but quickly turned heel, beating down notable characters Sexy Star and Blue Demon Jr. While no longer on-screen as a character, Guerrero remains backstage in a producer role. There is life after WWE, and Guerrero has maintained a successful career after leaving to pursue richer and more diverse opportunities.

#2 Billy Kidman

(pictured here on the right) Kidman is an active part of the WWE, behind the camera today.

If fans heard the name Peter Gruner, then they probably wouldn't be able to put a face to the name. However, if the name Billy Kidman was used, then fans would recall a versatile, up and coming young talent that captured the WCW cruiserweight championship.

After leaving WWE in 2005, fans may not know what happened to him. He began to tour the independent scene in the United Kingdom, along with competing in part of the southern United States for a couple of years. Gruner returned to the WWE in 2007 and has remained with them ever since. Working behind the scenes rather than in front of them.

As part of what was once known as FCW, Gruner helped train young talent for a couple of years while also competing as well. In 2010, he took on the role of a road agent and producer with the company. Fans may see him now when he is in the midst of breaking up fights between wrestlers, as he did this past summer during a brawl between AJ Styles and Dolph Ziggler. His love of wrestling is clearly evident, even after his years of in-ring competition.

#1 The Hurricane

Helms continues to find her life as the leader of the Helms Dynasty as part of Impact Wrestling today.

‘Stand back there's was a hurricane coming through!'' What's up with that?' During his time in WWE, The Hurricane, Shane ‘Gregory' Helms was among their most popular characters. However, after departing the company in 2010, he began to compete on the independent circuit all over North America. There were stops in Canada, many parts of the United States, and Mexico, as Helms made his rounds. He competed in 2011 with Pro Wrestling Guerilla, facing the likes of Terry Funk and Shane Douglas.

After a few years of competing independently, Helms joined TNA in 2015. There, he took on the role of a road agent, but began to have an on-screen role as he established the faction known as ‘The Helms Dynasty'. On the comic relief side, Helms took part in Total Nonstop Deletion, which was orchestrated by the Hardys, during which he was thrown into the lake of regeneration and emerged first as his 3 Count persona ‘Sugar' Shane Helms, and then as The Hurricane. Helms also appeared on an edition of Say Yes to The Dress, when his fiancé was in search of her wedding dress.


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