Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted. Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is a non-competitive professional Sport, where all matches are scripted by the promotion's booking staff " Foreign object " is a Professional wrestling term for an object introduced into the match ^[1] Although hardcore wrestling is a staple among some wrestling promotions, where they are used at the climaxes of feuds, some promotions (such as Big Japan Pro Wrestling and Combat Zone Wrestling) specialized in hardcore wrestling, with many matches performed in this manner. A feud (ˈfjuːd (referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud or vendetta) is a long-running argument or fight between parties&mdashoften through Guilt Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1995 Combat Zone Wrestling ( CZW) is an American based Professional wrestling promotion, based around the 'ultraviolent' style of professional wrestling Terry Funk and Mick Foley are often seen as the "Kings of Hardcore". Terrence "Terry" Funk (born June 30 1944) is an American professional wrestler and Actor known chiefly for the Michael Francis "Mick" Foley Sr Early life Foley was born in Bloomington Indiana.

Hardcore wrestling became acknowledged as a major wrestling style first in Japan with promotions such as FMW and W*ING. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW was a revolutionary Japanese Professional wrestling promotion founded in 1989 by Atsushi Onita. It then became successful in America with Extreme Championship Wrestling. Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW) was a Professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1992 by The World Wrestling Federation capitalizing on the success and introduced the WWF Hardcore Championship. World Wrestling Entertainment Inc ( WWE) is a publicly traded privately controlled integrated media (focusing in Television, Internet, The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE Hardcore Championship was a Hardcore wrestling championship defended in World Wrestling Entertainment, (formerly the World The WWF soon began to turn the matches into comedy skits, illustrating the ridiculousness they involved. Hardcore is in sound contrast to traditional mat-based wrestling, where solid technical skills are preferred over stuntwork, blood, and sheer shock value. Shock value is the potential of an image text or other form of communication to provoke a reaction of Disgust, shock, Anger, Fear,

The term garbage wrestling is attributed to Japanese wrestler Giant Baba who used it originally to describe a style of wrestling which required little wrestling athletic ability and often involved no wrestling at all, which is rather common in much of hardcore wrestling. Shohei Baba ( Baba Shōhei, January 23 1938&ndashJanuary 31 1999 was a Professional wrestler and co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling. Some in the United States consider it a derogatory term.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Early history 1.2 1990s 1.3 Post-ECW 2 Rules 3 Common weapons 4 Hardcore championships 5 Hardcore wrestling promotions 6 See also 7 Notes 8 References

History

Early history

As professional wrestling entered the mid 20th century, promoters and performers looked for ways to heighten audience excitement. Blood was found to be a surefire seller, and the advent of the now-cliché "no holds barred" match marked the beginning of what is now known as hardcore wrestling. Blood is a specialized Bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells ��such as nutrients and oxygen—and transports Waste products A cliché (from French, klɪ'ʃe or cliche is a phrase expression or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by competitors to immobilize their opponents or lead to a Submission. Wrestlers such as "Classy" Freddie Blassie, Dory Funk Sr. and Giant Baba were among those who introduced a bloody brawling style which caught on in Japan and the American south. Frederick Blassie ( February 8, 1918 &ndash June 2, 2003) better known as "Classy" Freddie Blassie, was an American Dory Funk (May 4 1919 – June 3 1973 was a Professional wrestler. Shohei Baba ( Baba Shōhei, January 23 1938&ndashJanuary 31 1999 was a Professional wrestler and co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling. New match types were devised that took wrestling beyond a sporting contest and closer to street fighting, such as matches which were held in a cage, Texas Death matches which incorporated weapons, and Lights Out matches which were 'unsanctioned' and took place after the rest of the scheduled card, once the house lights had briefly been turned off to signify the end of the event. Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively Street fighting is a term used to denote unsanctioned usually illegal hand-to-hand Fighting in public places between individuals or groups of people Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of Performing The National Wrestling Alliance had Brass Knuckles championships in the Florida and Texas territories, dating from the 1950s. The National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent Professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, B-Nux or knuckle dusters, are Weapons used in The NWA Florida Brass Knuckles Championship was a secondary title in the National Wrestling Alliance 's Florida territory Championship Wrestling from Florida The NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship was a National Wrestling Alliance -sanctioned title defended in matches in which Brass knuckles were worn by the (The Texas title was taken by World Class Championship Wrestling when it split away. World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW was a popular regional Professional wrestling promotion run out of Dallas and Fort Worth Texas. )

