For fans who may not remember, the WWE Hardcore Championship was the Title that was contested under “hardcore” rules (no disqualifications, no countouts, and pinfalls counted anywhere). Created during late 1998, the Hardcore Championship was perfectly suited to WWE’s Attitude Era, with anything being used as a weapon and the main rule that anything goes it fast became a division that found it’s way into the hearts of many a fan as well as anyone who wanted their wrestling more chaotic.

It wasn’t until the title reign of Crash Holly that the title’s run completly changed, the rule of allowing anyone to challenge the champion at any place or time, provided a referee was present (dubbed the “24/7 Rule”) creating many unpredictable and fantastic title changes. (Cue the Crash vs. Gerald Brisco match as a prime example) Now, if your reading this and thinking this bares a resemblece to the current DDTpro Ironman Championship and how it is recently being contested then you are absoutely right, it is very similar but credit to DDTpro as they have established their own unique take on their 24/7 rule that has created fantastic Title changes in itself, but this is release shows exactly how original WWF was in taking the 24/7 rule to it’s purest form.

This release joins Hardcore Legends, Mick Foley, Raven and Rob Van Dam doing the round table segment as they discuss the Championship’s lineage and the individuals that made it so special. The best moments between the three is when Van Dam and Raven give each other cheeky glances as Foley reads directly from the place cards given to him then the three choose to mock the script and discuss exactly what they think. (Never missing an opportunity to mock Al Snow, Foley does this several times but the jokes are hit and miss)

The extensive array of matches is a fitting tribute to the unpredictablity of Hardcore Title, with some matches lasting less than one minute to others appearing to never end due to the constant amount of challengers for the Title and I mean that in a positive way. With the release also looking at the “Hodini of Hardcore” Crash Holly in depth you can’t help but feel saddened by his untimely death and what else he could have offered the wrestling world, but it doesn’t stop there, as it looks at the metamorphosis of the man known as “Sparky Plugg” to the man fans know today as Hardcore Holly. With Mankind, Raven, Tommy Dreamer, Steve Blackman, Undertaker and many more who made the Hardcore Championship what it was given a vast amount of screen time The History of the Hardcore Championship due for release on 5th September at £34.99 on Blu-ray (2 disc) and £29.99 on DVD (3 disc) this a must have for the fans who want to remember the Championship for it’s ridiculous brillance and the hardcore purists who want more than WWE’s PG and the current New Era,

WWE: The History Of The Hardcore Championship 24:7
Available on 3 discs for DVD.
Available on 2 discs for Blu-ray.
DISC 1

This is Hardcore
A Hardcore Journey to WWE

The Birth of the Hardcore Championship – RAW November 2, 1998.
Hardcore Championship Match: Mankind vs. Ken Shamrock – RAW November 9, 1998.
Ladder Match for the Hardcore Championship: Mankind vs. Big Boss Man – RAW November 30, 1998.
Hardcore Championship Match: Al Snow vs. Road Dogg – RAW January 4, 1999.
Hardcore Championship Match: Al Snow vs. Bob Holly – St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: In Your House February 14, 1999.

Creative Spaces

Hardcore Championship Match: Bob Holly vs. Steve Blackman – RAW February 15, 1999.
Hardcore Championship Match: Bob Holly vs. Bart Gunn – RAW February 22, 1999.
Hardcore Championship Match: Big Bossman vs. Al Snow – SummerSlam August 22, 1999.
Hardcore Championship Match: Al Snow vs. Steve Blackman – Jakked October 9, 1999.
Hardcore Championship Match: Test vs. Gangrel – SmackDown January 27, 2000.
Hardcore Championship Match: Test vs. Crash Holly – SmackDown February 24, 2000.

Sparky Plugg’s Hardcore Makeover

Hardcore Championship Match: Crash Holly vs. Tazz – SmackDown March 2, 2000.
Hardcore Championship Match: Crash vs. Mean Street Posse – RAW March 13, 2000.
Hardcore Championship Match: Crash vs. Head Bangers – SmackDown March 16, 2000.
Hardcore Championship Match: Hardcore Holly vs. Crash – RAW April 3, 2000.

