There are a few different belts that were featured on WWE programming during the Attitude Era that are now retired, one of which was the WWE Hardcore Championship. Fans saw some wacky things take place during WWE Hardcore Championship matches, and one Hall of Famer thinks that may be the reason why the company got rid of the belt.
During an episode of his 1 Of A Kind podcast Rob Van Dam talked about his history with the Hardcore Championship while sharing his take on why the belt was eventually retired.
“It was a joke to them before I got it. That meant someone was getting a swirly in the bathroom, or the taco stand was gonna get tipped over, ketchup in someone’s eye. So, I think that’s why they got rid of it.”
The Hardcore Championship was officially retired in 2002 when Rob Van Dam defeated Tommy Dreamer to unify it with the Intercontinental Championship. Throughout his run with WWE, Rob Van Dam managed to capture the Hardcore Championship four times.
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