Brawling continued to evolve and grow in popularity in America through the 60s, 70s and 80s. The Detroit territory was home to The Sheik, Abdullah the Butcher and Bobo Brazil, and featured long, bloody brawls. Larry Shreve (born Lawrence Robert Shreve on January 11 1941) best known as Abdullah the Butcher, and also at times the Madman from Houston Harris International Wrestling IW North American Heavyweight Championship ( 1 time) The Puerto Rico territory featured Carlos Colon, The Invader and Abdullah, and introduced fire as an element of violence. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} Carlos Edwin Colón Sr (born Carlos Edwin Colón Gonzalez on July 18 1948 in Santa Isabel Puerto Rico) is a retired professional wrestler better known in Jose Huertas Gonzalez, better known as Invader #1 to the wrestling fans in Puerto Rico is a Professional wrestler that wrestled in the United States and around the Fire is the heat and light energy released during a Chemical reaction, in particular a combustion reaction. The Memphis territory featured Jerry Lawler, Terry Funk, Eddie Gilbert and Bill Dundee and introduced the empty arena match and fighting among the crowd into the concession stands, improvising attacks with whatever appliances could be found. Memphis is a City in the southwest corner of Tennessee, and the County seat of Shelby County. Jerry Lawler (born November 29 1949 is an American Musician, Film Actor, Politician, professional wrestler and wrestling Terrence "Terry" Funk (born June 30 1944) is an American professional wrestler and Actor known chiefly for the William Cruickshanks (born October 24 1943 is a Professional wrestler better known as "Superstar" Bill Dundee. Concession stand is the term used to refer to a place where Patrons can purchase Snacks or Food at a cinema, Fair, Stadium More specialties such as Ladder matches, Scaffold matches and Dog Collar matches were introduced. A Ladder match is a type of match used in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item (usually a title belt is hung above Many types of matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, can be found in the form of Performing The NWA eventually instituted a World Brass Knuckles Championship, which was active in the Tennessee territory from 1978 to 1980. The NWA World Brass Knuckles Championship was a short-lived title in the National Wrestling Alliance.

1990s

In 1989, Frontier Martial-arts Wrestling was founded in Japan, the first promotion dedicated largely to the wild brawling style. Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW was a revolutionary Japanese Professional wrestling promotion founded in 1989 by Atsushi Onita. FMW escalated the violence to legitimately dangerous levels, with barbed wire ropes, timed explosives, and 'land mines'. Barbed wire, also known as barb wire (and frequently in dialect form spelled bob or bobbed) is a type of fencing Wire constructed An explosive material is a material that either is chemically or otherwise Energetically unstable or produces a sudden expansion of the material usually accompanied A land mine is an Explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the Proximity of a vehicle person The federation featured many future North American stars, and became very popular worldwide.

Soon after, in the United States, two independent promotions had brief but significant runs, serving as prototypes for ECW. A prototype is an original type form or instance of something serving as a typical example basis or standard for other things of the same category The Philadelphia-based Tri-State Wrestling Alliance held occasional supercards that featured big name stars among their own local talent, and showcased wild bloody main event brawls with Abdullah the Butcher, The Sheik, and others. Main Event is Australia 's only Pay-per-view channel It transmits through Foxtel, Optus Television and Austar. The National Wrestling Federation (formerly known as Continental Wrestling Alliance) was based in New York state. Both TWA and NWF featured Larry Winters and DC Drake, who engaged in a long blood feud.

