Rob Van Dam, the final champion of WWE’s Hardcore Championship, claims that he was instrumental in lifting the status of the title beyond the expectations of the organization.
The avant-garde Hardcore Championship was unveiled by the WWE in 1998 and was formally retired in 2002. During its existence, Van Dam ascended to champion four times, holding the title for a cumulative total of 134 days.
On a recent episode of his podcast named “1 Of A Kind,” Van Dam reminisced about his term as the champion and how he managed to elevate the championship. He claimed,
“’I made that belt mean way more than they ever wanted it to. That’s why they got rid of it.’”
Van Dam takes pride in his first championship reign, which began at InVasion 2001, where he triumphed over competitor Jeff Hardy. Hardy is an adversary that Van Dam reveled in competing against. He reflected,
“‘I love wrestling him, but it seems like every single match it seemed like I always won. Like, over and over, and I always wondered, ‘Is that the right way to do things? Like, should we throw him a bone? I mean, he’s Jeff Hardy. He’s not like,’ you know.”
He continues,
“‘I mean we had great matches, but I don’t remember it ever being the other way around. And I was — I don’t know, [I] start getting personal thoughts, like, wondering how Jeff feels about that and this and that.'”
Further insights into Van Dam’s thoughts and experiences in wrestling can be gained from his podcast ‘1 Of A Kind.’