How many Title Belts have been carried/created for any given Championship?

[UFOcalling]

After reading a post from DietPepsiRocks in another thread (titled Randy Orton is the *NEW* WWE World Heavyweight Champion), I was about to respond with this set of statements/questions. I decided that maybe this topic deserved it's own thread, since I might not be the only person who is ignorant on this matter. This might not be exactly what DietPepsiRocks meant when the question was originally posed, but it got me thinking about the Title Belts.

Just to be clear, I'm not talking about one of a kind belts; ie: Stone Cold's "Smoking Skull" title, Jeff Hardy's purple abortion, Cena's US Title, etc. Let's focus solely on the "standard" WWE titles in this thread. I know some of you must know (and some might think they know) exactly how the belts are handled by the WWE, so please don't beat me up for not knowing the answer. I'm only asking because I'm truly curious, and thought this would be a good forum for others to learn at the same time.

I apologize if this has already been discussed ad nauseam, but I searched the forums and couldn't find a thread title that focused solely on the belt(s) in this fashion.

they should let the talents that win the championship and then lose it, they should allow them to keep their name plates....i wonder what they do with the name plates for each talent that wins the belt. Also, i wonder what they'll do with the big gold belt..wouldn't surprise me if HHH gives it to Ric Flair as a memento because he held it the most times...

I'm not pretending to be "in the know", or anything like that...but I was under the impression that a brand new title is made for each winner. For instance, isn't it feasible that the WWE has maybe 3-5 or so "blank" or "backup" titles at any given time? Then after a champion loses the title (The Rock, for instance) they're allowed to take it home and put it on their wall? When a new champ comes along, a "blank" title is given a new name plate, and/or side plates (in the case of the current WWE Title) and given to the next champ? That does raise the question of what happens when a former Champ regains a title as well. Do they just get their belt "out of retirement" from their home, or is yet another title made for them? Or neither of those things happen, and there really is just one belt made for appearances (ie: Rocky, Cena, Orton & Bryan have all carried the exact same belt to and from the airport)? Questions, questions, questions.

Maybe the belt(s) just get a "facelift" here and there when necessary, and are only replaced completely once in a great while to keep them looking fresh. If that was the case - wouldn't we sort of be able to tell when/if the belt is replaced or repaired? It seems that a visible change would be noticeable on television, but it's also possible that the WWE doesn't think anyone would pay that much attention to such minute details (and they'd probably be correct). If one belt is passed from champion to champion, I'd have to imagine that the wrestler holding it would be too paranoid to ever have it out of their sight. The belts must get a professional polishing (at the very least) before they're brought to the ring as well, regardless of how many (or few) there have been.

One would have to presume there were quite a few "winged eagle" belts floating around back in the day. Otherwise, by the time Bret & Shawn were feuding for the belt it could have eroded (organically) into something that resembled the old Hardcore Title (for example, I can't imagine that The Ultimate Warrior kept the belt in showroom condition). Same goes for the AE belt, the Spinner, and any other title belts for that matter (IC Title, Tag Titles, etc). If there had been only one belt being passed around for that many years, the wear & tear would be obvious...wouldn't it? Maybe the belts are so well respected that they don't ever get such wear & tear. Such damage would probably merit a hefty punishment from the company, and I'd have to imagine that the WWE would lose all the faith they had in said wrestler (and they wouldn't be champion again, at least not for a long time).

In 2011 during "The Summer of Punk", we saw two Spinner belts on TV at the same time. Was the second belt only "created" for the sake of that story? Or was Cena's belt at that time just another "blank" (or "backup") Title taken out of packing peanuts to become the next "real" belt if necessary? It doesn't seem like such a silly question when you try to look at this from every possible angle, does it?

I mentioned the HC title already, and conversely that one never seemed to change. For argument's sake, it would be hard to have several "copies" of that particular belt. The HC belt might be the one that pokes the most holes in my theory of "each wrestler gets their own belt". I suppose it would've been hard to simulate the same amount of "damage" on each Hardcore Title "clone", had the wrestlers kept the "actual" belt each time they lost it (and a new one was given to the new champ). Then again, the WWE is a smart company - and I wouldn't think they'd take any chances with any of their belts. Maybe the HC belt really was one of a kind, but - now that I think about it - probably not. One would have to assume they'd have backups for every title, in case of any possible scenario. The WWE wouldn't want to be caught with their pants down, if any of their belts were lost/stolen/damaged (including the HC Title)...but you know what happens when you assume. It's hard to believe that Vince (or any promoter, for that matter) would put so much faith in one of their employees, given the poor reputation wrestlers used to have (and some still have). Such an expensive piece of property in the hands of any wrestler seems like a bit of a gamble to me. Then again, that could be the main reason a title win seems to mean so much to a first time champion.

