Should they bring back the Hardcore title?

[Mr. C]

Saw this:

"If the Hardcore title ever does make a comeback, alliances will crumble and insanity will rule in its place, with an iron fist stronger than any potential RAW General Manager could ever dream of wielding. Whoever will place it around their waist will instantly be painting a target on their back. Everybody will be their enemy. Big, small, Superstar, Diva: all will be potential challengers, ready to pounce to win their own piece of glory.

WWE.com says: Bring back hardcore havoc!"

I'm all for it. Guys like Santino Marella, Tyler Reks, and Zack Ryder would be great for it.

[whiteyford]

I enjoyed it initially,but it became a comedy title with the 24/7 rule, last thing they need is another meaningless title.

[bigslimjj]

Screw this PG B.S. Call it the "Hardcore Porn" title. Holder gets Jenna haze as a valet,and Val venis as a ring announcer.

[Nicky Fives]

There is no way the Hardcore Division would ever work in this PG-13 era..... there's no more blood or any kind of weapon shots to the head.....

[Mr. C]

I don't think people realize the lack of blood in hardcore matches. They could easily be done in the PG era.

Example<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N1Y22Q7vUIA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Nicky Fives]

I counted 3 headshots in that 5-minute match that we wouldn't see today......

[Mr. C]

Take out the headshots, and you've still got a decent hardcore match.

[Rock Bottom]

I agree with Nicky Fives.

Plus the last thing I want to see is some stupid shit match in the locker room with Kofi Kingston's music blasting, his hair flying around while he runs off with the title.

Or, and I shudder to think, Michael Cole.

[Fox]

I don't like the idea of the Hardcore division coming back as what it was before. The 24/7 rule was a joke. I would love to see it come back and have a sort of ECW-style feel to it. The matches wouldn't start with guys coming down to the ring with shopping carts full of weapons, but they would work matches where there were no disqualifications and weapons would certainly make their way into the match at some point. But no ring filled with weapons and guys taking turns hitting each other with random shit matches. More like a normal match where a steel chair or two is implemented in various ways.

Jerry Lynn and RVD were very good at this in ECW. They had some of the most incredible matches I've ever seen, and yes, they used steel chairs, and yes it was under extreme rules, but at no point did the weapons overshadow the wrestling. If we were given that kind of a Hardcore division I would be all about it, but the last thing we need in the WWE is more throwaway, garbage wrestling.

[Rock Bottom]

Vince: "Mike, we're gonna put the hardcore title on you."

Cole: "Really?"

Vince: "Yeah."

Cole: "Who's gonna drop it to me?"

Vince: "Well, we're trying to talk Ross into it, but he's being difficult. He might drop it to Mathews, who would get a month or so with the title before dropping it to you at the Rumble."

[Shisen Kopf]

Bring back Crash Holly. Oh wait! No they shouldn't bring it back as he was the greatest champ evar!

[Rollermacka]

Bring back Crash Holly. Oh wait! No they shouldn't bring it back as he was the greatest champ evar!

I like the hardcore title, it appeals to the violent nature everyone has. I could see it being done in TNA (sees a commercial for the Muppets hosting RAW) but not in WWE. I would love to see Rob Terry cracked over the head with a chair or Aries put though a table.


Side Note, I'm not sure if you know but Crash is dead bro.

[Triple Naitch]

WWE doesn't have the type of guys that fit the mold for a hardcore division anymore.

[Droford]

give it to Ryder and have him defend it on youtube

[Shisen Kopf]

I like the hardcore title, it appeals to the violent nature everyone has. I could see it being done in TNA (sees a commercial for the Muppets hosting RAW) but not in WWE. I would love to see Rob Terry cracked over the head with a chair or Aries put though a table.


Side Note, I'm not sure if you know but Crash is dead bro.

I was alluding to that fact in my post homey!

[Mr. C]

WWE doesn't have the type of guys that fit the mold for a hardcore division anymore.

Homicide could be an addition if we're looking for characters that would fit the mold.

[Nicky Fives]

Take out the headshots, and you've still got a decent hardcore match.

I respectfully disagree..... Personally, I can only take so many trashcan shots to the back and stomach......

[Pintint]

Yes!

It will give all the low carders something to do, and have an extra storyline in the process. It should have 24/7 rules intact and be defended on both shows tho...

[Nicky Fives]

Yes!

