13 Wrestling Matches That Cost Wrestlers Their Custom Belts

7. Tommy Dreamer’s WWE Hardcore Championship

Gold Ic Goldust Ahmed Johnson
WWE.com

After surviving Eric Bishoff’s six-minute battle royal that marked the end of the 24/7 rule, Tommy Dreamer was booked to face Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam in a title unification match.

Tommy Dreamer (Hardcore Champion) vs. Rob Van Dam (Intercontinental Champion)

Monday Night Raw (26 August 2002)

Dreamer decided against giving the traditional Hardcore Championship one last outing favouring his custom New York Yonkers championship. Constructed on a European Championship, it featured an NY licence plate, Statue of Liberty, and side plates honouring New York’s emergency services.

It was fitting that the last Hardcore Championship match would be between two ECW legends who popularised the hardcore style in the West. Both men had a clear mutual respect, trust, and in-ring chemistry. This enabled both to utilise brutal hardcore spots without any noticeable hesitation. They sold every single move perfectly, a result of their respect for each other and the art of hardcore wrestling.

Their end sequence was particularly wince-inducingg. Dreamer fell crotch first between ladder rungs, before falling victim to a Van Terminator and Five-Star Frog Splash. Dreamer may not be the last ever Hardcore Champion, however, the match reinforced his legacy as ‘The Innovator of Violence’.

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An English Lit. MA Grad trying to validate my student debt by writing literary fiction and alternative non-fiction.