I honestly don't know. I do know that I've seen photos of WWE Titles in the homes of former champs (ie: Rock, HHH, Cena, etc). Are those just replica belts that are given to them? ...or the actual title they walked out with on TV? Is the same thing done with the belts in other companies (WCW, NWA, TNA, RoH, ECW, etc)? Some of you may think I'm a complete idiot for not knowing the answer to this question, but I've made peace with my ignorance (for now). Does anyone know for sure? I'm actually quite interested now.

More questions to ponder for discussion's sake: if you were in charge, how would you handle this situation? Give each wrestler his or her own belt? Have only one belt pass from wrestler to wrestler? Only replace the belt if it's damaged/stolen/lost? What kind of punishment would you hand down to the wrestler that damages/loses the belt? Does the wrestler just grab a replica belt from one of the merch tables in an emergency situation if there aren't backups, or is that wrestler kept off TV until an "official" belt is made as a replacement? Is the belt insured by the company, or by the wrestler who carries it? So many questions...

 

[Slash-LN]

I can't say for certain what they do for each wrestler but I do remember seeing Bret Hart do an interview segment once where he was at "home" in Calgary and behind him were some title belts on display. I remember one of them was the Intercontinental title. There was also some monster looking thing hanging behind him and he wished Owen a rotten Christmas.

There was a rumor at one point that someone (I think it was Scott Steiner) had the real WCW title.

There was also a rumor that Hogan stole the WCW title after Russo fired him.

I would just give the champs a replica belt probably or in today's WWE just give them a nameplate.

 

[DarksideEric]

I think maybe every decade they should update the belt design to keep it going with the current generation.

Personally if I was in charge I'd give a replica out to every champion to keep once they won the title for the first time.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

According to some dirtsheets, WWE is supposedly developing a new logo. How is that going to work when the WWE Championship has the current giant white W smack in the middle of its center plate.

The new logo might be just a small variation, but it's still going to be weird to see the old style logo on the title while the bottom screen shows the new one.

I think they will replace the title. At least for an exact replica with a new logo in its place.

 

[Kidpolean]

This is the real way it works...

There is always two belts at a time. One belt, the real WWE title, travels with the rest of the ring gear and props for the show. The other belt travels with the Champion and is theirs to keep. The real belt is used for WWE events, and the second belt is used for talk shows, guest appearances and stuff like that. The real title is much more expensive, higher quality, and heavier than the second belt. When a wrestler loses the title they simply switch the nameplate on the real belt and give a new belt to the new champ. The belt that you see on live tv never goes home with a wrestler.
The real title belts are kept right behind the curtain at the entrance ramp, and the champ just picks it up right before he makes his entrance.

I asked Kurt Angle and Mark Henry this question years ago, and this is what they told me.

 

[DarksideEric]

This is the real way it works...

There is always two belts at a time. One belt, the real WWE title, travels with the rest of the ring gear and props for the show. The other belt travels with the Champion and is there's to keep. The real belt is used for WWE events, and the second belt is used for talk shows, guest appearances and stuff like that. The real title is much more expensive, higher quality, and heavier than the second belt. When a wrestler loses the title they simply switch the nameplate on the real belt and give a new belt to the new champ. The belt that you see on live tv never goes home with a wrestler.
The real title belts are kept right behind the curtain at the entrance ramp, and the champ just picks it up right before he makes his entrance.

I asked Kurt Angle and Mark Henry this question years ago, and this is what they told me.

If I remember rightly, in Angle's book didn't he talk about someone trying to take his belt out of his bag?

And the way you describe makes perfect sense. Do they get a new "replica" every time they win a title multiple times or only get a new one if the belt went through a redesign?

 

[NegativeFeedback]

This is the real way it works...

There is always two belts at a time. One belt, the real WWE title, travels with the rest of the ring gear and props for the show. The other belt travels with the Champion and is there's to keep. The real belt is used for WWE events, and the second belt is used for talk shows, guest appearances and stuff like that. The real title is much more expensive, higher quality, and heavier than the second belt. When a wrestler loses the title they simply switch the nameplate on the real belt and give a new belt to the new champ. The belt that you see on live tv never goes home with a wrestler.
The real title belts are kept right behind the curtain at the entrance ramp, and the champ just picks it up right before he makes his entrance.

