When one looks back at a list of some of the most entertaining stars of World Wrestling Entertainment's Attitude Era, the normal names pop out at first. There's Steve Austin, The Rock, Mankind, Undertaker, Kane and Triple H. Some will cite Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle or Chris Benoit as favorites.But one is lost among the Hall of Famers and all-time greats who dominated that era of programming.He was a smaller competitor who never allowed his size deficiencies to hold him back from achieving greatness. In fact, he took a ridiculous gimmick and not only got it over but did so to the point that it became a staple of WWE television for years to come.His name was Crash Holly, and he revolutionized the Hardcore division in Vince McMahon's wrestling company.The grandfather of the 24/7 rule, Holly could be seen defending his title whenever, wherever and against whomever throughout the early part of the year 2000.His antics helped elevate the title to a level of importance that more relevant stars, including Road Dogg, Big Bossman, Mankind and Al Snow, were never able to. Of course, he did so in segments that often interrupted the more serious tone of the broadcasts and injected Raw and SmackDown with a sizable dose of comedy, but everyone involved was much better off for it.At a time when smaller performers simply did not get over in the land of giants that McMahon created, Holly stood among the big men and let it be known that he was every bit as capable of entertaining the masses as they were.And he did.Now, in celebration of his work and in honor of his life and times, enjoy this look back at one of the unsung heroes of the Attitude Era: the late Crash Holly.The Holly CousinsCrash Holly's debut in WWE coincided with the ascent of Bob "Hardcore" Holly who, as the newcomer would, had elevated his status within the company thanks to his contributions in the hardcore division.A self-proclaimed "super heavyweight" despite weighing a mere 240 pounds, Hardcore had developed into one of the more unexpectedly entertaining midcard villains on the roster. When his yapping, even smaller cousin arrived on the scene and began teaming with him, the duo demanded that they be announced as weighing in at well over 400 poundseach.It was comical, but the duo wasted little time making an impact in the tag team division. They captured the WWE Tag Team Championships on the October 18, 1999 episode of Monday Night Raw, defeating the legendary duo of The Rock and Sock Connection to steal the titles.Unfortunately for the duo, they could not get past their differences and, like the Mega Powers (though on a much smaller scale), they exploded, becoming hated rivals in the war for the company's hardcore championship.Anywhere, Anytime, AnyplaceOn February 24, 2000, Crash defeated Test to win the WWE Hardcore Championship, beginning one of the most improbable and wildly entertaining reigns of any titleholder in company history.Playing the role of the little man whose bravado and moxie proved greater than his size, the new champion allowed his mouth to write the proverbial check that his body could not cash.Crash vowed to defend the title against anyone, at any time, in any place.Suddenly, he found himself ducking and dodging challengers from all directions.The most memorable of his title defenses came at a funhouse. Enjoying a day off, he was suddenly attacked by Mosh and Thrasher, The Headbangers.He managed to escape that predicament with his title intact, but it would not be the last time a day of personal enjoyment was ruined by Superstars, and even Divas, trying to take the title.A clown at the Ringling Bros. circus attempted to win the title while SmackDown was in Philadelphia, but Crash withstood a sneak attack and escaped with the banged-up championship wrapped around his waist.When he let his guard down for a massage, he found himself on the receiving end of an assault by Ivory, who proved that everyone with championship aspirations would be targeting the competitor, regardless of gender.It all led to WrestleMania 2000 and the first-ever Hardcore Battle Royal for the title. In order to emerge from The Showcase of the Immortals with his championship, he would have to endure 15 minutes of brutality at the hands of some of the toughest, roughest competitors on the roster.Just when it appeared as though the "Elroy Jetson of the WWE," as commentator Jim Ross referred to him, would escape, a botched call by referee Tim White cost him the title.He would regain it one night later from his cousin Bob.Crash would continue to find himself attacked by the least likely of candidates, including Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson.Brisco won the title while the otherwise elusive Superstar slept. Then he traded it with Patterson before Crash was able to regain the championship at the 2000 King of the Ring pay-per-view.No matter what Crash ever accomplished in WWE, he would forever be associated with the title he helped popularize. Even after capturing the company's light heavyweight championship from Dean Malenko, fans still wondered when he would return to the division in which he achieved his greatest success.He would go on to team with another Holly cousin, Molly, in a war with Test, Albert and Trish Stratus late in 2000.Unfortunately, the end of the year would bring about the end of Crash's status as one of the breakout stars of WWE. The debuts of Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Perry Saturn and the aforementioned Dean Malenko, plus the rise of Kurt Angle, created a logjam of performers in the midcard, leaving Crash on the outside looking in.By the time WCW was purchased and the stars from that company found their way to the company, he sank further down the card.He would be released from his WWE contract in 2003.Sadly, he would pass away on November 6 of that same year. He was only 32.When all was said and done, the undersized underdog would hold the hardcore title 22 times, etching his name in the history books as one of the greatest hardcore champions of all time.
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