Let’s Say Nice Things About... The WWE Hardcore Championship

In an effort to bring some positivity to professional wrestling—and the world for that matter—Cageside Seats and its community will say nice things about people and things in wrestling every single day throughout 2017.

Remember, only positive comments allowed here. Negativity will not be tolerated, and that includes back-handed compliments and troll comments. Any comments that are not in the spirit of this feature will be flagged, deleted, and posters of said comments may be subjected to a ban.

I don’t think we’ve ever done a championship belt before. Well, today’s as good a day as any. Today’s subject: the WWE Hardcore Championship.

For the unfamiliar, the WWE Hardcore Championship was born on November 2, 1998 and retired on August 26, 2002.

I’ll start. The look of the title—a tattered replica winged eagle belt (not the one smashed up by Mr. Perfect as commonly mistaken)—was absolutely perfect. It wasn’t for the pristine or the technically sound or even the super serious. The matches were almost never classics, nor did they last long, and yet, it was absolutely perfect for its time.

With the introduction of the 24/7 rule, the hardcore title match was often a fun little diversion from everything else happening in the WWE.

It’s a championship that would not have worked in any other era before or since. And the two men who bookend the championship’s history are perfect: Mankind when it was born, Rob Van Dam when it was retired.

Your turn. Say something nice about the WWE Hardcore Championship.

Got a suggestion for a future “Let’s Say Nice Things About...”? Hit me up on the Twitter gimmick @notoriouseddie. I may not always respond, but I promise I will read it.