I asked Kurt Angle and Mark Henry this question years ago, and this is what they told me.

I'm pretty sure there are house show belts as well. You can notice that the ones at live events are less visually appealing, even to the ones you see on talk shows.

 

[Kidpolean]

DarksideEric- its almost like a choice. If you want a new one than they will give you a new one or you can bring your same one from home. Angle said he had two.

Feedback- Honestly, I'm not sure if there is another one for house shows. Angle said that there was only two at a time so that is all I have to go off of. This was in 06 I think, so maybe they changed it and there is a 3rd now but I really have no idea and I've never been to a house show so I'm not even sure how they look.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

Feedback- Honestly, I'm not sure if there is another one for house shows. Angle said that there was only two at a time so that is all I have to go off of. This was in 06 I think, so maybe they changed it and there is a 3rd now but I really have no idea and I've never been to a house show so I'm not even sure how they look.

I took this picture back when Sheamus was champ. He put the title right beside me and I grabbed a pic. I had pics of the US and Million Dollar titles too, but can't find 'em. Do you think this is the real deal??

 

[UFOcalling]

This is the real way it works...

There is always two belts at a time. One belt, the real WWE title, travels with the rest of the ring gear and props for the show. The other belt travels with the Champion and is theirs to keep. The real belt is used for WWE events, and the second belt is used for talk shows, guest appearances and stuff like that. The real title is much more expensive, higher quality, and heavier than the second belt. When a wrestler loses the title they simply switch the nameplate on the real belt and give a new belt to the new champ. The belt that you see on live tv never goes home with a wrestler.
The real title belts are kept right behind the curtain at the entrance ramp, and the champ just picks it up right before he makes his entrance.

I asked Kurt Angle and Mark Henry this question years ago, and this is what they told me.

Awesome info! Do you think this is the way it worked in the 80s and early 90s as well? I mean, for the Winged Eagle belt? That one was used for so long, I could just imagine that it had plenty of nicks and dings along the way. The way you described it absolutely makes the most sense.

Also, do you know if it works this way for all the belts (tag-team, IC, etc)? One would have to assume, but you know what happens when you do that.

Sorry that you've become the "belt expert" of this thread now, a lot of people (other than just me) seem to have questions now.

 

[Kidpolean]

Feedback- I think that is the real belt. If you go on youtube and watch the night that CM Punk returned on Raw right After Cena won the belt and they both hold wwe titles up in the middle of the ring you can see the difference. Punk had the real belt and Cena has a replica. Punks belt is noticeably bigger and is a brighter gold. Also the plates on the front of Punks belt sticks out way more than the ones on Cena's. Cena's belt plates are more flat to the surface. Its hard to tell the difference if you dont see them side by side.

Johnny Savage- Yes this is how it works with all the belts. I dont know if this is how it was in the 80's and 90's. I remember that on Shawn Michaels dvd he stated that management called him and told him that he needed to sent the IC belt back to them after he got suspended, I assume that he was talking about the real belt. So maybe this started because of problems like this where a talent would get suspended or hurt and never send the belt back.
Jo

 

[Trill Co$by]

This is the real way it works...

There is always two belts at a time. One belt, the real WWE title, travels with the rest of the ring gear and props for the show. The other belt travels with the Champion and is theirs to keep. The real belt is used for WWE events, and the second belt is used for talk shows, guest appearances and stuff like that. The real title is much more expensive, higher quality, and heavier than the second belt. When a wrestler loses the title they simply switch the nameplate on the real belt and give a new belt to the new champ. The belt that you see on live tv never goes home with a wrestler.
The real title belts are kept right behind the curtain at the entrance ramp, and the champ just picks it up right before he makes his entrance.

I asked Kurt Angle and Mark Henry this question years ago, and this is what they told me.

I picked up on this not too long ago, but didn't really think much of it. Thinking back to the HBK/Razor match or even the CM Punk/Cena match where there were two of the same title, there was no way that the company would shell out the same amount of money for the same title unless the first belt was completely unrepairable. That's why I can believe what I call the "Trophy" [the one you see on Raw] vs. the "Real" [the one you see on Jay Leno] belt scenario. I would assume that with like Punk & Cena, they asked either had Cena or Punk with the real belt and the other one had the trophy belt.

It also would make sense for when LayCool had their titles.