It will give all the low carders something to do, and have an extra storyline in the process. It should have 24/7 rules intact and be defended on both shows tho...

I'd prefer to have a version of the FCW 15-minute Title that would be defended mostly on Superstars and NXT, and occasionally on Raw & Smackdown.....

[Xero]

Let's see them bring worth to the current undercard titles before creating a new one.

As for a division, it really wouldn't fit into the current WWE landscape. And really, having a gimmick match like that on every show would get to be a bit much. It worked in the Attitude Era because it was crash TV. It's no longer crash TV, so, again, it wouldn't fit.

[Lock Jaw]

Twitter Title. Defended by TRENDING ON TWITTER.

[Droford]

Non-Hardcore Title

Awarded to whoever wins a match without hurting their opponent too bad.

[Droford]

Twitter Title. Defended by TRENDING ON TWITTER.
Anal Bleeding for champion!

[Mr. C]

I'd prefer to have a version of the FCW 15-minute Title that would be defended mostly on Superstars and NXT, and occasionally on Raw & Smackdown.....

Not a bad idea. It should be exclusive to Superstars though. You could have the champion appear on different shows to keep feuds going, but the title should only be defended on Superstars. It would give some legitimacy to Superstars. Otherwise, it's a waste of time.

Adding a Hardcore title would create more opportunities for people, if done the right way. It could replace the Divas Championship.

[Xero]

As much as the Divas division/title is hated, getting rid of it would be a huge mistake. The divas are a draw for the female population. Could they get better workers? Abso-fucking-lutely. But the division (and title) deserves a permanet spot.

[Mr. C]

Always enjoyed how the women were used in 1998 right before they brought back the title. No reason why they can't do now what they did with Jacqueline and Sable then.

[Lock Jaw]

Be A Star Championship.

Defended in rigorous debate/open dialog confrontations. DQ for any physical violence.

[Wake Up Call]

The divas are a draw for the female population.

This is not true at all. The women that I hang out with, they don't watch for the divas. Hell, to most girls, they are considered whores. Which probably isn't far from the truth. But to say the divas draw from the female population is plain wrong.

[blak23]

This is not true at all. The women that I hang out with, they don't watch for the divas. Hell, to most girls, they are considered whores. Which probably isn't far from the truth. But to say the divas draw from the female population is plain wrong.

You're wrong bro

[Emperor Smeat]

Rather see the Cruiserweight title return or maybe the TV title from WCW for the smaller or lesser used guys to fight over it. FCW has a tv title although the WCW 10 minute limit would work better than the FCW 15 minute limit for a quick match.

They could even make the TV title exclusive to NXT since its now becoming the new "Superstars" show even though it doesn't show on TV in the US.

Cruiserweight title at least lets most of the smaller or non-big men wrestlers have something to do since the WWE has plenty of these types of wrestlers.

[Destor]

like the 10 gimmick themed ppv's arent bad enough now you want a gimmick title...ugh

[Taker it Easy]

No. WWE does not need to go to the past to move forward. Also, HC may not fit in well with the current climate and direction which is great.

[Kane Knight]

There is no way the Hardcore Division would ever work in this PG-13 era..... there's no more blood or any kind of weapon shots to the head.....

And they actually protect their assets some these days.

[Kane Knight]

like the 10 gimmick themed ppv's arent bad enough now you want a gimmick title...ugh

To be fair, between the gimmick PPVs and the gimmick title, I'd take the gimmick title. At least that would be forgotten in six months.

[Mr. C]

No. WWE does not need to go to the past to move forward. Also, HC may not fit in well with the current climate and direction which is great.

Are many more things going to be coming from this direction? :roll:

[Rammsteinmad]

Nah, no specific reason. Just wouldn't really be interested in seeing it to be honest.

Plus, to be fair, most PPV's usually have one or two titles bumped from the show anyway, the last thing they'd need is another title.

[jskinnyg]

As much as the Divas division/title is hated, getting rid of it would be a huge mistake. The divas are a draw for the female population. Could they get better workers? Abso-fucking-lutely. But the division (and title) deserves a permanet spot.

Yup... And the hardcore title brought back? If it is done right, but I don't see that happening... They would probably give it to Hornswoggle or someone of that caliber... Ugh...

[Mr. C]

Yup... And the hardcore title brought back? If it is done right, but I don't see that happening... They would probably give it to Hornswoggle or someone of that caliber... Ugh...

