WWE Hardcore Championship

The WWE Hardcore Championship was a championship in WWE that was contested under "hardcore" rules, meaning that there were no countouts, no disqualifications, and falls could be counted anywhere. In the latter part of the championship's lifespan, a "24/7" rule was implemented which allowed for the champion to be challenge at any time and/or place, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as long as a referee was present to acknowledge the fall, hence the name, "24/7" rule.

Origin
Vince McMahon first awarded Mick Foley, known as Mankind at the time, the belt, originally known as World Wrestling Federation (WWF) Hardcore Championship, on November 2, 1998. After losing the title to The Big Boss Man, he never attempted to recapture it, mainly because of the main event push he received shortly after he lost the belt. At the time of the belt's conception, the idea was that the belt was to have been used in comedy segments to try to push Mankind's reputation as a famous hardcore wrestler, but as Foley was getting over with the crowd as well as the rising popularity of hardcore wrestling at the time, the Hardcore Championship seemed to gain a life of its own. Its growing popularity led competitor World Championship Wrestling to create their own Hardcore Wrestling, a move followed by numerous independent promotions.

The 24/7 Rule
When Crash Holly won the belt, he introduced the "24/7 rule" which meant the belt was to be defended "at all times...as long as there was a referee present." This allowed for many comic relief moments, including the belt once changing hands while the champion was asleep, and a segment on an episode of SmackDown! where The Headbangers chased Crash Holly around Funtime USA and an amusement park in Brooklyn, New York with Crash escaping repeated attempts to take the title from him before escaping from the ball pit and running from the building.

The addition of this rule is said to have made the division both more interesting and unpredictable, adding a vast array of holders and matches. Still, others believed this rule cheapened and devalued the championship for the same reasons. This rule has led to the shortest title reigns and quickest title changes in WWE history. During this time, four women have held the Hardcore Championship: Molly Holly, Trish Stratus, Terri Runnels, and Bobcat. Also during this time, the championship would change hands at house shows in an attempt to allow the fans in attendance to see something big. In the end, the title would always return to its original holder.

Throughout late 2001 into 2002, heading towards WrestleMania 18, the 24/7 rule was all but absent in WWE. The only notable time during this period where it was applied was during a match on RAW (September 10, 2001); Kurt Angle vs. Rob Van Dam. Kurt Angle won the match with an Ankle Lock, only to have Austin throw Angle off the ramp, as well as throw RVD off the ramp too, causing RVD to pin Angle nearly unconscious and regain the Hardcore Championship Belt. During this time, it was either assumed that the reason for the absence if the rule was that it would be nearly impossible to implement the 24/7 rule during this time or assumed that neither team (WWF or Alliance) wanted to risk losing their belts to prove brand dominance. After the Invasion storyline was finished, the Undertaker won the Hardcore Championship against RVD. Due to his new heel persona, the Undertaker went against numerous opponents, usually smaller than him, and severely beat them after the match. As a result of the excessive brutality, it could've been assumed that (in kayfabe) none of the WWE superstars in the hardcore division want to utilize the 24/7 rule against the Undertaker due to life-threatening fear. After Maven won the belt against the Undertaker, interference from the Rock, the 24/7 rule resumed.

The 24/7 rule continued to be enforced more prominently until August 19, 2002 when Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff decided to suspend it following a six minute Hardcore Battle Royal won by Tommy Dreamer. Prior to this a 24 hour suspension on the rule was in place for Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy's match at WWF Invasion. Commissioner Mick Foley also suspended the rule while Shane McMahon held the belt to ensure he was still the champion at SummerSlam 2000 to defend against Steve Blackman, whom he cheated out of the belt.

Unification and retirement
The title was finally retired on August 26, 2002 when Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam defeated Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer to unify the titles. This was exactly a month after Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy in a ladder match to unify the Intercontinental title and the European Championship.

On the June 23, 2003 episode of Raw, Mick Foley (who was the first champion as "Mankind") was awarded the WWE Hardcore Championship belt by the Raw Co-General Manager Stone Cold Steve Austin for his contributions in hardcore wrestling. Edge and Foley then introduced themselves as co-holders of the championship in 2006, in response to the revival of the hardcore wrestling-based Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion as a third WWE brand. This announcement, however, is not recognized as an official championship reign.

Origin of the belt
The WWE Hardcore Championship belt itself is a replica of the "Winged Eagle" WWF Championship title that was smashed in several places and reassembled with two long pieces of duct tape with the words "Hardcore" and "Champion" written in marker. A long-standing rumor stated that this belt was the same one that was stolen by Mr. Perfect from Hulk Hogan on a 1989 episode of Saturday Night's Main Event and destroyed with a hammer at the end of the episode.

When Bradshaw won the title in June 2002, he briefly renamed it the Texas Hardcore Championship, and brought a custom belt to the ring with a Texas flag and oversized bull horns. The original design was resumed later in June when Raven reclaimed the championship. Tommy Dreamer would use a variation of the belt with a New York license plate where the center plate should be.