The Lightweight Championship is considered a secondary championship in IWRG, with the IWRG Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship being considered the primary championship of the promotion. Aguila Oriental is the current champion, having defeated Aguila Roja on May 24, 2026 at an IWRG show. Oriental is the 20th overall champion and the 19th person to have held the championship. The Lightweight Championship was first won by Freelance in Naucalpan, Mexico when he won a 10-man elimination match.[1] The championship has only changed hands in Arena Naucalpan on IWRG promoted shows. Only Tetsuya/Tetsuya Bushi has held the title twice, he is also the person with the shortest reign, 35 days, while Impossible has the record for the longest reign so far, 1,142 days in total.[3]
As it is a professional wrestling championship, the championship was not won not by actual competition, but by a scripted ending to a match determined by the bookers and match makers.[b] On occasion the promotion declares a championship vacant, which means there is no champion at that point in time. This can either be due to a storyline,[c] or real life issues such as a champion suffering an injury being unable to defend the championship,[d] or leaving the company.[e]
↑One example the weightlimits not being strictly enforced is Mephisto winning the CMLL World Welterweight Championship, a championship with a 78kg (172lb) upper limit despite weighing 90kg (200lb).
↑Hornbaker (2016) p. 550: "Professional wrestling is a sport in which match finishes are predetermined. Thus, win–loss records are not indicative of a wrestler's genuine success based on their legitimate abilities – but on now much, or how little they were pushed by promoters"[4]
↑Duncan & Will (2000) p. 271, Chapter: Texas: NWA American Tag Team Title [World Class, Adkisson] "Championship held up and rematch ordered because of the interference of manager Gary Hart"[5]
↑Duncan & Will (2000) p. 20, Chapter: (United States: 19th Century & widely defended titles – NWA, WWF, AWA, IW, ECW, NWA) NWA/WCW TV Title "Rhodes stripped on 85/10/19 for not defending the belt after having his leg broken by Ric Flair and Ole & Arn Anderson"[6]
↑Duncan & Will (2000) p. 201, Chapter: (Memphis, Nashville) Memphis: USWA Tag Team Title "Vacant on 93/01/18 when Spike leaves the USWA."[7]
Hornbaker, Tim (2016). "Statistical notes". Legends of Pro Wrestling - 150 years of headlocks, body slams, and piledrivers (Reviseded.). New York, New York: Sports Publishing. ISBN978-1-61321-808-2.
Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2000). Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, ON: Archeus Communications. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.