Hornswoggle holding the Hardcore title is perfect for that division.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I would not like to see the Hardcore Title back. If they did have to introduce another title, I'd suggest something like the FCW 15 Title -- whoever scores the most falls in fifteen minutes wins the match and the title. Have it defended on both shows.

[Mr. C]

Not a bad idea. It should be exclusive to Superstars though. You could have the champion appear on different shows to keep feuds going, but the title should only be defended on Superstars. It would give some legitimacy to Superstars. Otherwise, it's a waste of time

[Team Sheep]

The hardcore title coming back would be a cool idea for a while. Del Rio and Cena's match at Vengeance showed how hardcore rules can work perfectly well in the modern era. It wouldn't be a problem, and would add to the unpredictability which seems to be what they're going for as of late, and would give some lower talent exposure.

[Xero]

But having hardcore match after hardcore match will diminish the other gimmick matches and more brutal angles. Since they have toned it down, their matches are no where NEAR as brutal, but it's almost like I've been re-sensitized to when they do the "hardcore" stuff they do now and it's like, wow, that's cool. Versus "wow, another garbage can shot that's been sold exactly 0 seconds. Haven't seen one of those for three segments..."

[Rollermacka]

Yes!

It will give all the low carders something to do, and have an extra storyline in the process. It should have 24/7 rules intact and be defended on both shows tho...

I'd prefer to have a version of the FCW 15-minute Title that would be defended mostly on Superstars and NXT, and occasionally on Raw & Smackdown.....

Twitter Title. Defended by TRENDING ON TWITTER.

Be A Star Championship.

Defended in rigorous debate/open dialog confrontations. DQ for any physical violence.

They should make a title, that could only be defended between 836pm and 923pm. If someone wants to challange for it, they would have to wear a bunny costume with a peg leg and only do moves that they while they singing the moves name. Now that is some Sports Entertainment :yes:

[dronepool]

As much as I was 10 seconds away from posting "Sure, bring it back" I agreed with Xero and decided that the cruiser-weight title or TV title would be better for this era.

[XL]

No. Nor should a Cruiser, TV or Euro Title be brought back.

We've just got to a point where the US and IC Titles are starting to mean something again, where the titles are defended/the champions are featured on PPVs, etc.

The whole "gives guys something to do" argument is a cop-out where a new/old title/division is implement in favour of having to come up with "good writing". In addition, they are supposedly trying to rebuild the Tag division, anybody with "nothing to do" should be used there.

Also, I feel there's a chance that guys in a Hardcore or Cruiser Division risk bring "type cast". Would guys like Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler be taken as seriously as they are now if they were originally put into a "small man" division? Maybe. You can always use Mysterio and HBK as examples of cruiser weight guys that broke through, but they are the exceptions to the rule more than anything.

As for examples of guys that are labelled "hardcore", I'm struggling to think on anyone that really broke through. Guess you could use Foley, even Jeff Hardy and JBL maybe. Even then it's arguable that their charisma was the deciding factor.

I'd consider a TV Title maybe a year from now depending on the state of the midcard and tag titles.

[Xero]

All the talent show up on all the brands as it is, so it would be moot.

They don't need more titles. You can make a guy look good and push a guy without a title. Honestly, if anything, I'd get rid of one of the midcard titles. That way you have the WWE title, the WHC title which would be the equivalent of the 80s/early 90s IC belt where main players would go for it (essentially being WWE title B, which it is) and the IC belt for the midcard. Throw in the tag belts and the Divas belt.

There really doesn't need to be anymore than that because, again, guys can be pushed to the moon without a title, sustain a push and get over. As XL said, it's about the writing.

[Blakeamus]

If the World/WWE championship becomes unified, I can definately see a former title rise from the ashes.

[Blakeamus]

or just make the Internet Championship official...which I do see them doing in the future.

[Kane Knight]

We've just got to a point where the US and IC Titles are starting to mean something again, where the titles are defended/the champions are featured on PPVs, etc.

Oh, come now. That's been said for like the last decade.

[DAMN iNATOR]

I say no way and this is the reason why (play the clip, if you're not aware of these shenanigans @ WM X8 [3/17/2002, Toronto Skydome, Toronto, ONT, CA]):

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oAGp5pbnv34" allowfullscreen="" width="420" frameborder="0" height="315"></iframe>

If the Hardcore Championship wasn't a laughingstock before all that went down, it sure became one in a hurry. And all because of a ridiculous 24/7 rule. Very difficult if not impossible to see such a title as a complete joke.

