Ranking the WWE Belts (1980-Current)

[Todd Pettengill]

I've made a list that ranks & reviews all 32 Belt designs used by the WWF/WWE since 1980.

I'll be Factoring in their design firstly, and their importance secondly. (70/30). I'll be counting slight variations (strap color, WWF/WWE font, etc) as the same belt design in most cases.

Since 1980, WWE has recognized numerous championships. Some titles are now defunct, and others have been modified & updated for decades. At least 32 belt designs in all have appeared on WWE programing for the past 31 years.

Starting our Countdown off...

32. WWF Women's Championship


This title debuted in the Attitude Era and lasted until it was merged with the Diva's Championship last year. It was held by divas like Trish Stratus, Lita, Sable, Jacqueline, and Ivory. Ultimately, the belt lacked a ladylike look or appeal. It was rather boring and bland, and not something tailored to fit the fashion sense of the very sexy & talented Trish Stratus.






31. The '80-'84 WWF Championship

Paging Mr. Backlund... Mr. Backlund?

The Big Strap. The Big One. The Coup de Grace. And it looks like it was cobbled together in my neighbor's garage. This design was used in the early 80's and carried by Bob Backlund for most of that time. Rumor has it, after Hogan defeated the Iron Sheik for his first WWF championship, this belt was tossed in a dumpster. Nothing says bottom of the list more than a rumor like that!





30. The '84-'85 Intercontinental Championship

I picked this Belt out of a dumpster shortly after Hogan won the WWF Belt!

Coming in at number 32 is the 1984-85 Intercontinental Belt! No way around it, it looks as bad as the aforementioned '80-'84 World Title. However, the belt did carry prestige, and this design is often associated with Tito Santana & Greg Valentine.




29. The John Cena US Championship

Holy... Friggin... Eyesore!!!

Perhaps one of the most ridiculously designed belts in WWE history, John Cena was on a meteoric rise when he won the US Championship. The WWE recognized the young superstar's potential by giving him this gaudy eyesore, the first of three custom personal designs...





#28 - The Original Intercontinental Championship


Insert Pat Patterson joke...

The Intercontinental Title made it's debut as the prize for a 264-Man Tournament in front of 300,000 rabid fans in Rio Di Janero. Pat Patterson fought through round after round to win this belt, which looked like it was made by a freshman in Welding School. Although the design & look totally sucked, the original Intercontinental Championship was held by major muscle-heads such as Pedro Morales, Ken Patera, & Don Muraco.






#27 The Light-Heavyweight Championship


Do you smell ham & eggs? GILLBERG! GILL-BERG!

The Light Heavyweight Championship seemed like such a cool idea when it was introduced. Suddenly, there were a bunch of new, fast, & exciting wrestlers in the WWF competing for a new belt. Until the Attitude Era, the WWF wasn't prone to introducing many new championships. The Light Heavyweight belt seemed like it would be a cool new prize for excellent wrestlers to pursue. Instead, it was largely swept under the carpet. Taka gave the belt initial recognition. However, a year-plus reign by career jobber Duane Gill heavily damaged the credibility of the belt. As for the belt itself, it was nothing special in appearance, and it was really hard to see the detail (or the lack-thereof,) on TV.





#26 - The WCW Tag Team Championship

What Company is this?

Ah, the Invasion. The prestigious WCW Tag Team Championship. Held by such famous WCW luminaries as Kane & The Undertaker, The Hardy Boyz, and the Dudley Boys. I Know. None of that makes any sense. This belt is OK. It's look & design couldn't compare with the other Tag Team belts.






#25 - The New Generation Women's Championship


Place this in the circular file...

Unlike #31, which was rumored to be tossed in a dumpster... This baby right here was actually tossed in the dumpster on an infamous broadcast of WCW Nitro. The Women's belt of this era is commonly associated with Alundra Blayze. However, this strap also spent quite a bit of time in the hands of plus sized grapplers: Bull Nakana & Bertha Faye. Like #27, this belt's detail was tough to see on TV. And it loses a lot of points because it couldn't fit the waist of the majority of women that held it.


Up Next: It's Brutal!

[Todd Pettengill]

It's Getting Brutal!

#24 - The WWE- ECW Championship


It's Extreme... Extremely Ugly!

Who knows why the WWE decided to resurrect the ECW name for it's one hour of programming on SciFi's Tuesday Nights? The experiment, much like Superstars and NXT, was a failure in the end. The WWECW felt like a bait and switch crime to older fans. Perhaps the biggest crime was the WWE actually tried to make money off of this awful design! They literally tried to make money off of this atrocity:



"I promise I'll be good! Just don't give me that!"



Ultimately, the belt's design was corrected and improved:











#23 - The WWE - ECW Championship


Again?

