The 10 Best WWE Championship Belt Designs in History

For as long as there’s been professional wrestling, there have been championships.

The WWE may not have invented the concept of championship belts, but it has managed to produce some of the greatest championship designs of all time.

From the WWF “Winged Eagle” belt all the way to WWE‘s current crop of championships, here are the top 10 greatest WWE Championship belt designs.

Winged Eagle

Originally debuting with Hulk Hogan towards the end of his first WWF Championship run, the “Winged Eagle” title is thought by many as the best championship design the WWF/E ever made.

The belt ran from 1988 all the way to 1998, making it synonymous with some of WWE’s biggest stars from that 10 year span including Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior and The Undertaker.

 

World Heavyweight Championship

If there’s any title that can compete with the “Winged Eagle” as the definitive pro wrestling championship, it has to be the “Big Gold Belt.”

The title originated with the National Wrestling Alliance in 1986 around the waist of Ric Flair, who would become synonymous with the title. The championship eventually made its way to WCW, becoming its world championship until the company folded in 2001. 

But the championship left such a lasting impact with fans that the WWE didn’t hesitate in reviving it as the World Heavyweight Championship in 2002. The title was officially retired in 2014 when then-WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar debuted the modern WWE Championship belt.

 

Intercontinental Championship

The Intercontinental Championship has managed to stick around since 1979 and holds a special place in the hearts of many long-time WWE fans.

The championships original design instantly stuck out with the usage of a white belt and a layered centerpiece. Throughout the 1980s and 90s the championship was used as a stepping stone for many future main-eventers, making its lineage incredibly prestigious. 

The championship has seen some redesigns over the years but the original white format was the clear fan favorite, prompting WWE to bring back it back in 2011.

 

 

WWF Championship (Attitude Era)

A lot of people tend to forget overlook the “Attitude Era” version of the WWF Championship, mostly because of its similarities to the “Winged Eagle” version along with it being substituted with Stone Cold Steve Austin’s “Smoking Skull” belt during his second run.

But the design has its own charm, with the widespread eagle front and center with a larger, more pronounced globe.

It also gets a boost from being the top prize during WWE’s most popular era, so it was at the heart of many incredible Attitude Era moments.

 

The Million Dollar Championship

The Million Dollar Championship was rarely ever treated like a championship (it only changed hands once via a match), but it’s still one of the most fondly-remembered titles in WWF history thanks to its over-the-top design.

It was the perfect prop for one of WWF’s greatest heels of the 1980s in “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase.

WWE (Raw) Women’s Championship

Since its arrival in late 2014, the WWE Championship has served as a template design for other titles throughout the promotion. And while that can come off as a little lazy it did give us the current Women’s Championship, which is easily the best that title has ever looked. With its gold plating and red centerpiece background paired with a white belt, the championship is instantly recognizable and pops every time its on television.

The championship debuted WrestleMania 32, with Charlotte defeating Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks in a triple threat match to claim the title. The belt has since been renamed the Raw Women’s Championship (along with getting a blue counterpart over on SmackDown Live) thanks to the 2016 brand split.

Photo: WWE.com

United Kingdom Championship

The WWE United Kingdom Championship is one of five current titles with the same design template. But while the WWE, Universal and Women’s championships are all separated by simple color changes, this title takes a step further with an incredibly detailed centerpiece inspired by the British Coat of Arms.

The title doesn’t get much screen time since WWE’s plans for a United Kingdom show have stalled over the past year, but it will likely become of fan favorite if that show ever gets off the ground.

 

ECW World Heavyweight Championship

Before it was replaced with that giant platinum monstrosity, the ECW World Heavyweight Championship had one of the coolest designs in all of WWE.

What makes this championship so outstanding is in the details. The globe in the centerpiece and side plates are wrapped in barbed wire, the cage design on the centerpiece gives it its on unique style, and the words “Heavyweight Wrestling” looked to be carved into the belt itself, making a direct reference to ECW’s bloody and extreme history. 

It’s a shame WWE’s version of ECW failed, and it’s an ever bigger shame that this championship will never see the light of day again.

WWE Undisputed Championship

Between the Winged Eagle and Attitude Era designs, the WWE had a consistent look to its main championship for nearly 15 years. But that changed following WrestleMania X-8, when Triple H revealed a new version of the WWE Championship, then referred to as the WWE Undisputed Championship.

The title was designed by tattoo artist Keith Ciaramello, and while it still has the staple of the eagle and globe in the center, everything else about the championship looks completely new, down to how each of the plates are shaped. 

In a current WWE where everything is getting stripped down to basic templates, this title earns its spot on the list for how crazy it is the closer you look at it. 

 

NXT Championship (Original)

For the last five years the NXT Championship has replaced the Intercontinental Championship as the company’s stepping stone title, being held by many men who have gone on to find success on the main roster (and also Bo Dallas).

While some championships stick out for their intricate designs, NXT’s first title kept things simple with basic side plates and a centerpiece that was just the letters “NXT,” with the “X” being the largest. Its not flashy or colorful, but its definitely recognizable.

The title’s recent redesign carries over a lot from the original belt, belt it loses a lot of the original title’s simplicity with an oddly-shaped center plate.