The two promotions ended about the same time, and NWA Eastern Championship Wrestling took their place, with many of the same wrestlers and venues. Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW) was a Professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1992 by Eddie Gilbert was the initial booker, and was replaced a few months later by Paul Heyman. Thomas Edward (Eddie Gilbert Jr ( August 14, 1961 &ndash February 18, 1995) was an American professional wrestler Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American entertainment producer most well-known for his former roles in Professional wrestling After splitting off from the NWA, the company changed its name to Extreme Championship Wrestling, and became the leading independent federation in North America. ECW coined the term 'hardcore wrestling', but it should be noted that its usage there was slightly different than it is used today. In ECW, 'hardcore' referred to a strong work ethic, high levels of effort, dedication to the fans, and lack of fluff or filler. Work ethic is a set of values based on the moral virtues of hard work and diligence Their level of violence rarely equaled that of the Japanese promotions.

A new gimmick, breaking wooden tables, was introduced to ECW through Terry Brunk (Sabu), nephew of The Sheik. A table is a form of Furniture composed of a surface supported by a base usually four legs Terry Michael Brunk ( December 12 1964) better known by his Ring name Sabu, is an American professional wrestler. Sabu had developed a gimmick of throwing himself through a propped-up table in Japan in order to entertain the crowd and get his character over as a wild and possibly insane man. He then started to put opponents through tables, a relatively safe spot which looked and sounded devastating. He brought it with him to ECW, where it became the focus of a feud involving multiple teams. When ECW booked the first Tables match (where the winning condition is a table spot), Sabu balked as he felt it was his personal trademark, no-showed the event and left the company for a few months. The table spot became a staple of ECW events, and has become so commonplace that it is now incorporated into otherwise non-hardcore matches in almost every promotion.

In Japan, hardcore promotions sprang up around the country, including Wrestling International New Generations (W*ING, which turned into International Wrestling Association of Japan) and Big Japan Pro Wrestling. International Wrestling Association of Japan, more commonly known as IWA Japan, is a Japanese Professional wrestling promotion operating since 1994 Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1995 New elements included florescent light tubes, scattered thumb tacks, flaming ropes and live piranhas. Fluorescence is a Luminescence that is mostly found as an A piranha or piraña (pɨˈrɑːnjə/ /pɨˈrænjə/ /pɨˈrɑːnə or /pɨˈrænə/ is a member of a family of Omnivorous Freshwater Fish

ECW's popularity led to the major American promotions of the 90s, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation, creating divisions devoted exclusively to 'hardcore' wrestling (which mostly amounted to no-disqualification weapons matches). World Wrestling Entertainment Inc ( WWE) is a publicly traded privately controlled integrated media (focusing in Television, Internet, The divisions were at first largely centered around ECW alumni such as Mick Foley, Terry Funk, Raven and Sandman. Michael Francis "Mick" Foley Sr Early life Foley was born in Bloomington Indiana. Scott Anthony Levy (born September 8 1964 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) better known by his Ring name Raven, is an American Professional James (" Jim " Fullington Following the highly-publicised caning of Michael P In the WWF, ladder matches, which had become more common, were now combined with tables and weapons matches to create "Tables, Ladders and Chairs" matches. A Ladder match is a type of match used in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item (usually a title belt is hung above

Post-ECW

ECW also had imitators starting in its later years, Xtreme Pro Wrestling, Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling and Combat Zone Wrestling, which carried on ECW's violent style after it went defunct, and have pushed the limits even farther. Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW was an independent Professional wrestling promotion that was owned by Rob Zicari, who appeared on shows under the name Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW is a Western Canadian -based Professional wrestling promotion, operating as a member of the National Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling ( CZW) is an American based Professional wrestling promotion, based around the 'ultraviolent' style of professional wrestling As the fad grew, it gained detractors who pointed out that weapons and shock value were being used to mask poor wrestling skills.

