The top 5 WWE championship title designs of all time

The championship belts in WWE have always meant a lot to the fans watching at home and of course the wrestlers. In fact, it was Steve Austin himself who once said that if you weren’t in the business to win one of these, he didn’t know why you were in the business at all. Today, we look at the top 5 WWE championship title designs of all time.

And as stated above, they mean a lot to the fans. Just look into the crowd the next time you catch WWE on TV…look at how many people have a replica belt on their shoulders to see just how special they are to one and all.

All the championship title belts have been different of course, and sometimes from one champion to the next they’ve changed significantly, but in essence where they’re all similar is in what they represent, which is the top of the business…the main man that is essentially charged with leading the team onward and forwards at a particular time.

Some men have done that better than others and some belts have looked better than others, but here, we’ll look at the absolute best designs that most anybody will remember and cherish forever.

5. Daniel Bryan’s (Bryan Danielson) Eco-Friendly Championship

It’s all in the header of this entry really. And anyone who knows AEW‘s Bryan Danielson knows he’s very eco-friendly himself…vegan and always thinking about the environment. I mean have you ever seen his garden? Check it out on YouTube if you get the chance. He works on it himself.

So of course in his more recent run with the championship, he was going to leave his mark on the title, and what a mark it turned out to be.

It was made entirely of eco-friendly materials. According to a piece at bbc.com, the belt was fabricated from organic hemp and interestingly enough, it was whittled from a naturally fallen oak tree.

4. Winged Eagle Title – Contested between 1988-1998

Now if you look at those years, then you know the likes of wrestlers that vied for that particular design championship.

Names like Hulk Hogan, Yokozuna, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin…and the list most certainly goes on from there.

Now if you don’t think this title belongs on this list, then I don’t know what to tell you, dear readers.

3. The Original Title – 1963

Nothing can be born without that which came before it. So the first-ever title for the New York territory should definitely have a place on this list. Besides, it was actually pretty stylish and was created well. For an image of the original belt, see here.

WWE was founded in 1953 but back then was known as Capitol Wrestling Corporation. For ten years, wrestlers within the corporation vied and fought for an NWA title as they were of course a territory within the confines of the NWA.

But it would be in 1963 that McMahon Senior (Vince’s father) and partner Toots Mondt, would move away from the NWA and form the WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation)…thus the need for their own championship.

For the record, the NWA would still oversee territory designations for WWE but that too would change down the line, but that’s a story for another time.

This original WWWF title was a tad simple, but sometimes simplicity is the best. Besides, it was the start of what we enjoy today and have enjoyed since.

2. Spinner Title

As of this writing, John Cena is set to celebrate 20 years in WWE on Raw. It was 20 years ago that he walked in and slapped Kurt Angle or thereabouts, thus beginning quite the adventure. And boy what an adventure it has been. I’m sure he would tell you.

The spinner title upset a lot of traditionalists in the WWE…at the time, especially Jim Ross, who went on record to say that he hated it. The spinner design of the course was drenched in Cena’s then gimmick as a rapper. He actually recorded an album and a good one at that. I still listen to it and no, it’s not a guilty pleasure. It’s good, darn good.

But really, when looked at today, it spoke of an era…an era in which one man came from literal obscurity and made not only a name for himself but in the process helped catapult the company even further than where Steve Austin left off.

So it definitely belongs on this list, as does the gentleman who made it famous belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Professional wrestling.

1. Smoking Skull Title

And speaking of Steve Austin…It was Steve Austin that last wore the Winged Eagle Title and he, or rather the Austin Era dawned the smoking skull design. Now just as with Cena just above, these designs spoke volumes in terms of how instrumental the gentleman who wore the title was in where the direction of the design would be going.

That doesn’t really happen all that much anymore. Perhaps the last time that happened really was with Danielson just above.

But like with Cena above, Austin is a Mount Rushmore of Professional Wrestling figure in the world of pro wrestling, and a belt that reflects not only him but his persona and overall career is not only a great thing but apropos.

He, again, like Cena carried the company on his shoulders and catapulted the WWE to new heights it had never before reached. So to have a belt to commemorate such a champion is special indeed. They’re all special.