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The World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Hardcore Championship was a title in World Championship Wrestling. The title was defended in Hardcore matches, in which there were few rules and restrictions and weapons were allowed. Eventually, the rules were changed so that matches began in the backstage area but would only end by pinfall in the ring. The belt was created in response to the growing popularity of hardcore wrestling in North America.

The title lasted from 1999 to 2001. The very first WCW Hardcore champion was Norman Smiley who defeated Brian Knobbs in Toronto, Ontario at the WCW pay-per-view Mayhem on November 21, 1999. Other notable champions are 3 Count who won and defended the belt as a trio. Brian Knobbs who held the belt a record three times and was the one to dethrone 3 Count at WCW Uncensored 2000. Terry Funk (a two time hardcore champ) also held the title for a period of almost two months, from April-June 2000 when he was defeated by Eric Bischoff at a WCW Monday Nitro in Atlanta, Georgia. Bischoff later awarded the title to Big Vito as a reward for helping him take it from Funk. Lance Storm later won the title and renamed it the Saskatchewan Hardcore International Title (or S.H.I.T.). The final hardcore champion in WCW was Meng who defeated Crowbar and reigning champ Terry Funk at WCW Sin on January 14, 2001. It was abandoned after Meng, the reigning champion, left the company to return to the WWF. Meng gave the belt to Barbarian as a gift, but this didn't take place on TV and isn't considered part of the title history.

The belt design of the commercially available WCW Hardcore Championship belt is not the same as the belt that was seen on WCW programming. The replica belt was based on original artwork sent to beltmaker JMar before the belt was made. Through his website a few months earlier, JMar held a contest to have a fan's belt made into a real belt.

[edit] See also

• List of WCW Hardcore Champions
• World Championship Wrestling