Hardcore wrestling has fallen out of favor in the major American promotions; the last major hardcore title was the WWE Hardcore title, which merged into the Intercontinental Title in 2002. The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE Intercontinental Championship is a Professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. In 2006, the MTV-affiliated promotion/show Wrestling Society X featured hardcore wrestling, but the show was cancelled after one season. MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. Wrestling Society X ( WSX) was a short lived Professional wrestling -based television series produced in 2006 by Big Vision Entertainment

Rules

The main rule behind hardcore can have various connotations. Thus, hardcore wrestling is often separated into distinct "levels" based on the graphic nature of the match:

• A 24/7 Title Match describes a situation where a hardcore wrestler must defend the title at all times. The match (and the title) can be won by pinfall at any time and in any place in the presence of a referee. The match has no fixed location, timeframe or even opponent. This is one of the most severe forms of hardcore match given its unpredictablility. This was initially a self-imposed stipulation of Crash Holly's WWE Hardcore Championship but afterward became a general rule of the title. Michael John Lockwood (August 25 1971 - November 6 2003 At No Mercy, they defeated the New Age Outlaws ( Mr The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE Hardcore Championship was a Hardcore wrestling championship defended in World Wrestling Entertainment, (formerly the World During the time Crash defended his title, he did so in such locations as his hotel room, at the airport and even in the supermarket.
• A No Disqualification match tends to be less severe, with action taking place mostly inside the ring. Usage of foreign objects is typically minimal, with run-ins (another form of disqualification) being frequently used. The match is often contested between valets (where they may lack wrestling skills), or between a wrestler and a valet (in which a wrestler is expected to run-in and defend their valets). Valet and Varlet are terms for Male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer Because of the low-key nature, few consider a no-disqualification match as hardcore, although there is no semantic difference.
• A Street Fight uses the various elements of "No Holds Barred" and "No Disqualification" but does not allow pinfalls or submissions outside of the ring.
• A Deathmatch tends to be the most severe, with a heavy emphasis on the usage of foreign objects to induce bleeding. The types of foreign objects and the nature of the foreign objects are used so as to be extremely graphic and violent in nature. In more recent years, some state athletic commissions in the US have cracked down on the types and frequency of weapons used in these matches.
• A Hardcore match tends to be somewhere in between, with emphasis on the brutality of the attacks and the extreme physical toll on the wrestlers involved. WWE dubs the Hardcore match as a "Belfast Brawl" when the match features the SmackDown! superstar, Finlay, and "Extreme Rules" to describe an ECW brand hardcore match. World Wrestling Entertainment Inc ( WWE) is a publicly traded privately controlled integrated media (focusing in Television, Internet, Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. WWE Friday Night SmackDown is a Professional wrestling Television program for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE that is currently airing David Finlay (born October 20, 1958) a nickname he had previously used while in the UK and later as "Fit" Finley. Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW) is a Professional wrestling brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE based on the independent The World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E Brand Extension was a process first used in 2002 by said Professional wrestling promotion as a means
• Combat Zone Wrestling's Cage of Death, which is held yearly, implements the use of multiple weapons attached to the cage walls. The usual weapons are there, as are unusual ones, such as weedwhackers. Weedeater redirects here for the band see Weedeater (band A string trimmer, also called a line trimmer, Weedeater

Because of the nature of hardcore wrestling, hardcore matches are often remembered for their dangerous spots (to the point that some deride it as "spotfests") rather than their actual outcome. The hardcore style has even extended to non-hardcore matches (that is, matches with disqualifications), especially into those where disqualifications are uncommon, where the rules allow or encourage the use of certain foreign objects, or where the rules of the match are ambiguous with regards to disqualification. It is not uncommon to have certain types of matches be no-disqualification affairs to avoid the issue of dealing with suspension of disbelief. Suspension of disbelief or "willing suspension of disbelief" is an aesthetic theory intended to characterize people's relationships to art