 

[SyndicateSaint]

In response to the title of this topic the J-Crown was once once represented by 8 titles:

British Commonwealth Jr. Heavyweight

IWGP Jr. Heavyweight

NWA World Jr. Heavyweight

NWA World Welterweight

UWA World Jr. Light Heavyweight

WAR International Jr. Heavyweight

WWA World Jr. Light Heavyweight

And the WWF Light Heavyweight Championships.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

For a long time, title designs were actually pretty rudimentary and simple. Some were downright ugly.

http://www.wrestlepower.net/showthread.php?16380-WWE-Championship-Belt-Is-it-Time-For-a-Change

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...-TG0UpSNOIff2AW4oYCoAg&ved=0CAMQxiAwAQ&iact=c


This link has a pic of every WWE Championship design, that I'm aware of, in the history of its existence. The custom Smoking Skull belt is featured, but discount it as it's a custom title. In the second row, there's a pic of a belt that reads WWWF World Champion and, to my knowledge, it's the first design and was around for close to a decade. The design directly beneath is the newer design, the one carried by Superstar Billy Graham & Bob Backlund. That particular design became common in other companies. For instance, Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling would adopt this design for their territorial version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship. WWE would later use the design to represent their tag titles later on down the line.

The first belt in the third row is a picture of what's sometimes called "The Big Green Belt" or "The Big Green Monster" by some. Bob Backlund began carrying this at some point during his run, not exactly sure when. It's the title he carried when he lost to The Iron Sheik and, of course, the first one that Hogan carried after beating the Iron Sheik.

The title directly beside it is the design that was used to represent the title beginning sometime in 1985. It was also a pretty common design and was probably most famous for being the design used to represent the NWA Television & National Heavyweight Championships in the Mid-Atlantic & Georgia territories and it was a design that was adopted by WCCW around '85 for their American Heavyweight Championship.

The first belt in the top row is the design that was adopted sometime in '86 or very early '87. It's the design Hogan wore during his match with Andre at WrestleMania III. That design is probably what would be considered among the more classic "old school" World Championship designs.

That second link I provided was a design that was never used, but it was a title designed for Andre The Giant. Fittingly, it's simply called the "Andre Belt" The overall design is really similar to the title Hogan was carrying at WM III, with a few minor modifications like the addition of the two flying eagles, etc.

Right next to it is the belt that some people refer to as the "Winged Eagle" and it's possibly the most enduring design in the history of the title. This design was adopted in either very late '87 or very early '88. Off the top of my head, I can't recall if it was being used when Hogan "lost" on Saturday Night's Main Event to Andre, which resulted in the title being declared vacant with the new champ being crowned after a tourney at WrestleMania IV. I do know that it was the title design that Randy Savage held after winning said tournament and it stayed active throughout most of the 1990s.

The first pic of the 2nd row is sometimes called the " Attitude Era" belt because that's when it was used. It was around until sometime in 2002, even when the WWE Championship was unified with the WCW Championship to create the WWE Undisputed Championship.

Speaking of the WWE Undisputed Championship, the belt design directly across from the "Attitude Era" belt is the design they used. It was only around for about 2.5 years or so and was referred to simply as the WWE Championship again once WWE created the World Heavyweight Championship using the "Big Gold Belt" design in late 2002.

The third pic in the top row is, of course, the hated Spinner Belt design that WWE used from about mid 2005 through February 2013.

 

[fred]

After reading a post from DietPepsiRocks in another thread (titled Randy Orton is the *NEW* WWE World Heavyweight Champion), I was about to respond with this set of statements/questions. I decided that maybe this topic deserved it's own thread, since I might not be the only person who is ignorant on this matter. This might not be exactly what DietPepsiRocks meant when the question was originally posed, but it got me thinking about the Title Belts.

Just to be clear, I'm not talking about one of a kind belts; ie: Stone Cold's "Smoking Skull" title, Jeff Hardy's purple abortion, Cena's US Title, etc. Let's focus solely on the "standard" WWE titles in this thread. I know some of you must know (and some might think they know) exactly how the belts are handled by the WWE, so please don't beat me up for not knowing the answer. I'm only asking because I'm truly curious, and thought this would be a good forum for others to learn at the same time.

I apologize if this has already been discussed ad nauseam, but I searched the forums and couldn't find a thread title that focused solely on the belt(s) in this fashion.



