Billy Kidman

3.2.1. The Flock (1996-1998)

Gruner began wrestling for World Championship Wrestling on March 6, 1996, under the name "Kid Flash," where he lost to Chris Kanyon in his debut. He then wrestled as Billy Cannon on April 10, before officially adopting the ring name Billy Kidman on May 13. His televised debut in WCW occurred on the May 18, 1996, episode of Saturday Night, where he competed against Diamond Dallas Page in a losing effort. For over a year, Kidman primarily served as an enhancement talent without a distinct character. His first televised victory came on the July 28 episode of WorldWide against Psychosis. Kidman received his first title opportunity in WCW on the September 9 episode of Monday Nitro, unsuccessfully challenging Rey Misterio Jr. for the World Cruiserweight Championship.

On the September 30 episode of Nitro, Kidman appeared as the masked "El Technico," filling in for Psychosis due to visa issues. He teamed with Juventud Guerrera in a losing effort against The Public Enemy. Kidman received two more unsuccessful title shots for the World Cruiserweight Championship against Dean Malenko on the December 2 episode of Nitro and the December 14 episode of Saturday Night.

On October 13, 1997, Kidman was added to Raven's Flock, a stable characterized by its outcast members. To align with the stable's gimmick, Kidman adopted the persona of a heroin addict, constantly scratching his arms and naming his shooting star press finisher the Seven Year Itch. While part of the Flock, Kidman achieved little personal success, making only a few appearances in major matches. He participated in a battle royal to determine the #1 contender for the Cruiserweight Championship in his pay-per-view debut at Slamboree but failed to win. He later lost to Juventud Guerrera at Bash at the Beach. At Fall Brawl, Kidman assisted Perry Saturn in defeating the Flock's leader Raven, which led to the disbanding of the group.

3.2.2. Cruiserweight Champion (1998-1999)

Following the disbanding of The Flock, Kidman underwent a character transformation, shedding his grungy attire and heroin addict gimmick. He became a clean-cut fan favorite and quickly achieved his first significant singles success. On the September 14 episode of Nitro, Kidman defeated Juventud Guerrera to win his first Cruiserweight Championship. He successfully defended the title against various cruiserweights on a weekly basis, including his first pay-per-view defense against Disco Inferno at Halloween Havoc. Although he lost the title back to Guerrera on the November 16 episode of Nitro, Kidman quickly regained it in a rematch at World War 3.

Shortly after, Kidman aligned himself with Rey Mysterio, Jr. in the latter's rivalry with the Latino World Order (LWO). At Starrcade, Kidman successfully defended the Cruiserweight Championship in a triangle match against Guerrera and Mysterio. Following this, LWO leader Eddie Guerrero challenged Kidman to an immediate title match, which Kidman accepted and retained with assistance from Mysterio.

Kidman's championship reign extended into 1999. He successfully defended the title in a four-way match against Guerrera, Psychosis, and Mysterio at Souled Out. He continued to retain against challengers such as Chavo Guerrero Jr. at SuperBrawl IX and Mikey Whipwreck at Uncensored before losing the title to Mysterio on the March 15 episode of Nitro. Subsequently, Mysterio invited Kidman to be his tag team partner for a World Tag Team Championship match. Initially hesitant due to a previous unsuccessful attempt at a tag team between them, Kidman agreed. They faced Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko for the titles on the March 29 episode of Nitro and won, albeit with unsolicited assistance from Raven and Saturn. Kidman then challenged Mysterio in an attempt to reclaim the Cruiserweight Championship at Spring Stampede, but Mysterio retained. The three teams (Kidman/Mysterio, Benoit/Malenko, Raven/Saturn) engaged in a multi-week feud, culminating in a three-way tag team match for the World Tag Team Championship at Slamboree. Chris Kanyon's interference led to a victory for Raven and Saturn. Kidman spent the following months in various feuds.

3.2.3. Filthy Animals (1999-2001)

In the summer of 1999, Billy Kidman joined the Filthy Animals stable, alongside Rey Mysterio, Konnan, and Eddie Guerrero. The group initially formed to combat the Dead Pool and defeated them twice at Road Wild and Fall Brawl. Kidman gained notoriety by unmasking Psychosis after defeating him in a hair vs. mask match on the September 27 episode of Nitro. At Halloween Havoc, Kidman stepped in for an injured Mysterio and teamed with Konnan to defend the World Tag Team Championship against Harlem Heat and The First Family in a triangle match, which Harlem Heat won. However, the very next night on Nitro, Kidman and Konnan defeated Harlem Heat to reclaim the titles, marking Kidman's second tag team championship reign in WCW.