Common weapons

Hardcore matches tend to emphasize the use of certain weapons or the physical toll on the wrestlers, and thus many euphemisms for these matches are employed. The almost kayfabe-breaking accessibility of some of these weapons -- often under the ring -- to wrestlers has led to the noun "plunder" in reference to them. In Professional wrestling, kayfabe (ˈkeɪfeɪb KAY-fayb) refers to the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" that is the portrayal of professional For example, Street Fights and Bunkhouse Brawls are hardcore-style matches which emphasize that wrestlers need not be in typical wrestling gear when they are battling, while the No Holds Barred match emphasizes the no-disqualification rule. In World Wrestling Entertainment, Extreme rules matches are hardcore-style matches that emphasize the spirit of its former competitor, Extreme Championship Wrestling. World Wrestling Entertainment Inc ( WWE) is a publicly traded privately controlled integrated media (focusing in Television, Internet, Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW) was a Professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1992 by Other euphemisms, such as the Good Housekeeping match and Full Metal Mayhem, emphasize the use of certain foreign objects as being legal (the former with kitchen implements and the latter with metallic objects). " Foreign object " is a Professional wrestling term for an object introduced into the match In a Fans Bring the Weapons match, wrestlers fight with "weapons" that members of the audience bring to the venue; this is a specialty in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). Combat Zone Wrestling ( CZW) is an American based Professional wrestling promotion, based around the 'ultraviolent' style of professional wrestling

Hardcore championships

In promotions where Hardcore wrestling is present, a Hardcore title may come into existence. This form of title is defended under hardcore rules, and title changes are frequent. Some hardcore titles may have their own unique rules. For example, the WWE Hardcore Championship was defended under 24/7 rules, meaning it could be defended and won at anytime, provided a referee was present to make the pinfall. The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE Hardcore Championship was a Hardcore wrestling championship defended in World Wrestling Entertainment, (formerly the World The OVW Hardcore Championship had a trashcan passed from wrestler to wrestler rather than a belt. The OVW Hardcore Championship was a short-lived Hardcore wrestling title in World Wrestling Entertainment 's former developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling The GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship has a unique stipulation in that if the challenger survives fifteen minutes, he wins the match and the title. The Global Honored Crown Openweight Hardcore Championship is a semi-official Professional wrestling championship contested in Pro Wrestling NOAH. Some Hardcore titles include:

• WWE Hardcore Championship: 1998-2002
• WCW Hardcore Championship: 1999-2000
• GHC Openweight Hardcore Championship (Japan): 2004-Present
• WXW Hardcore Championship: 2000-2003
• ECCW/NWA Pacific Northwest Hardcore Championship 1999-present
• FMW Brass Knuckles Heavyweight Championship (Japan): 1990-1999
• FMW Independent Heavyweight Championship (Japan): 1996-1999
• IWA Hardcore Championship (Puerto Rico): 2000-Present
• CZW Ultraviolent Underground Championship 2005-Present
• IWA Mid-South Deathmatch Championship 2007-Present
• XPW World Heavyweight Championship: 1999-2002
• XPW King of the Deathmatch Championship: 2000-2002
• FMW/WEW Hardcore Championship (Japan): 1999-2001
• WWC Hardcore Championship (Puerto Rico): 1999-2001, 2003
• OVW Hardcore Championship: 2000-2001
• FMW/WEW Hardcore Tag Team Championship (Japan): 2000-2003, 2005-Present
• FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship (Japan): 1991-2002
• NWA World Brass Knuckles Championship: 1978-1980
• UCW Hardcore Championship (Greece) : 2002-2007

Hardcore wrestling promotions

• Big Japan Pro Wrestling
• Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW)
• NWA: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW)
• Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) — now defunct, though has been revived as a brand for World Wrestling Entertainment
• Frontier Martial Arts Wrestling (FMW) — now defunct
• International Wrestling Syndicate
• International Wrestling Association of Japan — now defunct
• Pro Pain Pro Wrestling (3PW) — now defunct
• UWA/PWA Hardcore Wrestling
• Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW) — now defunct
• IWA Japan
• IWA Mid South
• Underworld Championship Wrestling (UCW) — now defunct

See also

• Backyard wrestling

Notes

References

• [1]
• [2]

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