9. The Hardcore/Intercontinental Title Unification
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ek0H60feF0 By late 2002, the Brand split was well underway and each show had its own performers, with Raw being under the Bischoff administration. And one of the benefits that came with the Brand split were Championships that were exclusive to each program. A benefit which Eric Bischoff would shoot in the foot with his move of unifying championships. At the time, the Intercontinental Champion was Rob Van Dam, who was a firm crowd favourite, so Eric set up a number of Title vs Title unification matches, one of which was this one against the reigning Hardcore Champion, Tommy Dreamer. This match was significant for a couple of reasons. First of all, it marked the beginning of a downward spiral for Tommy Dreamer, who would appear on TV less and less as time went by. Secondly, it's a milestone along RVD's road to the main event. And finally, this would sadly be the last time that the Hardcore Championship would be defended, while the Intercontinental Title would become the only second tier title on Raw.
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Stephen Maher has been a rock star, a bouncer, a banker and a busker on various streets in various countries. He's hung out with Robert Plant, he was at Nelson Mandela's birthday and he's swapped stories with prostitutes and crack addicts. He once performed at a Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras by accident. These days, he passes the time by writing about music, wrestling, games and other forms of nerdery. And he rarely drinks the blood of the innocent.
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