Triple Threat Match for the Hardcore Championship: Tazz vs. Perry Saturn vs. Crash – RAW April 17, 2000.

Hardcore Goes 24/7

Hardcore Championship Match: Crash vs. Mean Street Posse – SmackDown April 20, 2000.
Hardcore Championship Match: Crash vs. Dean Malenko – SmackDown May 4, 2000.
Hardcore Championship Match: Crash vs. Gerald Brisco – SmackDown May 18, 2000.

DISC 2

The Lethal Weapon

Hardcore Championship Match: Steve Blackman vs. X-Pac – SmackDown July 27, 2000.
Hardcore Championship Match: Shane McMahon vs. Steve Blackman – SummerSlam August 27, 2000.
Triple Threat Match for the Hardcore Championship: Steve Blackman vs. Edge vs. Christian – RAW October 2, 2000.
Triple Threat Match for the Hardcore Championship: Steve Blackman vs. Raven vs. Hardcore Holly – RAW December 25, 2000.

What About Raven?

Hardcore Championship Match: Raven vs. Crash – RAW January 29, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: Raven vs. The Big Show – No Way Out February 25, 2001.
Triple Threat Match for the Hardcore Championship: The Big Show vs. The Rock vs. Kurt Angle – RAW February 26, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: Chris Jericho vs. Raven – SmackDown March 22, 2001.

Hardcore on the Grandest Stage

Triple Threat Match for the Hardcore Championship: Raven vs. Kane vs. The Big Show – WrestleMania X-Seven April 1, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: Kane vs. Steven Richards – RAW April 16, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: Kane vs. Rhyno – SmackDown April 19, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: Raven vs. Rhyno – Backlash April 29, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: The Big Show vs. Chris Jericho – RAW May 28, 2001.

DISC 3

WWE Hardcore Championship Belt
ECW Invades the Hardcore Division

Hardcore Championship Match: Test vs. Rhyno – RAW June 25, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Mike Awesome – SmackDown July 12, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam – Invasion July 22, 2001.

One of a Kind Champion

Hardcore Championship Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Tajiri – RAW July 30, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Kurt Angle – RAW September 10, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: The Rock vs. Rob Van Dam – SmackDown October 25, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: Rob Van Dam vs. The Undertaker – Vengeance December 9, 2001.

The Aura of The Undertaker

Hardcore Championship Match: The Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy – RAW December 17, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: The Undertaker vs. Tajiri – SmackDown December 27, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: The Undertaker vs. Maven – SmackDown February 5, 2002.
Hardcore Championship Match: Bubba Ray Dudley vs. Raven – RAW April 15, 2002.
Hardcore Championship Match: Booker T vs. Steven Richards – Insurrextion May 4, 2002.

The Return of 24/7

Hardcore Championship Match: Steven Richards vs. Terri – RAW May 27, 2002.
Hardcore Championship Match: Bradshaw vs. Jeff Hardy – RAW July 29, 2002.
Hardcore Championship Match: Tommy Dreamer vs. Bradshaw – RAW August 5, 2002.
Intercontinental/Hardcore Championship Unification Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Tommy Dreamer- RAW August 26, 2002.

The End of an Era

BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVES

Hardcore Championship Match: Al Snow vs. Big Bossman – SmackDown August 26, 1999.
Hardcore Championship Match:Crash vs. Mark Henry – RAW February 28, 2000.
Six-Man Match for the Hardcore Championship: Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Crash Holly vs. Hardcore Holly vs. Tazz vs. Perry Saturn – Backlash April 30, 2000.
Hardcore Championship Match: Steve Blackman vs. Test – RAW August 21, 2000.
Hardcore Championship Invitational: Steve Blackman vs. Crash vs. Test vs. Perry Saturn vs. Sho Funaki vs. Al Snow – Unforgiven September 24, 2000.
Hardcore Championship Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Kurt Angle – RAW August 13, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: Chris Jericho vs. Rob Van Dam – Unforgiven September 23, 2001.
Hardcore Championship Match: The Undertaker vs. The Big Show – SmackDown January 3, 2002.
Hardcore Championship Match: Goldust vs. Rob Van Dam – SmackDown March 7, 2002.
Hardcore Championship Match: Bubba Ray Dudley vs. Booker T – RAW April 8.