The 20 Best Looking Wrestling Championship Belts of All Time

TNA’s X Division Championship has gone through a number of changes since being introduced to the upstart wrestling brand back in 2002. The one that sticks out the most as the finest to us is the second iteration that saw its grand debut back in 2007. This version of the belt was increased in size over its predecessor, which made it look so much grander. The red color accents on the TNA and X portions of this title belt match up perfectly with the remainder of its gold coloring. TNA/Impact Wrestling has a history of crafting gorgeous championship belts and this is certainly one of the best examples of that.

Props to Billy Corgan and the rest of the backstage personnel that revived the National Wrestling Alliance. Thanks to the return of the old-school wrestling brand that once dominated the business, fans have been treated to the return of some of the finest title belts in wrestling history. One of those belts is the current version of the NWA World Television Championship. Back in the day, it elicited reactions of shock and awe while it was adorned in a red strap. And in its current state, it still maintains a high sense of beauty thanks to its black strap. This bad boy is certainly easy on the eyes and will hopefully hang around as the only title belt rendition for years to come.

The World Class Wrestling Association promotion was the talk of the wrestling world during its 80s heyday. Territory stars such as the Von Erich brothers, the Fabulous Freebirds, and “Gentleman” Chris Adams put the company on the map and kept it hot right up until its unfortunate end. WCCW’s top prize was the WCWA World Heavyweight Championship, which actually got its start back in 1966. The version of this belt that holds a special place in our hearts is the one that existed during the mid to late 80s. The middle emblem immediately captures your attention thanks to the big globe and magnificent lettering placed around it. Thankfully, the side plates manage to match the awe-inspiring scale of everything else this championship entails.

Has there ever been a better pair of tag team titles in WWE history? We think not. While the SmackDown exclusive belts that were introduced back in 2002 come close, WWE’s classic World Tag Team Championship still takes the cake as the best-looking renditions to date. There’s just something about that eagle towering over that massive center plate that makes this pair of belts exude excellence. When Edge & Christian, The Dudley Boyz, and The Hardy Boyz were running around with these belts, all three teams looked legit with them around their waists.

During its historic run, the American Wrestling Association housed a huge array of 80s legends and stars in the making. Names like Verne Gange, Mad Dog Vachon, Nick Bockwinkel, and Stan Hansen all reigned supreme during their championship reigns within the company. And they looked so amazing doing it while adorned in this grandiose championship belt. There are three versions of the AWA World Heavyweight Championship, but the one we love the most has to the last one. Its elegant design gets the job done simply by looking as shiny and gaudy as possible.

When Stephanie McMahon unveiled this beauty back in 2003 on SmackDown, our jaws dropped for two reasons - the shock of an old WCW championship staple making its return and the overall look of the belt itself were the reasoning for wild reaction. The original design of the WWE United States Championship is just so incredible and we miss it dearly - the center plate’s American flag graphic and the side plates inclusion of the Statue of Liberty presented this belt as the ultimate representation of the good ol’ US of A.

Wrestling fans know that Bret Hart can be one of the harshest critics out there. If he ends up liking something, then you just know it has to be worth a damn. When the “Hitman” hit the ring to unveil the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing 2019, everyone instantly realized that it got the stamp of approval from the Canadian GOAT himself. And if you ask us, that approval is well warranted. The way that the AEW World Championship splits up into three plates is unique in this day and age of wrestling and makes it stand tall in a class of its own.

There’s just something about a wrestling championship belt that has a globe on it that amazes us every time we see it. Shout out to Triple H for gifting the NXT faithful with this gorgeous midcard prize back in 2018. As soon as we saw it, we just knew that it’d look great on whoever was lucky enough to earn it. And so far, we’ve been proven right. Guys like Adam Cole, Damian Priest, and Keith Lee have looked so magnificent while this red-strapped beauty was strapped around their waists. The NXT North American Championship earns a place on this list thanks to its crisp design that makes it look like both a classic era and modern-day worthy title belt.

The Intercontinental Championship was once referred to as the “worker’s belt” during its hottest period. You just knew that whoever got their hands on that belt was seen as not only a top-tier in-ring competitor, but they were also recognized as a future world champion in the making. While there were a few IC titleholders that didn’t amount to much and weren’t all that amazing in the ring, the track record of this belt still stands strong. The classic version of this championship will stay in our memories forever due to its iconic design, the many-colored straps that it received over time, and the numerous Hall of Famers that held it. Whenever we think of “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Mr. Perfect, and “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, this glorious title belt also comes to mind.

The “10 Pounds of Gold” that the wrestling world instantly recognizes whenever it appears on screen has been around forever. You might be shocked to hear this, but the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship has maintained its original layout since 1948. A who’s who of wrestling legends have earned their legendary status due to being affiliated with the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. And that’s exactly why that same belt solidifies whoever’s got their hands on it today. This belt may be small in stature, but its magnificent design makes it feel enormous. “Sweet Charlotte” looks great in black and red, which means it’s capable of maintaining its gorgeous status in any color.