This version of the ECW Championship was much more styling than it's predecessor. The use of silver (or was it platinum?), was an interesting change, in comparison to other WWE belt's gold designs. Christian had a good run with this belt, and the belt actually looked pretty good on him. The belt was retired after he lost it to Big Zeke on the final broadcast of ECW on SciFi. This list's #24 and #23 never lived up to the standards set by the original ECW. However, our next belt was inspired by the aesthetic of the Original ECW -And- a little old school WWF humor...







#22 - The Hardcore Championship


Have a Nice Day!

The Hardcore belt stands as a great timepiece of the Attitude Era, with it's origins attributed to old school WWF mythos. The belt itself was rumored to be Hulk Hogan's Winged Eagle Belt (still to come on this list!) smashed up by Mr. Perfect & The Genius on an episode of SNME. Another rumor states that Andre the Giant cracked the belt like an egg over Hogan's head. Whichever story you choose to believe, there is no denying the fun this belt brought to WWE programming at various times in the Attitude era. Initially defended by Mick Foley, the belt went on to be carried by Crash Holly and a host of others during the newly instated 24-hour title defense rule. The cracks in the plates, and the duct tape cob-job, were totally cool for what they represented... But not the classiest looking...

Hey Look! It's the...









#21 - The Red Tag Team Championship


There's a red one!

This incarnation of a Tag Team Championship was often held by a bunch of singles competitor's randomly assigned to work with each other. Famous teams like John Cena and HBK, Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes, and CM Punk & Kofi Kingston, held the Red Tag Team belts. Eventually these incredibly average looking belts were unified with the Blue Tag Team Belts. However, both the red & blue sets continued to show up on TV with the Big Show, Jericho, & the Miz. Finally the red & blue belts were physically merged... Thus setting up a segue for our list...






It's time for the Top 20!

We jump in at Number 20...

#20 - The Current Tag Team Belts


Giving my two-cents!

Well, these babies certainly don't carry the history of other designs on this list. The are most definitely... Different. They have a gladiator theme, straight out of Wrestlemania 9. They say it actually costs more than a penny to make a penny in today's market, which may be WWE's current vision of the tag division. And, they're justified, because most people couldn't correctly tell you who the current Champs are. While Tag Team wrestling has certainly taken a back seat in terms of current WWE programming... The big pennies are physically big straps, and they did look cool on the shoulders of Kane an the Big Show.

Guys who carried our next belt on the list were usually nothing but a fly on the back of guys like Show-Kane!







#19 - WWE Cruiserweight Championship


Cruiser-What?

This was a very basic looking belt. I can't imagine that it's toy offshoot sold many copies at Toys'R'Us or Walmart. It's a bit shinier than #20 & the paint makes it quite clear what belt's being defended. However, the belt's history as the "WWE Cruiserweight Championship," has been absolutely pathetic. With champions like Jacqueline, Chavo Classic, and Hornswoggle. It's sad the belt was relegated to such a sorry state before it was quietly retired. Especially considering it's history was based on #27 and the next entry to this list...








#18 - The WCW Cruiserweight Championship


Who brought these guys to the Invasion?

The WCW Cruiserweight Championship had a brief run in the WWF during the Invasion. The belt was already on shaky ground in WCW when it was bought out. (Side Note: This belt looked awesome in WCW when Lance Storm decked it out in Canadian logos). In the WWF, X-Pac unified #27 with the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. The WCW version was carried until the Alliance was defeated. At that point, it was converted into #19. This version was a nice looking belt. The side-plates with the "WCW' really stand out. The faceplate is really nice as well. It's by far the best looking of the lightweight belts. You can also see some of the influence this design actually had on #19.

Speaking of WCW & the Invasion... Check it out! It's....




#17 - The WCW US Championship



Getting into the Classier looking Belts on the list

The WCW US Championship is another belt that came over during the Invasion. It had a once prestigious heritage under the NWA & WCW banner. But, the belt did have its fair share of down points. This design was used in WCW for a number of years, and it's actually pretty nice. The Center-plate is classy, detailed, & shiny. Ironically, the last WCW US Champion was Edge, a WWE mainstay. The Rated-R-Superstar unified the US Championship with the Intercontinental Championship at Survivor Series '01. Then, the US belt disappeared for over a year...



Up Next: Gettin' Cartoony!

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

WCW US title is WAAAY too low, especially since the WWE version is higher.

[celticjobber]

So... I'm guessing the atrocious Divas Belt will be ranked above the 'Attitude' Women's title?

I have to say I totally disagree with that (and I'd also put the Attitude Women's title above the Alundra Blaze one) but alas, it's not my list.

