WWE Hardcore Championship
World Wrestling Entertainment's Hardcore Championship was a championship defended under hardcore rules:
- No Disqualifications meaning all weapons are legal.
- Falls Count Anywhere meaning pinfalls and submissions do not have to take place in the ring.
- No Holds Barred meaning that the referee will allow anything and will only end the match with a pinfall or submission.
When Vince McMahon first awarded Mankind the belt on November 2, 1998 these were the only rules, but when Crash Holly won the belt he introduced a new rule:
- 24/7 meaning the belt was being defended at all times, allowing the championship to change hands anytime as long as there was a referee present. This allowed for many comic relief moments, including once where the belt changed hands at a motel while the champion was asleep. Other moments included multiple wrestlers in the locker room chasing Crash around the arena. The addition of this rule made the division more interesting with the array of holders and matches.
This rule was enforced until August 19, 2002 when RAW GM Eric Bischoff decided to stop this rule after a six minute Hardcore Battle Royal, which was won by Tommy Dreamer.
Trivia
- The longest reigning champion was The Big Boss Man. He won the belt from The British Bulldog on October 12, 1999, and held it for 97 days before losing it to Test on January 7, 2000.
- The longest reign after the 24/7 rule was instituted is by The Undertaker. He beat Rob Van Dam for the title on December 9, 2001 and held it for 60 days before losing it to Maven on February 7, 2002. However, this was during a period where WWE largely ignored the 24/7 rule.
- The shortest reign is technically by Rob Van Dam. After beating Tommy Dreamer for the belt on August 26, 2002, the title was immediately unified with Van Dam's Intercontinental title and abandoned.
- The youngest champion was Mighty Molly, who won the Hardcore title from The Hurricane on March 17, 2002 at age 23.
- The youngest male champion was Christopher Nowinski, who won the title from Crash Holly at age 23 as well on July 1, 2002 (Molly was a few months younger)
- The oldest champion was Pat Patterson, who was 59 when he lost the title to Crash Holly on June 25, 2000.
- The most times as Hardcore champion is by Raven, who won the title 27 times between December 2000 and August 2002.
- RAW GM Eric Bischoff retired the belt on August 26, 2002 during an episode of RAW after a unification match. The final Hardcore Champion was Tommy Dreamer; then WWE Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam defeated him to unify the two titles.
- On a later episode of RAW, Vince McMahon, Al Snow, Spike Dudley, The Dudley Boyz, Tommy Dreamer, and Rob Van Dam gave the original title belt as a gift to the original Hardcore Champion Mick Foley (Mankind) to commemorate his success in the WWE.
- The original WWE Hardcore Championship belt itself was originally used as the WWF Championship in an angle between Hulk Hogan and Mr. Perfect. On an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event, Hennig and The Genius attacked Hogan and stole his belt. When the show came back from the commercial break, it cut to a shot of Hennig using a hammer to smash the belt, breaking the gold plates. Unknown to wrestling fans, this belt was a replica of the actual belt. When the WWF decided to create the Hardcore Championship, they took the smashed-up replica WWF Championship belt, and tape was applied on various spots of the belt with the largest piece across the center having the word 'HARDCORE' written on it. However, when Bradshaw first won the belt on June 3, 2002, he replaced it with a customized belt to fit his Texan Cowboy gimmick. The belt included a Texan flag, giant bull horns and the words 'Texas Hardcore Champion'. Shortly afterwards, Tommy Dreamer also had a customised version of the Hardcore Championship that consisted of a license plate. This version of the belt was used before the title was retired.
- Terri, Mighty Molly, Bobcat (Godfather's Ho) and Trish Stratus were the only women in the WWE to ever win the Hardcore Championship. Each of them lost the title the same night they won it.
- The Hardcore title changed hands 11 times in one night at Wrestlemania 2000 in a battle royal which was then won by Bob "Hardcore" Holly.
- Bob "Hardcore" Holly won the Hardcore Championship back to back at Wrestlemania XV and XVI
- After losing the title to the Big Bossman, Mankind never attempted to recapture it. This is mainly due to Mankind's main event push after he lost the belt.
- The only wrestlers to win both the WWE and WCW Hardcore Championships were Johnny Stamboli, who won the Hardcore title as "Johnny The Bull" with Big Vito in June 2000 and The Hurricane, who was co-Hardcore champion with Evan Karagias and Shannon Moore as "Shane Helms" in February and March 2000.
- 6 former ECW World Heavyweight Champions have won the WWE Hardcore Championship: Raven, Tazz, Mike Awesome, Tommy Dreamer, Justin Credible, and Rhyno.
- The title changed hands 5 times in one night at WrestleMania X8 on March 17, 2002. Spike Dudley beat Maven in a title match. Then The Hurricane beat Spike Dudley. Later Mighty Holly beat The Hurricane. Then Christian beat Mighty Holly. Finally Maven regained the hardcore title by beating Christian.