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If you were a follower of WWE during the Attitude Era, you probably have very fond memories of the Hardcore Championship – a 24/7 title that could be won and lost in any place at any time, just as long as a referee was there to count the pinfall.
The unique championship was introduced in November 1998 by Vince McMahon, who awarded it to Mankind on an episode of Monday Night Raw, and it changed hands seven times in its first five months on WWE television, which was not uncommon for any of WWE’s titles during that era.
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Then, from mid-1999 onwards, the number of title changes became hilariously farcical, with the highlights – or lowlights, depending on how you look at it – coming at WrestleMania 2000 (10 title changes) and WrestleMania X8 (five title changes).
In total, the title changed hands on 240 occasions, including live events, in its four-year history before it was unified with Rob Van Dam’s Intercontinental Championship in August 2002.
Some of the most famous Superstars in WWE history held the title, ranging from The Undertaker and The Big Show to Kane and Kurt Angle, and many of them had longer reigns with the pass-the-parcel championship than you might think.
In this article, let’s take a look at the 10 longest-reigning Hardcore champions of all time.
#10 Rhyno (34 days)
Two weeks on from one of the most high-profile Hardcore Championship matches of all time (Raven vs. Kane vs. The Big Show at WrestleMania X-Seven), Rhyno ended Kane’s 16-day reign with the title by defeating him on an episode of SmackDown in April 2001.
The ECW legend went on to retain the title against Superstars including Spike Dudley, Chris Jericho, Bradshaw and Crash Holly, while he even won PPV matches against Raven at Backlash and Test & The Big Show at Judgment Day.
However, 34 days into his first reign with the title, Rhyno was defeated by The Big Show on Monday Night Raw in May 2001.
#9 Al Snow (35 days)
In September 1999, The British Bulldog won the Hardcore Championship from Big Boss Man. However, Bulldog had no intention of holding the title and awarded it to Al Snow, whose dog Pepper had been stolen by Boss Man.
Al kept hold of the title for the next 35 days, with his title defences including the much-maligned Kennel From Hell match against Boss Man at Unforgiven, before he lost it to his dog-napping rival on SmackDown in October 1999.
#8 Test (36 days)
Test ended the longest-ever Hardcore Championship reign (more on that shortly) on an episode of Monday Night Raw in January 2000.
He went on to hold the title for 36 days, retaining it against Gangrel before losing to Crash Holly – someone who became synonymous with the Hardcore Championship but, interestingly, doesn’t feature in the top 10 longest-reigning holders in the title’s history.
#7 Steve Blackman (50 days)
Unlike most titles in WWE, the Hardcore Championship regularly changed hands at live events, formerly known as house shows, during its four-year existence.
In July 2000, Steve Blackman lost the title against Crash Holly at a live event in Tampa, Florida before winning it back on the same night to kick-start a 50-day reign with the title, which finally came to an end when he lost against Shane McMahon in August 2000.
#6 The Undertaker (58 days)
Having won the Hardcore Championship from Rob Van Dam at the Vengeance pay-per-view in December 2001, The Undertaker defended it against Spike Dudley, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Tajiri, The Big Show and RVD to quickly become one of the longest-reigning holders of the title.
Then, in February 2002, Tough Enough rookie Maven followed up his shocking Royal Rumble elimination of “The Deadman” by winning the Hardcore title from him on an episode of SmackDown.
#5 Road Dogg (61 days)
Road Dogg held the Hardcore Championship longer than anybody during its first five months on WWE television, successfully defending it against Val Venis, Mankind, Al Snow and Gangrel after defeating Big Boss Man for the title on Raw in December 1998.
He was unable to defend it in February 1999 after suffering a backstage attack during the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre pay-per-view, so WWE vacated the title and Bob Holly won it later in the show against Al Snow.
#4 Steve Blackman (89 days)
Steve Blackman held the Hardcore Championship for more combined days (172) than anybody in WWE history, with his longest reign coming between September 2000 and December 2000.
At a time when the title was being passed around on a weekly basis, Blackman won it from Perry Saturn in a six-man Battle Royal at the Unforgiven pay-per-view before losing it almost three months later to Raven on Raw.
#3 Rob Van Dam (90 days)
After largely being used as a lower-to-mid-card title in its first three years in WWE, the Hardcore Championship was held by some of the company’s highest-profile Superstars in 2001, including Kane, The Big Show, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle and The Undertaker.
In September 2001, Rob Van Dam lost the title to Kurt on Raw but regained it on the same night. He then kept hold of it for the next 90 days, defeating the likes of Chris Jericho and Raven before losing against The Undertaker at Vengeance in December 2001.
#2 Al Snow (91 days)
Al Snow’s four-month chase of the Hardcore Championship finally came to an end when he won the title from long-term rival Bob Holly, then going by the name Hardcore Holly, at the Backlash pay-per-view in April 1999.
He went on to retain the title against Superstars including Road Dogg, Droz, Steve Blackman and Prince Albert before his 91-day reign ended with a defeat against Big Boss Man at Fully Loaded in July 1999.
#1 Big Boss Man (97 days)
Big Boss Man won the Hardcore Championship four times in the first year of the title’s existence, with his longest reign beginning in October 1999 when he defeated Al Snow in a Triple Threat match which also involved The Big Show.
While he still defended the title on multiple occasions during his 97-day reign, defeating Superstars including Farooq and Kane, this era of Boss Man’s career is best remembered for his World Heavyweight Championship rivalry with The Big Show, which led to a match between the two at Armageddon in December 1999.
One month later, in January 2000, Boss Man finally lost the title against Test on Raw.