I'm not pretending to be "in the know", or anything like that...but I was under the impression that a brand new title is made for each winner. For instance, isn't it feasible that the WWE has maybe 3-5 or so "blank" or "backup" titles at any given time? Then after a champion loses the title (The Rock, for instance) they're allowed to take it home and put it on their wall? When a new champ comes along, a "blank" title is given a new name plate, and/or side plates (in the case of the current WWE Title) and given to the next champ? That does raise the question of what happens when a former Champ regains a title as well. Do they just get their belt "out of retirement" from their home, or is yet another title made for them? Or neither of those things happen, and there really is just one belt made for appearances (ie: Rocky, Cena, Orton & Bryan have all carried the exact same belt to and from the airport)? Questions, questions, questions.

Maybe the belt(s) just get a "facelift" here and there when necessary, and are only replaced completely once in a great while to keep them looking fresh. If that was the case - wouldn't we sort of be able to tell when/if the belt is replaced or repaired? It seems that a visible change would be noticeable on television, but it's also possible that the WWE doesn't think anyone would pay that much attention to such minute details (and they'd probably be correct). If one belt is passed from champion to champion, I'd have to imagine that the wrestler holding it would be too paranoid to ever have it out of their sight. The belts must get a professional polishing (at the very least) before they're brought to the ring as well, regardless of how many (or few) there have been.

One would have to presume there were quite a few "winged eagle" belts floating around back in the day. Otherwise, by the time Bret & Shawn were feuding for the belt it could have eroded (organically) into something that resembled the old Hardcore Title (for example, I can't imagine that The Ultimate Warrior kept the belt in showroom condition). Same goes for the AE belt, the Spinner, and any other title belts for that matter (IC Title, Tag Titles, etc). If there had been only one belt being passed around for that many years, the wear & tear would be obvious...wouldn't it? Maybe the belts are so well respected that they don't ever get such wear & tear. Such damage would probably merit a hefty punishment from the company, and I'd have to imagine that the WWE would lose all the faith they had in said wrestler (and they wouldn't be champion again, at least not for a long time).

In 2011 during "The Summer of Punk", we saw two Spinner belts on TV at the same time. Was the second belt only "created" for the sake of that story? Or was Cena's belt at that time just another "blank" (or "backup") Title taken out of packing peanuts to become the next "real" belt if necessary? It doesn't seem like such a silly question when you try to look at this from every possible angle, does it?

I mentioned the HC title already, and conversely that one never seemed to change. For argument's sake, it would be hard to have several "copies" of that particular belt. The HC belt might be the one that pokes the most holes in my theory of "each wrestler gets their own belt". I suppose it would've been hard to simulate the same amount of "damage" on each Hardcore Title "clone", had the wrestlers kept the "actual" belt each time they lost it (and a new one was given to the new champ). Then again, the WWE is a smart company - and I wouldn't think they'd take any chances with any of their belts. Maybe the HC belt really was one of a kind, but - now that I think about it - probably not. One would have to assume they'd have backups for every title, in case of any possible scenario. The WWE wouldn't want to be caught with their pants down, if any of their belts were lost/stolen/damaged (including the HC Title)...but you know what happens when you assume. It's hard to believe that Vince (or any promoter, for that matter) would put so much faith in one of their employees, given the poor reputation wrestlers used to have (and some still have). Such an expensive piece of property in the hands of any wrestler seems like a bit of a gamble to me. Then again, that could be the main reason a title win seems to mean so much to a first time champion.

I honestly don't know. I do know that I've seen photos of WWE Titles in the homes of former champs (ie: Rock, HHH, Cena, etc). Are those just replica belts that are given to them? ...or the actual title they walked out with on TV? Is the same thing done with the belts in other companies (WCW, NWA, TNA, RoH, ECW, etc)? Some of you may think I'm a complete idiot for not knowing the answer to this question, but I've made peace with my ignorance (for now). Does anyone know for sure? I'm actually quite interested now.

More questions to ponder for discussion's sake: if you were in charge, how would you handle this situation? Give each wrestler his or her own belt? Have only one belt pass from wrestler to wrestler? Only replace the belt if it's damaged/stolen/lost? What kind of punishment would you hand down to the wrestler that damages/loses the belt? Does the wrestler just grab a replica belt from one of the merch tables in an emergency situation if there aren't backups, or is that wrestler kept off TV until an "official" belt is made as a replacement? Is the belt insured by the company, or by the wrestler who carries it? So many questions...

Yes, they always keep few belts in back and more importantly because championship belt could be broken as well. I saw interview of championship belt makers and they call it job security that wwe has to keep ordering championship belts.