[Deleted]

I may be in the minority, but I liked the green strap belts. (Maybe it was because I became a WWF fan around that time.)
The WWF title had all the former champions on the side plates, which made it pretty neat. The old I-C belt reminds me of when Tito beat Greg in a steel cage to regain the belt. Greg was so upset he was outsmarted (Tito climbed over the cage above the door and kicked the door in Greg's face as he was trying to exit), he grabbed the belt and just started smashing it against the cage walls. That led to them introducing the new I-C belt, which looked a lot better on both the wrestlers and on TV.

[AdamAFL was sooooo wrong]

Women's Title is far from the worst. Better than that god awful Butterfly crap Diva's Title. Why is the Cena US Title not last, and how is the current WWE design so high?!?!

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

I thought both ECW titles looked good. The first one was basically a retouched version of the belt the real ECW used.

[Todd Pettengill]

Ranking the Belts: #16 - 13: The People's Champions!

Moving Forward with the list of Best Belts, we hit it off with #16...


#16 - The Current Intercontinental Championship


The People's Championship

The Intercontinental Championship looks so much better in this format than it did as #30 & #28. This edition of the number two strap was initially made famous by the Rock, who deemed it the "People's Championship." The belt originally had the New Generation logo:







The Intercontinental belt has been updated accordingly with the "WWF Attitude" logo, and then the current WWE logo. But the basic design, strap, & centerpiece, have remained the same for 13 years. It's a good looking belt, and it looks good on guys with bodies like Dolph Ziggler and Chris Jericho. One weak aspect of the current IC belt is the bland side-plates. Nevertheless, it's a nice belt that has had a very long run.

On the Other Hand:
The next belt on the list had a very Short run in the WWF!










#15 - The Hogan '85


For Real American's Only!

Remember how that piece of crap #31 was tossed in a dumpster so the WWF could give Hulk a brand new, shiny belt? Yeah, that new belt was the Hogan '85. This belt kicked it's predecessor's butt. It had a very bright finish and the appearance of an American High School \ College class ring. Note the Goofy "WWF" font on the Hogan '85, and revel in it's rare glory!
















#14 - The Divas Championship


"Ummm, Seriously?"

Here's where the IWC breaks in to an uproar... Yes, this belt is #14. It's been called a some bad things. That is all matter of opinion. What is true: the WWE employs a number of very attractive women who not only do their best to entertain while they're on camera, but also put a lot of time into their outfits, make-up, and overall appearance. Mostly, they are not brutish "lipstick lightning ladies" of past generations. The Divas Championship is like a piece of jewelery that compliments the attractive woman wearing it, unlike #32 which did nothing to enhance it's holder's appearance.


[glow=red,2,300]Case in Point: [/glow]





















If you're still reading...










#13 - The Current US Championship


Cue "Ride of the Valkyries"

The US Championship (#17) was merged with the Intercontinental Championship (#16) at Survivor Series 2001, when Edge unified the belts. The US Championship was re-introduced in 2003 when Eddie Guerrero took the strap home in a tournament final. The current belt has recently been held by Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, and Kofi Kingston. It's a nice belt & looks so much better than John Cena's version (#29). It's nice to see this belt defended on Raw, and the Red, White, & Blue really pop out on the TV screen.




UP NEXT: Working our way in to the Top 10 with the Big Boys

[Beartato]

I agree with the Diva's belt. The women's belts were the most basic designs ever. Which was good for the time they came out, but not in today's wrestling world where they're not wrestlers but divas. And the belt definitely looks nice on the divas, especially Maryse.

[Todd Pettengill]

Jul 2, 2011 10:24:50 GMT -5 Beartato said:

I agree with the Diva's belt. The women's belts were the most basic designs ever. Which was good for the time they came out, but not in today's wrestling world where they're not wrestlers but divas. And the belt definitely looks nice on the divas, especially Maryse.

Absolutely!

[Hit Girl]

The top 3 should be 1- the winged eagle, 2- the classic IC, and 3- the classic tag team

[Citizen Snips]

Jul 2, 2011 10:24:50 GMT -5 Beartato said:

I agree with the Diva's belt. The women's belts were the most basic designs ever. Which was good for the time they came out, but not in today's wrestling world where they're not wrestlers but divas. And the belt definitely looks nice on the divas, especially Maryse.

Agreed and kudos to the list compiler for pointing this out. By itself, the belt is a mess...but have one of the Divas holding it and it totally works.

[Todd Pettengill]

Things are really heating up on our countdown...

We've seen some good belts, new belts, bad belts, and some bland belts. But we're getting into the "best of the best."

We start this segment with...




#12 The Hogan '86


Whatchagonnadew?