Kidman then participated in a tournament for the vacant WCW World Heavyweight Championship. He defeated Konnan in the first round and Norman Smiley in a hardcore match in the second round before ultimately losing to the eventual winner, Bret Hart, in the quarter-final round. The Filthy Animals later lost an intergender elimination match to The Revolution at Mayhem. The following night on Nitro, Kidman teamed with Mysterio (substituting for Konnan) to defend the World Tag Team Championship against Creative Control, but the Filthy Animals lost the titles. Kidman would later challenge Jeff Jarrett for the United States Heavyweight Championship on the December 27 episode of Nitro, coming close to victory before losing the match.

The Filthy Animals began to dissolve in 2000 when Eddie Guerrero departed WCW, and Kidman himself left the stable after the remaining members turned heel. At Souled Out, Kidman participated in the Triple Threat Theater, a series of three matches with different stipulations. Originally scheduled between Chris Benoit and Jeff Jarrett, Kidman stepped in due to Jarrett's injury. Kidman won the first two matches-a Catch-as-Catch Can match against Dean Malenko and a Bunkhouse Brawl against Perry Saturn-but lost the third, a Caged Heat match against The Wall. This led to a feud between Kidman, Wall, and Vampiro, culminating in Kidman defeating Vampiro at SuperBrawl 2000. Following this, Kidman allied with Booker to feud with Harlem Heat 2000, defeating them at Uncensored. On March 30, Kidman defeated The Artist at a house show to win his third Cruiserweight Championship, but lost the title back to The Artist just one day later.

In April 2000, Kidman joined Vince Russo's New Blood stable, marking another heel turn. At Spring Stampede, he participated in a tournament for the vacant United States Heavyweight Championship, losing to Vampiro in the quarter-final round. Embracing the New Blood's persona, Kidman began to act as a "hotshot" unwilling to be held back by older, past-their-prime wrestlers. This attitude sparked the most significant feud of his career against Hulk Hogan. Their rivalry included a notable pinfall victory for Kidman over Hogan in a handicap match, though the feud ultimately concluded with Hogan defeating Kidman in back-to-back matches at Slamboree and The Great American Bash. The New Blood stable eventually disbanded, leading Kidman to turn face again as he entered a feud with Shane Douglas over the affection of his on-screen girlfriend, Torrie Wilson. During this rivalry, Wilson betrayed Kidman. Kidman suffered a legitimate injury in a strap match at New Blood Rising, when Douglas used the strap to hang Kidman by the neck. Despite winning the match, Kidman was forced to take several weeks off to recover. At Fall Brawl, Kidman and Madusa lost a scaffold match to Douglas and Wilson.

Following this feud, Kidman once again reunited with Rey Mysterio Jr. and rejoined the Filthy Animals. At Halloween Havoc, Kidman and Mysterio failed to win the World Tag Team Championship from Mark Jindrak and Sean O'Haire in a triangle match, which also involved The Boogie Knights. The duo then began a feud with KroniK after losing to them at Millennium Final. At Mayhem, the Filthy Animals defeated Alex Wright and KroniK in a handicap match after KroniK abandoned Wright. The Filthy Animals' next rivalry was against Jeff Jarrett and The Harris Brothers, losing to them in a street fight at Starrcade. They also suffered a loss to Team Canada in a penalty box match at Sin.

In the spring of 2001, Kidman and Mysterio entered the Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship tournament. They defeated Jason Lee and Johnny Swinger in the quarterfinals and 3 Count in the semifinals, but ultimately lost in the finals to Elix Skipper and Kid Romeo at Greed. On the final episode of Nitro, Kidman and Mysterio Jr. defeated Skipper and Romeo to win the titles. That same night, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) purchased WCW, and Kidman's contract was among those acquired by the WWF. As a result, Kidman and Mysterio ended their reign as the final Cruiserweight Tag Team Champions in WCW history.

