Imagining a Reintroduction of the WWE Hardcore Championship in the PG Era

The PG Era need not be a blockade to the WWE Hardcore Championship's return.

Make some adjustments to the battles surrounding that defunct title and it fits right in with today's programming. The company has tempered its violence and washed blood from its product since doing away with the Hardcore Championship. The title doesn't need blood, broken glass or thumbtacks, though.

Bringing it back would open up WWE's narrative options. 

The hardcore title could birth impromptu matches, bouts in strange locations and unexpected champions. WWE's current level of zany violence is all that's needed to take these paths. There's no need to crank up the carnage.

Begin with a midcarder in need of direction—Luke Harper. 

Have him emerge from the back with a sack in his hand. The announcers wonder aloud what he has inside. Harper says that he found something interesting while rooting around backstage. He promises to keep it and treasure it.

Harper then slides the tattered title out of the bag and holds it in the air. 

Chaos soon follows.

Unending Mayhem

At its core, the Hardcore Championship was more nutty than macabre. A true hardcore title would have seen men compete in Barbed Wire matches or go full Abdullah the Butcher and stab each other with eating utensils.

None of that was needed during the title's existence. The 24/7 rule, where champions had to defend the title at any place and any time, instead made for an off-kilter addition to the show.

At times, the string of defenses felt like something out of Looney Tunes, complete with a frying pan to the head.

WWE only has to rein in the violence that occurs during these impromptu bouts to have them work today. They weren't about bloodshed and gore anyway. They were often comic relief.

Should Harper bring back the belt, he would announce that he wants to invoke this 24/7 rule once more. He feeds on turmoil and has fought everywhere from an alligator-rich swamp to a biker bar.

Challengers soon come at him when he's in the dressing room, walking to his pickup truck or sitting on the bank of a river.

Changed by the Championship

The argument against welcoming the hardcore title back is that WWE is too flush with championships as it is. The argument for, though, is that it would be a much different prize than the other belts Superstars strive for.

This title isn't built around slowly built feuds or long reigns. It would be a home for random action and a chance to give the company's brawlers a stage of their own.

WWE already has Dean Ambrose in themed Street Fights. Give him the title for a while and have him battle in these kinds of bouts on a more regular basis.

Show us where Ambrose goes after Raw and SmackDown are over. Film him fighting off Harper and others as he walks down a quiet stretch of road. Have him defend the title on a patch of snow in the winter.

For Ambrose and Harper, the title would give them something to work with during a time like now, when the company has little for them to do. 

For Bray Wyatt or Sheamus, it would show off how well they thrive in the midst of brutality. Let them survive ambushes and surprise title bouts in odd locales.

It could also be the showcase for WWE's most rarely seen stars. Zack Ryder can pounce on an unconscious Harper to steal a win and nab the title. Heath Slater can score a huge upset thanks to taking the champ by surprise.

Boosting the Calendar 

On the nights WWE relies most on gimmick matches, it can have Hardcore Championship matches take the place of less appealing fare.

At Extreme Rules, highlight the hardcore title by featuring it in a backstage brawl. Let Bray Wyatt battle in some dark corner of the arena as Mick Foley so often did. Have Ambrose defend the strap in a Falls Count Anywhere match that ends with champion and challenger fighting on the roof of a car.

Some celebration of the hardcore belt is preferable to a chairs match at TLC.

Having the title back only boosts those shows, ones that already revolve around hardcore elements. In addition, the chase for that championship can be a plus for the WWE Network.

Have Sheamus and Ambrose collide for the title in a dingy bar and air it exclusively on the network. 

To go even further, cameras can follow around the hardcore champ after hours and catch all of the impromptu challenges that come his way. Those can then air in a network-exclusive compilation at the end of the week.

Overlap with NXT 

The hardcore title also serves as a bridge from NXT to the main roster.

Several of the challengers the champ faces can be from that growing brand. Ambrose sees someone coming at him from backstage and realizes it's Bull Dempsey looking to dethrone him. Solomon Crowe pops up one night, trying to wrestle the belt from Harper after the big man wraps up a win on Raw.

Credit: WWE.com

Should an NXT prospect became champion, it can travel to Full Sail University for a short while, tempting fans to follow the belt to that show.

Other stories of the brands overlapping rise to the surface. Baron Corbin makes his main roster debut by defeating the hardcore champ and just sticking around Raw and SmackDown afterward. Sheamus goes to NXT in street clothes to be a part of the audience. Dempsey than challenges him on the spot and a fight breaks out in the crowd.

Narrative tributaries like this would be plentiful.

The dormant Hardcore Championship can be far more than a trigger for nostalgia. There is a lot of ferocious fun to be had by bringing it back into the fold.