5: Hardcore Division
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WWE’s Hardcore division in the late 90’s was a blatant attempt to capitalize on the underground success of ECW. While the Hardcore Championship’s first champion was legendary hardcore wrestler Mick Foley, in his Mankind gimmick, the title itself started as a joke with McMahon gifting Foley the belt.
Instead of being given any serious attention, the division was packed with perennial midcarders fighting each other every week. Although Crash Holly did inject some much-needed life to the division with his 24X7 rule (where he would defend the title anywhere as long as his opponent brought a referee), the joke wore off quickly as WWE predictably overdid the angle.
The prestige of the Hardcore Championship was never sky high but it reached new lows near the last days of the belt with the title getting hot shotted on a nightly basis. The belt changed hands 10 times on the night of WrestleMania 2000.
The title was finally retired in 2002 when Rob Van Dam unified it with the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
