Wrestle-1 Cruiser Division Championship

The **Wrestle-1 Cruiser Division Championship** was the top singles crusierweight championship in the Wrestle-1 (W-1) promotion. The title was meant for cruiserweight wrestlers and holds a weight limit of 200 lb (91 kg).

## Overveiw

When Wrestle-1 was founded in 2013, one of its main focuses was to build an openweight division, where its wrestlers would not be typecast as heavyweights or junior heavyweights, like in most Japanese promotions, but would be able to interact with each other across weight limits. However, on February 13, 2015, after Kaz Hayashi and Shuji Kondo had successfully defended the Wrestle-1 Tag Team Championship against Minoru Tanaka and Seiki Yoshioka, Hayashi announced he was interested in building a division for Wrestle-1's lighter wrestlers, electing to call the proposed division a "cruiserweight" division instead of the "junior heavyweight" division, which is more common in Japanese *puroresu*. This led to a match on February 22, billed as an "assessment match" to a possible cruiserweight division, where Tanaka defeated Hayashi. Following the match, Tanaka, Andy Wu, El Hijo del Pantera, Hiroshi Yamato, Rionne Fujiwara, Seiki Yoshioka and Yusuke Kodama voiced their support for a cruiserweight division in Wrestle-1. On February 25, Wrestle-1 officially announced the creation of a cruiserweight division and the promotion's third title, a cruiserweight championship.

### Championship tournament

On March 9, 2015, Wrestle-1 officially presented the new title, naming it the "Wrestle-1 Cruiser Division Championship". It was announced that the title holds a weight limit of 200 lb (91 kg) that wrestlers need to make the day before a title match. Also announced was an eight-man single-elimination tournament that would culminate on May 5 with the crowning of the first champion. The championship belt was officially unveiled on March 31 at a press conference, where all participants in the tournament underwent and passed a weigh-in. On May 5, Minoru Tanaka defeated Kaz Hayashi in the finals of the tournament to become the inaugural Wrestle-1 Cruiser Division Champion.

## Gallery

* Champions

Minoru TanakaAndy WuHiroshi YamatoKotaro SuzukiYusuke KodamaMazadaSeiki YoshiokaEl Hijo del Pantera

