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WCW Hardcore Championship History

Complete list of every WCW Hardcore Championship reign — who held it, when they won it, and how long they kept it. Established Jul 11, 1999.

Final Champion
Meng
Final champion · Abandoned on January 21, 2001 after final champion Meng (Haku) left WCW for the WWF. It was not among the titles the WWF revived during the 2001 Invasion storyline.
19
Total Reigns
14
Champions
52
Longest (days)
Norman Smiley
3×
Most Reigns
Brian Knobbs

Full Title Lineage

#ChampionWonReign
19 Meng Final champion; left WCW for the WWF, after which the title was abandoned. Jan 14, 2001WCW Sin 2001Indianapolis, IN 7 days
18 Terry Funk3rd reign Dec 17, 2000WCW Starrcade 2000Washington, D.C. 28 days
17 Crowbar Nov 8, 2000WCW ThunderChicago, IL 39 days
16 Reno Awarded the title by Mike Sanders after he reversed Sgt. AWOL's tournament-final win. Oct 2, 2000WCW NitroSan Francisco, CA 37 days
15 Norman Smiley2nd reign ↳ Vacated by WCW Commissioner Mike Sanders, with a tournament announced. Aug 14, 2000WCW NitroKelowna, BC 44 days
14 Pierre Carl Ouellet Awarded the title by Lance Storm. Aug 14, 2000WCW NitroKelowna, BC <1 day
13 Lance Storm Storm unofficially renamed it the Saskatchewan Hardcore International Championship. Jul 24, 2000WCW NitroCleveland, OH 21 days
12 Big Vito Defeated Johnny the Bull to become sole champion. Jun 19, 2000WCW NitroBillings, MT 35 days
11 Big Vito & Johnny the Bull Eric Bischoff awarded the title to both under the Freebird Rule. Jun 6, 2000WCW ThunderKnoxville, TN 13 days
10 Eric Bischoff Jun 5, 2000WCW NitroAtlanta, GA 1 days
9 Terry Funk2nd reign May 23, 2000WCW ThunderSaginaw, MI 13 days
8 Shane Douglas May 22, 2000WCW NitroGrand Rapids, MI 1 days
7 Terry Funk1st reign Defeated Norman Smiley for the vacant title. Apr 16, 2000WCW Spring Stampede 2000Chicago, IL 36 days
6 Brian Knobbs3rd reign ↳ All WCW titles were declared vacant by Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff after WCW was rebooted. Mar 19, 2000WCW Uncensored 2000Miami, FL 22 days
5 3 Count (Shane Helms, Shannon Moore & Evan Karagias) All three defended under the Freebird Rule after pinning Brian Knobbs simultaneously. Feb 28, 2000WCW NitroMinneapolis, MN 20 days
4 Brian Knobbs2nd reign Feb 20, 2000WCW SuperBrawl 2000San Francisco, CA 8 days
3 Bam Bam Bigelow Feb 7, 2000WCW NitroTulsa, OK 13 days
2 Brian Knobbs1st reign Jan 12, 2000WCW ThunderErie, PA 26 days
1 Norman Smiley1st reign Defeated Brian Knobbs in a tournament final to become the first recognized champion. Nov 21, 1999WCW Mayhem 1999Toronto, ON 52 days

WCW's answer to the hardcore boom, defended in no-disqualification brawls. The lineage traces to a 1999 Hardcore Trophy, but Norman Smiley is recognized as the first official champion after winning a tournament final in November 1999. Brian Knobbs and Terry Funk share the record with three reigns each.

WCW Hardcore Championship — FAQ

The WCW Hardcore Championship is no longer active. Abandoned on January 21, 2001 after final champion Meng (Haku) left WCW for the WWF. It was not among the titles the WWF revived during the 2001 Invasion storyline. The final champion was Meng.

Norman Smiley was the inaugural WCW Hardcore Championship, winning it on Nov 21, 1999 at WCW Mayhem 1999.

Brian Knobbs has the most reigns with 3.

Norman Smiley's reign beginning Nov 21, 1999 is the longest at 52 days.

There have been 19 reigns across 14 different champions since the title was established.

← All current champions