Despite what I've said in here however, it was one of Maven's few bright spots in his all too short career, to hold the HC title for a while.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Now that I think about it I'd say yes, under one condition: Bring back Maven as well and actually give him a legit run.

[XL]

I actually liked the 24/7 rule.

[DAMN iNATOR]

I actually liked the 24/7 rule.

Because there's nothing more exciting than 5 title changes of the same belt in a PPV, let alone @ a WrestleMania event (Especially since it proves J.R.'s "anything can happen in the WWF/WWE" mantra :roll:)!

[Jordan]

In no way should the Hardcore title be brought back, nobody is clamoring for it, it will be a step back and make the product worse than it should be. Please don't make threads like this out of fear WWE reads them.

[DAMN iNATOR]

In no way should the Hardcore title be brought back, nobody is clamoring for it, it will be a step back and make the product worse than it should be. Please don't make threads like this out of fear WWE reads them.

I was with you until the last part of your post. You really think there's a single employee of WWE who gives a fuck what a bunch of posters on a message board are saying about them and their product and taking the things they say to heart? Then you, my friend, have had a sheltered life indeed, no offense.

[Jordan]

Well that was kinda a joke, I wish I was a better writer :(

[XL]

Because there's nothing more exciting than 5 title changes of the same belt in a PPV, let alone @ a WrestleMania event (Especially since it proves J.R.'s "anything can happen in the WWF/WWE" mantra :roll:)!
Well, I didn't exactly advocate 5 title changes per show.

It gave the belt something different (outside of being the Garbage Wrestling Championship). I'm all for giving a belt a "gimmick", like a time limit/Ironman concept or a "must be defended on every TV show" type thing just to differentiate it from being "Standard Lowercard Title #3".

[KaosDarksol]

Bringing it back wouldn't help anything. It would give undercarders something to do but it wouldn't benefit anybody holding it

[Mr. C]

Even in today's era, this title could still work. We don't need blood for it to exist. We don't need a chairshot to the head for the match to be entertaining. Just make every match a falls count anywhere, no disqualification match. It could serve the same purpose today that it always served - getting some of the guys on TV that wouldn't have made it on otherwise. After all, a segment of a few wrestlers swapping pinfalls for the title beats a tag team match any day in my book.

[Rock Bottom]

Too many titles, not enough show.

[XL]

Even in today's era, this title could still work. We don't need blood for it to exist. We don't need a chairshot to the head for the match to be entertaining. Just make every match a falls count anywhere, no disqualification match. It could serve the same purpose today that it always served - getting some of the guys on TV that wouldn't have made it on otherwise. After all, a segment of a few wrestlers swapping pinfalls for the title beats a tag team match any day in my book.
I'd stil prefer them to utilise good writing. :-\

[weather vane]

sick poll bro

[Swiss Ultimate]

Would rather have a TV title that had to be defended every show.

[Mr. C]

They should bring it back. I’d implement the 24/7 rule, but I wouldn’t let there be 20 different title switches per show.

WWE being PG has nothing to do with it. There’s still Hell In A Cells. There are still times where we see blood. It’s just not as much as it used to be, by far, so they can sacrifice showing a bit of blood or mayhem in at least one match per show, if they wanted to. No one would complain too much.

Bringing back the Hardcore title would actually allow a lot of superstars to get a type of push that doesn’t make them upper-midcarders (ie: Intercontinental title picture). With the title back, viewership would increase because people wouldn’t know when the title is going to be defended or who’s even going to show up.

[XL]

What evidence do you have to back up the claim that a renewed Hardcore Division would increase ratings?

#clutchingatstraws

[Lock Jaw]

Have it only "defended" away from the shows. During travel or off-days. Announce changes via Twitter. Increase Twitter ratings.

[Xero]

What evidence do you have to back up the claim that a renewed Hardcore Division would increase ratings?

#clutchingatstraws

It was the main draw of the Attitude Era, of course.

[Lock Jaw]

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-VaU8O8tWok" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Greatest champion reign ever

[XL]

It was the main draw of the Attitude Era, of course.
Then I stand corrected.

#standingcorrected

[Mr. C]

It was the main draw of the Attitude Era, of course.

Don’t give me “it was entertaining back then” because for every Foley/Rock segment, we had a dozen stink faces and table spots.