6. WWE Intercontinental Title Match (Hardcore Match): Mick Foley vs. Randy Orton - WWE Backlash 2004
We turn to something a little more serious. This hardcore match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship was held between Randy Orton and Mike Foley in 2004. It was the blow off to a three month build, Foley eliminated Orton from the Royal Rumble match, Orton hit Foley with a steel chair, and the two brawled up the ramp and into the back. In March at Wrestlemania XX, Evolution (Orton, Batista, and Ric Flair) faced off against The Rock 'n' Sock Connection (Foley and The Rock) in a Handicap match. Evolution won the match when Orton pinned Foley after an RKO. Orton was far into his "Legend Killer" gimmick at this point, so this lead to a hardcore match to "kill" the Hardcore Icon himself. Some major spots in
this match include, a barbed wire baseball bat between Orton's legs and perform a leg drop. And towards the end of the match, Orton managed to execute an RKO on Foley onto the barbed wire baseball bat. Orton pinned Foley afterwards to win the match and retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship. This is a much more serious type of hardcore match, one that we are use to now. And the way this form of match is exploited in the post-Attitude Era.