When a title becomes a joke it's never a good thing. That's what happened to WWE's Hardcore Title in the early 2000s. Once the 24/7 rule came in effect it meant that anybody could win the title anywhere. It also led to some silliness like when Gerald Brisco covered a sleeping Crash Holly for the title in May of 2000. That wasn't the most absurd win, though. That distinction belongs to diva Terri Runnels. On the May 27, 2002 edition of Raw, Terri was interviewing Hardcore Champion Steven Richards backstage. He was talking about his friend Jazz when Jackie showed up to attack Richards. She hit him in the shin and then in the head with a microphone. She tried to make a cover, but it was interrupted by Shawn Stasiak and the Big Boss Man. That led to Terri taking advantage of the situation by going over to Richards and covering him to become the new Hardcore Champion. Moments later, Richards rolled her up to win it back as the camera got a good shot of her undies. Keep in mind that Terri was not a wrestler or even close to it, so the idea of her holding a title in WWE was a little too farfetched. It was mildly entertaining, but that was also the point where it was obvious that WWE treated the Hardcore Title as a joke and that was never going to change.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
