20 Wrestling Facts You Probably Didn't Know

According to WWE's official records, the only singles title 'Hardcore' Holly ever won in his fifteen years holding up the company's midcard was the Hardcore title - and that's hardly a prestigious accolade. Thanks to the infamous 24/7 rule, in less than four years as a prop on WWF/E programming no less than fifty-two wrestlers held the title over two hundred and forty reigns, including such luminaries as Maven, all three members of the Mean Street Posse and one of the Godfather's 'special lady friends'.

However, on an episode of WWF Action Zone broadcast on May 7th 1995, Bob 'Spark Plug' Holly actually defeated the Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett to win the title.

Originally, they were going to use the controversial finish (Jarrett hung his foot on the ropes at the last minute but the referee didn't see it) to build to a pay-per-view rematch between the two in which Jarrett would regain the strap. However, at the last minute they changed their plans, choosing to vacate the title and hold the rematch that night instead. Of course, Jarrett won that rematch, and began what's officially considered to be his second Intercontinental Championship reign.

These days, Holly isn't officially considered one of the many men who have held the Intercontinental Championship. However, that wasn't the case at the time: for about two years after the event, WWF announcers would raise the fact that he was a former Intercontinental champion as a talking point whenever he hit the ring.

Forget WWE's Stalinist revisionist history. Hardcore Holly's a former Intercontinental champion as far as I'm concerned.