Hardcore Championship
I'm back with the latest installment in my series. Today I'll be covering the WWE(F) Hardcore Championship. The Hardcore Title was brought into the WWE on November 2, 1998. Vince McMahon rewarded the belt to Mankind, who was at the time the most well-known hardcore wrestler out there. The belt gained popularity quickly, and soon thereafter became quite an attraction to the fans. The title was at first traded between Big Bossman, Al Snow, and Hardcore Holly, but it hit its biggest surge of popularity when the 24/7 Rule came into effect when Crash Holly won his first Hardcore Title. The 24/7 Rule meant the the title could, in effect, be defended anywhere at any time, as long as a referee was present. This began one of the most beloved ongoing storylines in WWE history, as the title became the centerpiece for not only some excellent wrestling, but some hilarious comedy segments. The title ended its run on August 26, 2002, when Tommy Dreamer lost a Unification match to Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam, who had just a month earlier unified the Intercontinental and European Championships in a ladder match with Jeff Hardy. Even though the title only ran for a few short years, about 4 years (November 1998 - August 2002), it had many champions, and quite the history. So out of all those guys, who do you think of when you see the Hardcore Championship?
My choice was quite simple, one of the most hardcore guys to ever hold the belt. The "godfather" of the Hardcore Championship:
Crash Holly
Crash Holly was a 22-time Hardcore Champion. The fact that he was predominantly a hardcore wrestler earned him the nickname "The Houdini of Hardcore". He undoubtedly had a huge impact on the belt. Whenever someone was competing for the Hardcore Title you could be sure that Crash was somewhere around there ready to snag the win and leave champion. He was fascinated with the Hardcore Title, it meant the world to him. Also, even though most of his 22 reigns were quite short, that is quite significant. Crash was always being attacked, thus he was always also plotting revenge. He participated in some of the most notable segments in the WWE Attitude Era, and is to this day a very well known character. He is by far the guy that comes to mind.
Who comes to mind for you guys?