The WWF Hardcore title (1998-2002) was divisive. To some, it was an entertaining attraction that was perfectly suited to the midcard. To others, however, it was just a bunch of guys hitting each other with weapons for no rhyme or reason and lost its appeal very quickly. Regardless of the perceived quality of the division and the wrestlers in it, the Hardcore Title was a fixture of WWF television for many years. The Hardcore Championship was originally supposed to be used in comedy segments but hardcore wrestling got more popular and the title was then pushed as a serious championship. For the duration of 1999, wrestlers were putting each other through tables, hitting each other with steel chairs and jumping off of ladders in order to capture the belt. It certainly made for exciting television. The division was gradually phased out (it became ridiculous when people like Terri Runnels would win the title) and Hardcore Championship was unified with the Intercontinental Championship in 2002. The last Hardcore Title match, pitting Rob Van Dam against Tommy Dreamer, was very good. In fact, there were lots of genuinely good Hardcore Title matches during the belt's existence. Fire up the WWE Network and reminisce about pre-PG WWE with these incredible Hardcore Championship matches.
