In late 1998, the WWF unveiled a new championship, to show their consistent shift from the bright and colorful characters of the early 90s, to the more mature ideas of the day.

Christened the Hardcore Championship, the title belt itself was evidence of that change, as it was created from a smashed up centerpiece of the old WWF title.

Awarded to Mick Foley, the Hardcore title symbolized a brutal form of wrestling, which was taken to another level when Crash Holly started the infamous 24/7 rule, meaning the title had to be defended by the champion at all times, from all opponents.

With this rule, there were a ton of superstars who held the title at some point in time, some often longer than others.

Here are 5 superstars you may have forgotten were the Hardcore Champion.

#1 Shane McMahon

When you think of Shane McMahon nowadays, you think of the exciting SmackDown Live Commissioner, who is always ready to risk it all when he competes.

But there was a time when Shane was not the carefree soul we see today, instead, Shane was a straight-up coward.

Despite not being a wrestler, the young McMahon won the title in a Battle Royale, and used his influence as the prodigal son to keep opponents at bay.

Shane would only lose the tile when he was forced to compete against the Lethal Weapon Steve Blackman, at Summerslam 2000.

In one of the most iconic moments in pay per view history, Shane tried to escape Blackman, climbing to the top of the scaffold, only to come crashing down, falling over 30 feet straight down.

#2 The Undertaker

The Deadman is one of the biggest stars in wrestling, with a series of World Championships to his name.

Along his way to world title glory, he has defeated the likes of Hulk Hogan, Batista and Steve Austin, making the Hardcore title seem a bit of a downgrade.

However, at Vengeance 2001, the newly-evil Phenom destroyed Rob Van Dam to capture the title, holding it for several months.

Interestingly, during his reign, no-one took advantage of the 24/7 rule, perhaps realizing that there's no moment in time, where the Demon of Death Valley would be vulnerable.

#3 Cynthia Lynch

Most fans won't know the name Cynthia Lynch, but she may be one of the biggest names to the hold the Hardcore title, despite not being a wrestler at the time.

Instead, she was one of the Godfather's Hos, and accompanied the former Witch Doctor to the ring when he took on Crash Holly.

Seeing an opportunity, Lynch interfered and pinned Holly, becoming one of just 4 women to hold the gold, but quickly lost it back to Crash.

Whilst she did not appear much on WWE after that, Lynch's win proved just how surprising the Hardcore title could be.

#4 R-Truth

Despite his lengthy tenure in WWE, Ron 'The Truth' Killings has not held much title gold, asides from a brief United States title reign in 2010, and a brief Tag Title reign in 2012.

However, as K-Kwik, Truth briefly held the Hardcore championship, on multiple occasions, though his reigns lasted less than a day, due to the 24/7 rule.

It's impressive to see someone be such a star in both the early 2000s, and today, with Truth appearing on SmackDown Live at the moment, teaming with the newly face-turned Carmella.

#5 Trish Stratus

One of the most iconic women in the history of wrestling, Trish Stratus started from humble beginnings, debuting as a manager in early 2000.

From there, she slowly entered the wrestler role, getting better and better, before retiring in 2006 a 7-time Women's Champion.

However, she also can add the Hardcore title to her resume, as she won the title in 2002, defeating (surprise, surprise) Crash Holly.

Whilst her title reign was short-lived, Trish had given her first glimpse of the star she would later become and is only one of two women to be a Women's Champion and a Hardcore champion (the other being Molly Holly.)