3.3.1. Cruiserweight Championship pursuit (2001-2003)

When the WWF acquired WCW, Billy Kidman's contract was one of twenty-five involved in the purchase. As The Invasion storyline began, Kidman appeared on WWF television under his Billy Kidman ring name as a tweener for The Alliance, a unified force of former WCW and ECW wrestlers. Kidman debuted in WWF on the July 5, 2001, episode of SmackDown!, competing in the first televised WCW match on the weekly program. In his WWF debut, Kidman defeated Gregory Helms to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. As the WCW Cruiserweight Champion, Kidman went on to defeat the WWF Light Heavyweight Champion X-Pac at Invasion. However, on the July 30 episode of Raw is War, Kidman lost the Cruiserweight Championship to X-Pac in a title versus title match, where X-Pac's Light Heavyweight Championship was also on the line. Following this, Kidman was sidelined with an injury during the Invasion angle, limiting his impact compared to other WCW wrestlers.

After recovering, Kidman returned to WWF in October 2001. On the October 11 episode of SmackDown!, Kidman defeated X-Pac to win his record-tying fifth Cruiserweight Championship. He subsequently lost the title to Tajiri on the October 22 episode of Raw is War. At Survivor Series, Kidman participated in an Immunity battle royal where the winner would receive immunity from being fired. Kidman failed to win the match, and The Alliance lost later that night, leading to its storyline disbandment. Consequently, all Alliance members were in storyline fired, and Kidman was taken off television, competing only at house shows for the next four months.

Kidman returned to WWF television after being drafted to the SmackDown! brand as part of the brand extension on March 25, 2002. His return match occurred on the March 30 episode of Jakked, where he teamed with The Hurricane against Funaki and Tajiri in a losing effort. On the April 4 episode of SmackDown!, Kidman defeated Tajiri to win his record-breaking sixth Cruiserweight Championship. However, Tajiri quickly reclaimed the title at Backlash. Kidman continued to feud with Tajiri over the title, wrestling him on various occasions but failing to regain it. After losing a #1 contender's match to Jamie Noble on the June 20 episode of SmackDown!, Kidman began feuding with Noble over the title, unsuccessfully challenging him at Vengeance.

At Rebellion, Kidman and his real-life girlfriend Torrie Wilson defeated John Cena and Dawn Marie in an intergender tag team match. He then went on to win his record-breaking seventh Cruiserweight Championship after defeating Jamie Noble at Survivor Series. Kidman lost the title three months later to Matt Hardy at No Way Out. In March 2003, Kidman suffered neck and shoulder injuries during a botched Shooting Star Press.

3.3.2. Teaming and feuding with Paul London (2004-2005)

Following his Cruiserweight Championship loss, Billy Kidman spent the next few years as a cornerstone of the cruiserweight division. In early 2004, he formed a tag team with newcomer Paul London. They gradually ascended the tag team ranks, ultimately winning the WWE Tag Team Championship from the Dudley Boyz on the July 8, 2004, episode of SmackDown!. Their victory was not an upset, as they went on to defeat the Dudley Boyz in a rematch to retain the titles.

Their championship reign came to an abrupt end when Kidman turned his back on London, leading to a heel turn. This storyline was initiated by a legitimate injury that occurred on the August 26, 2004, episode of SmackDown!, when Kidman's signature Shooting Star Press unintentionally resulted in Chavo Guerrero Jr. suffering a concussion. The following week, during a match, Kidman climbed to the top rope to execute the Shooting Star Press but hesitated, climbed down the turnbuckles, and slowly walked backstage, overwhelmed with guilt after injuring Guerrero. This moment was later revealed to be a storyline element, as WWE had actually prohibited Kidman from performing the move after the incident. Left alone to defend the title, London was easily defeated by Kenzo Suzuki and René Duprée, losing their WWE Tag Team Championship.

As a result of this incident, London and Kidman faced each other at No Mercy, where Kidman defeated London. After the match, Kidman performed the Shooting Star Press on London while he was strapped to a stretcher, solidifying his heel turn. He subsequently blamed the fans for pushing him to be more brutal with his in-ring style. Kidman and Chavo Guerrero Jr. eventually concluded their feud upon Chavo's return, with Guerrero being victorious in their final match. Kidman then competed against London for the Cruiserweight Championship in the ensuing months. At the start of 2005, Kidman suffered a broken orbital bone, which sidelined him for three months.

Peter Gruner Jr. was released from his WWE contract on July 6, 2005. Gruner later stated that the reason for his release was an argument with management over their decision to stop booking wrestlers on first class flights for overseas travel, an account that differed from rumors attributing his release to a lack of charisma and frequent injuries.