One of the benefits of the 24/7 rule was that it presented the WWE with the opportunity to stage a title change at a live event without disrupting on-screen storylines. As a result, the Hardcore title would often change hands at House Shows, giving the fans a memorable moment, only to return to its original holder before the night was done. In fact, by the end of its existence in 2002, the Hardcore Championship changed hands at a live show on a whopping 128 occasions. In comparison, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship has changed hands at just 11 house shows in its 51-year history, with the majority of those instances arriving before the days of weekly television and pay-per-view. Of course, changing hands so frequently meant that the novelty of a Hardcore title change at a House Show was soon lost, and all that was achieved was that a whole host of superstars were able to add a bunch of meaningless title reigns to their resumes. Nonetheless, it remains a noteworthy statistic and in all likelihood a House Show record that will remain intact until the end of time.
