10 Times WWE Totally BOTCHED A New Title
9. WWE Hardcore Championship
Everyone remembers the WWE Hardcore Championship fondly for
its crazy 24/7 defense rule that saw the title change hands numerous times in
random places, with attacks mid-match, backstage, and even in an airport.
But fans might not realize that the 24/7 rule didn’t take effect until February 2000, a full 14 months after the Hardcore Championship debuted. Up until that point, it was treated like a regular title defended in plunder matches.
The Hardcore title being awarded to Mankind in November 1998 was a cute little tribute, but it would become a hot potato passed around lower-card wrestlers after a strange stint with each of the New Age Outlaws holding the championship.
Even the 24/7 gimmick would run its course after a while, as the title would change hands literally hundreds of times, mainly at house shows, traded back and forth between wrestlers.
As a title, this probably could have been a Mick Foley tribute
title for him to defend and then quietly retire it. The championship never had
any prestige, and a lot of the weapons shots in those matches make you cringe
today. But WWE and the superstars never took it too seriously, hence the very low
ranking here.