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *ja:クルーザー級王座新設決定のお知らせ* (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2015-02-25). Retrieved on 2015-02-25.
2. ↑ ja:田中 稔 (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1*. Archived from the original on 2015-05-05. Retrieved on 2015-05-05.
3. ↑ *ja:水木千尋さん「酔拳」披露しただ１人合格* (in Japanese). *Nikkan Sports* (2011-01-24). Retrieved on 2015-09-25.
4. ↑ Mazada  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1*. Archived from the original on 2016-12-09. Retrieved on 2016-12-09.
5. ↑ ja:アンディ・ウー (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1*. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved on 2015-09-23.
6. ↑ ja:児玉 裕輔 (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1*. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved on 2016-08-11.
7. ↑ Results . *Pro Wrestling Pride*. Archived from the original on 2016-05-10. Retrieved on 2016-05-10.
8. ↑ *ja:10/6（日）初の後楽園に向け、カズ選手、近藤選手、田中選手がコメントを発表* (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2013-10-04). Retrieved on 2015-02-25.
9. ↑ *ja:Ｗ－１初後楽園でジュニア戦士決起* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2013-10-05). Retrieved on 2015-02-25.
10. ↑ タッグV5カズがクルーザー級創設を提言 田中を撃破したKaiが武藤に挑戦表明  (in Japanese). *Sports Navi*. Yahoo! (2015-02-13). Retrieved on 2015-02-25.
11. ↑ クルーザー級創設への序章！？カズ・ハヤシvs田中稔、大阪で一騎打ち決定！  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2015-02-14). Retrieved on 2015-02-25.
12. ↑ *ja:Ｗ―１タッグ王座 カズ＆近藤がＶ５* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2015-02-14). Retrieved on 2015-02-25.
13. ↑ 2月22日（日）大阪大会に向けて。カズ・ハヤシ選手が提唱する“クルーザーの世界”に対して。6選手がコメント。～2月20日（金）愛知・名古屋国際会議場大会 試合後コメント～vol.2  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2015-02-20). Retrieved on 2015-02-25.
14. ↑ *ja:Ｗ－１タッグ王者 近藤＆カズそれぞれの野望* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2015-02-17). Retrieved on 2015-02-25.
15. ↑ Wrestle-1 Tour 2015 West Side Story  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2015-02-22). Retrieved on 2015-02-25.
16. ↑ *ja:カズに血判状届く！動き出す“クルーザーの世界”！～カズ・ハヤシ選手、会見* (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2015-02-24). Retrieved on 2015-02-25.
17. ↑ *ja:カズ「血判状」公開 Ｗ－１クルーザー級王座新設主張* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2015-02-25). Retrieved on 2015-02-25.
18. ↑ W-1がクルーザー級王座を新設することを正式に決定！3.8後楽園でW-1王座戦を行う武藤とKaiが心境を語る  (in Japanese). *Battle News* (2015-02-25). Retrieved on 2015-02-25.
19. ↑ *ja:Ｗ－１クルーザー級王座新設決定* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2015-02-26). Retrieved on 2015-02-26.
20. ↑ *ja:「Wrestle-1クルーザーディビジョン初代王者決定トーナメント」開催決定のお知らせ* (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2015-03-09). Retrieved on 2015-03-09.
21. ↑ *ja:W-1クルーザーディビジョン初代王者決定トーナメントの開催＆4.1後楽園でKaivs.鈴木秀樹のW-1王座戦などが決定* (in Japanese). *Battle News* (2015-03-09). Retrieved on 2015-03-09.
22. ↑ *ja:クルーザー級出場者＆１回戦組み合わせ発表　Ｗ－１* (in Japanese). *Nikkan Sports* (2015-03-09). Retrieved on 2015-03-09.
23. ↑ *ja:Wrestle-1クルーザーディビジョンベルト公開会見&公開計量* (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2015-03-31). Retrieved on 2015-03-31.
24. ↑ *ja:新設のＷ―１クルーザーディビジョン王座へカズ・ハヤシＶ宣言* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2015-04-01). Retrieved on 2015-04-01.
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Wrestle-1 Tour 2015 Triumph  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2015-05-05). Retrieved on 2015-05-05.
26. ↑ *ja:W-1 5.5後楽園大会　鈴木秀樹vs.浜のW-1チャンピオンシップ、クルーザーディビジョン初代王者決定トーナメント準決勝〜決勝* (in Japanese). *Battle News* (2015-05-05). Retrieved on 2015-05-05.
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Wrestle-1 Tour 2015 Cherry blossom  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2015-04-01). Retrieved on 2015-04-01.
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Wrestle-1 Tour 2015 Cherry blossom  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2015-04-19). Retrieved on 2015-04-19.
29. ↑ 「Wrestle-1 Tour 2016 W-Impact」  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2016-02-10). Retrieved on 2016-02-10.
30. ↑ 「Wrestle-1 Tour 2016 Sunrise」  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2016-01-10). Retrieved on 2016-01-10.
31. ↑ *ja:鼓太郎　Ｗ―１参戦を表明「時を動かしにきた」* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-01-11). Retrieved on 2016-01-11.
32. ↑ *ja:大和ヒロシ選手のクルーザー王座返上及び第4代王者決定トーナメント開催のお知らせ* (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2016-03-08). Retrieved on 2016-03-08.
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 *ja:「プロレスLove in Yokohama」* (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2016-08-11). Retrieved on 2016-08-11.
34. ↑ 「Wrestle-1 Tour 2016 Trans Magic」  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2016-03-13). Retrieved on 2016-03-13.
35. ↑ *ja:【Ｗ‐１】鈴木鼓太郎がクルーザー級新王者に* (in Japanese). *Tokyo Sports* (2016-03-13). Retrieved on 2016-03-13.
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 「Wrestle-1 Tour 2016 Shining Winter」  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2016-12-09). Retrieved on 2016-12-09.
37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 「Wrestle-1 Tour 2017 Trans Magic」  (in Japanese). *Wrestle-1* (2017-03-20). Retrieved on 2017-03-20.