The Hogan'86 took everything that was good about the totally rad Hogan '85 (#15) and improved it. The correct WWF font was used, the belt's plate design was slightly altered, and other colors of paint were used to enhance the appearance. The Hogan '85 & '86 had a very unique design that is often forgotten. As the name implies, the belt saw only one holder, the Immortal Hulk Hogan, who was in the midst of a four year reign as World Champion.



Speaking of Custom belts...









#11. The Spinner World Title


U Can't C Me!

It's gaudy, flamboyant, eclectic, and loaded with diamonds, rubies, and gold... And it can't go with out mentioning, the WWE logo actually spins. The original Spinner Belt was tailored for John Cena as Smack Down Champion. It had a short life on screen, because Cena was soon drafted to Raw, where the belt underwent a slight overhaul to represent the proper brand. When Edge captured the title, he revamped the Spinner to fill his "Rated-R Superstar" needs:


The Strap itself on the Rated-R spinner was slightly different than the original, but the faceplates were the same design, and the side-plates were the same.
There was some apprehension in classifying the "Rated-R Spinner," with the Cena Spinner. But because the plates are the same (minus the actual spinning part, & a slightly different strap), they are coupled together in this countdown. If forced to rank them separately, then, The Rated-R Spinner comes in at 12A, and the Cena Spinner comes in at 12B.






THE TOP 10 WWE BELTS 1980-CURRENT:



Wow, here we are at the Top Ten... From here on out, it's all about style. These are the best Belts used on WWE TV over the past 31 years. There are plenty of awesome belts left... So let's check it out!



#10 - The Blue Tag Team Championship


Tag Me! Tag Me! Wait... Don't Tag Me!

These blue badboys were the counterpart to the Red Tag Team Belts (#21), and introduced during the brand extension. The blue belts were an update of the previous Tag Team Champion belts, and they looked really nice. They were only around for 5 years before the were Unified with the Red Belts by the Colons. Zack Ryder fans should love this belt, based on the fact that it was Long Island Iced Z's first WWE title.










#9. The Big Gold Belt


Stylin' & Profiling!

Perhaps one of the most beloved belts on this list, it is simply called "The Big Gold Belt." The big strap represented the WCW World Champion for over a decade. Booker T brought the Big Gold Belt to the WWF during the Invasion, and it was soon unified with the WWF Title by Chris Jericho. After being defeated by Triple H at Wrestlemania, the Big Gold Belt disappeared. However, it was revived by Eric Bischoff when Raw disputed the Undisputed Championship, and handed the Big Gold Belt to Triple H, naming him the 'World Heavyweight Champion.' Since it's revival, the belt has kicked back & forth between Raw & Smackdown, but it has more recently become associated with Smackdown. As for the design & look of the belt, the name pretty much says it all. It's big. It's gold. And it's a belt. This is the design many people think of when they think "World Champion," evidenced by the Green Bay Packers hoisting their own Big Gold Belts after winning this past Super Bowl. The belt's only flaw that it is really tough to distinguish the writing & designs on the belt from many angles on TV. Despite this, it still looks cool on camera. It looks like a miner pulled a big golden nugget out of the Sierra Nevadas, flattened it and stuck it on a strap. It is an awesome thing of beauty, and easily belongs in our Top 10.

Also: The Big Gold Belt would be on the list even if the WCW buyout & Invasion never happened... Because it did appear on WWF programming in 1991...



Albeit Blurred...


We still got the Elite 8 Coming Up!!!

[Hit Girl]

When reading this list, listen to this....

[fw91]

so belts that did not get mentioned yet..... winged eagle, attitude era championship, 90's ic and tag tag designs, european, undisputed, what else is missing?

[Von Hooligan]

For me Big Goldie will always be number one. Mainly because I leaned more towards WCW in the Monday Night Wars, but also because it's gimmick is that its practically gimmick-less. Its grand, huge and looks like a legit sporting achievement, kinda like the Stanley Cup of title belts.

[Schemer]

How could you rank that atrocious spinner piece of shit ahead of Hogan's 1986 belt?! (Or any other for that matter?)

[Big Daddy Bad Booking]

Jul 2, 2011 13:51:41 GMT -5 Schemer said:

How could you rank that atrocious spinner piece of s*** ahead of Hogan's 1986 belt?! (Or any other for that matter?)

As bad as that belt is, there's a lot of rich history to be had.

[MolotovMocktail]

Will the Million Dollar Belt be on the list?

[Schemer]

Jul 2, 2011 13:58:21 GMT -5 Big Daddy Bad Booking said:

Jul 2, 2011 13:51:41 GMT -5 Schemer said:

How could you rank that atrocious spinner piece of s*** ahead of Hogan's 1986 belt?! (Or any other for that matter?)

As bad as that belt is, there's a lot of rich history to be had.

If you say so.