Once Total Nonstop Action ended its partnership with the NWA, it finally went ahead and introduced its own World Heavyweight Championship belt. We have a lot of love for the initial design (hated the “Immortal” version, though), but that second version just hits different. This version of the TNA World Heavyweight Championship is massive and definitely deserves a ton of love for looking as grand as it is. Bobby Roode looked like wrestling royalty when he held this version of the belt and Moose really stood out as nobody to mess with when he walked around with the white strap version. This belt is definitely worth its weight in gold.

Ring of Honor rose up to fill a major void in wrestling fans’ lives in 2002 and has been going strong ever since. Their top championship belt has gone through plenty of dope iterations, but the one that gets top honors here is the second one. The original rendition was cool since it was an obvious nod to the Universal Wrestling Federation Championship, but this version of the belt stepped things up big time thanks to the addition of a wide-winged eagle and a nice array of flags on its side plates. You could tell that ROH was hitting another plateau when it brought this beautiful new World Championship into the fray.

The WWE US Championship is certainly a hit with us, for sure. But we also have a special place in our heart for the old school NWA United States Heavyweight Championship. Whoever concocted this sweet piece of hardware made sure to honor the red, white, and blue of the USA in the finest ways possible. The red coloring makes the lettering look incredibly bold, the blue coloring perfectly props up the side plates, and the white coloring looks great on certain sections of the flags placed on those same plates. Add in the massive gold center plate and you have yourself a title belt that embodies the strength of an all-American wrestling hero.

We gotta keep it a stack with you guys - the NXT Championship renditions for the male/female divisions that came before these editions weren’t much of a hit with us. But once these versions of the black and yellow brand’s recognized title belts debuted in 2017, they quickly became our latest favorites. The placement of the X in the middle goes extra hard and makes the center plate incredibly remarkable. Both the men’s and women’s versions of this belt are similar in design, yet they offer signature color changes for the NXT lettering that makes them super distinguishable. We say all that to say this - we love the all-gold lettering on the men’s version and the silver lettering on the women’s version equally.

We’ll always refer to this belt as the “Brock Lesnar Belt.” When he was running roughshod over everyone on SmackDown back in the day, Brock looked like the ultimate world-destroyer while he bounced on the ring apron with this title belt on. The WWE Undisputed Championship is goated because of its curved center plate and its incorporation of the unmistakable globe that popularized the belt that came before it. We’ll always look back fondly on the title reigns of Brock, Eddie Guerrerro, and John “Bradshaw” Layfield because of this classic WWE Championship design.

More wrestling fans need to pay close attention to NXT UK. It’s an hour-long show that’s all about pure in-ring excellence with a specific focus on the United Kingdom’s best and brightest. And whenever that brand’s top male and female champions hit the stage to stake their claim as the best, you’ll quickly realize that sentiment rings true when you spot the hardware around their waists. The men’s and women’s versions of the NXT UK Championship belts are perfectly sized and may just be the best-looking belts in WWE at the moment. The roaring lions on the center plate push both belts to a level of high superiority, plus the women’s version earns extra points for its striking white strap. It’s always so inspiring to see someone as huge as WATLER hold the NXT UK Championship over his massive shoulder.

New Japan Pro Wrestling has done a great job of making its championship prizes sound super important due to the “International Wrestling Grand Prix” tagline associated with them. Since its inception in 1987, NJPW’s top heavyweight title has adopted some awesome designs. But the one that will always be #1 in our eyes is the fourth version that reigned from 2008 ‘till 2021. Gold and silver work seamlessly together - that simple color amalgamation is super easy on the eyes as far as this championship belt is concerned. The IWGP letters in the middle reflect the triumphant feel of the undisputed top prize in all of Japanese (“Puroresu”) wrestling.

Hulk Hogan. Randy Savage. The Ultimate Warrior. Bret Hart. Shawn Michaels. Those names and so many more all held this version of the WWE Championship at one or multiple points in their storied careers. It says a lot about this championship’s level of importance when you realize it managed to stick around during two classic eras (the Golden and New Generation Eras). The Winged Eagle WWE Championship had an amazing run while it was still active and we’ll always do our best to keep its memory alive by mentioning it on this list.

If you lived through the Attitude Era, then this title belt will always hit you right in the nostalgia feels every time you see it. WWE loves its eagles with a crazy wide wingspan, which is probably why they brought those signature elements into play for this Attitude Era staple. Anyone that’s won this belt looked Herculean while holding it - “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, and Triple H will always stick out in our mind as the most recognizable stars that wore it proudly. The Global rendition of the WWE Championship is the perfect embodiment of the hottest period in WWE and all of wrestling history.

When you think of the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, the image of him coming down the ramp in one of his flyest robes immediately enters your memory banks. And once he opened that expensive robe of his, the Big Gold belt that caught everyone’s attention could be seen. This version of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship defines several high points in the wrestling business as it cemented the greatness of stars such as Flair, Sting, Rick Rude, Goldberg, etc. Even when it got spray painted with those infamous nWo initials, the Big Gold belt still managed to look amazing. And once it made its grand return to WWE, guys like Triple H, Batista, and Edge exuded the top star spirit of their predecessors with this belt in tow.