List of WCW Hardcore Champions

List Of WCW Hardcore Champions

The WCW Hardcore Championship was a professional wrestling Hardcore Championship contested for in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). During late 1999, WCW promoted various hardcore matches, bouts where there were no disqualifications or countouts, that mainly involved Norman Smiley and Brian Knobs. The developing rivalry between the two wrestlers led WCW to announce the creation of the WCW Hardcore Championship in November 1999. In January 2001, the champion Meng signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) after his WCW contract expired. Before leaving WCW Meng awarded the title on his final televised WCW appearance to Barbarian. after this the title was not defended again on WCW television and was largely adandoned with the belt only sporadicaaly appearing at house shows. Shortly afterwards, the promotion filed for bankruptcy and the WWF purchased all assets of WCW, and as a result, all WCW Championship copyrights were also property of the WWF. After the purchase, the WWF used the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and WCW World Tag Team Championship in the The Invasion storyline, in which former WCW wrestlers feuded with original WWF wrestlers before WCW's purchase, however, other WCW titles, including the WCW Hardcore Title, were not used. After The Invasion narrative, the WWF deactivated the WCW World Championship and the WCW Tag Team Championship, but World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), the WWF's successor, adopted the WWE United States Championship and WWE Cruiserweight Championship, two former WCW titles. The WCW Hardcore Title, however, was not adopted because during this time, WWE operated its own Hardcore Championship.

Title reigns were determined by professional wrestling hardcore match types with wrestlers involved in pre-existing scripts feuds, plots and storylines or were awarded the title due to scripted circumstances. Wrestlers were portrayed as either villains or fan favorites as they followed a series of tension-building events, which culminated in a hardcore wrestling type match or series of matches for the championship. The inaugural champion was Norman Smiley, who defeated Brian Knobs at Mayhem. Before the promotion's purchase, the title was vacant, though, Meng was the final wrestler to hold the championship. The title was won in Canadian municipalities and in American states. Smiley held the title the longest at 51 days, and at less than one day, Carl Oullete has the shortest title reign. Brian Knobs has won the title on three occasions, the most in the championship's history; this also ties with the amount of times the title was vacated. Overall, there were 18 reigns.