While an old phrase is “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” that doesn’t work for wrestling championship belts. While some fans may prefer these titles to stay the same as their classic versions, sometimes a new take on a title can work just fine. It’s hard to find the right balance between good design and something bold, and some companies like it WWE can go a little far. Still, history shows that a new belt design can work well and make a title look better than ever.
However, the number of designs that have never been seen on television is remarkable. Some were just on the drawing board, never put into production but offer some intrigue. However, a bigger problem is the belts that were designed and built but never made it to television. Some were close but never created, from “vanity” belts to legitimate championships. Fans have likely never seen these ten championships, but it might have been nice to finally see them on screen.
10 WWE Cruiserweight Tag Team Titles
It seems surprising that with so many titles, WWE has never used a pair created years ago. It seems that somewhere in the vault there is a cruiserweight tag team title that was supposedly being prepared for 205 Live.
They are quite unique, not far removed from the cruiserweight title in the bold design and blue/purple color with silver plates. However, these belts never made it to the schedule.
9 Internet Fighting Championship
By now, many know the sad story of Zack Ryder, who seemed poised to take off into true stardom in 2011. His YouTube show was a hit with viewers, and Ryder joined him in creating his own “Championship Wrestling”. free on the Internet. That included a replica of the WWE title with a stylized logo featuring Ryder’s head.
Some forget that Matt Cardona created a second version of the title, this one with a bald head when trying a tougher attitude. He had it on a few house shows but never wore it in WWE, yet it is another showcase of Ryder’s sadly unsuccessful bid for stardom.
8 The Rock’s Brahma Bull Belt
Despite rumors and even photos, this never made it to TV, which is a shame as it was such a great design. After winning the WWE title in late 1998, The Rock seemed perfect to have his own custom-made title, much like Steve Austin had the “smoking skull” belt design.
This was a huge golden head of a blaring bull with red eyes, just what the Rock needed.
It was built and even shown off by Stephanie McMahon on a WWE warehouse show, but never made it to television. It’s surprising they didn’t try it later, as The Rock with his own bull-themed belt would have been great.
7 the boldest eagle
One of the most beloved WWE championship belt designs is the classic “Winged Eagle” version. So when they wanted to renew the titles in 2015, WWE planned to bring the eagle to life in a new way.
This drawing shows the golden eagle flying with its talons clutching the WWE logo and looking ready to attack someone. It’s a bold design that could have looked great with gold and diamonds, but never made it off the drawing board. It might have been a better fit for the company than the huge WWE logo, but this Eagle never really got off the ground.
6 Large golden “Vegas” belt
In 1991, fans were stunned when Ric Flair left WCW and headed to WWE. Thanks to a complex situation, Flair seemed to “own” the classic Big Gold Belt and Bobby Heenan showed it off. When WCW threatened a lawsuit, WWE stepped up to create a close replica of the belt in Las Vegas with enough subtle differences to show it off without replicating it.
However, as the lawsuit became more complicated, the whole thing was dropped and Flair went on to win the WWE title. However, Nature Boy came close to adding another unique belt to his collection.
5 Edge’s R-rated Championship
It should come as no surprise that after John Cena’s “spinning” WWE title belt, WWE kept up the idea of changing the title of multiple champions. That included Edge, as when he won the belt in 2006, they suggested he trade it for his own reign. That would mean putting your stylized “R” in the middle of the spinning wheel.
But WWE planned to go one step further with an all-new belt that would have been red and white with a bolder “R” in the center and a little more like the old Intercontinental Title. It never made it to the build stages, but it’s still fun to imagine her R-rated superstar getting her own stylized belt.
4 Revamped WCW titles
Despite the obvious problems, WCW still thought they were going to continue when 2001 began. They were making preparations for a major company revamp in the spring with a pay-per-view called the big bang.
That would entail a revamp of all the title belts, making them bolder and dominated by the new WCW logo. In a way, they were ahead of their time given that it’s not unlike WWE today using the logo on huge plaques in their titles. Of course, the company went under before they could be used, but they showed that WCW hoped to continue into the 21st century in a new guise.
3 King of the Ring Title
This wasn’t actually approved by WWE, but it’s still fun. Most will cite Mabel as the worst King of the Ring winner, leading to a terrible push back in 1995. However, the guy came up with the idea of having his own custom-made King of the Ring belt.
It was actually pretty cool, with the bold PPV logo on the front and the castle design as a fun touch. Reggie Parks pulled it off and while it was never shown on TV because it wasn’t official, it’s probably the best part of Mabel’s entire “reign” and it’s a bit surprising that WWE never really tested it.
two Andre’s Giant Belt
wrestling 3 He will always be remembered for the Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant matchup. WWE really sold the idea that Andre could beat Hogan, which included Bobby Heenan bragging that the regular WWE title wouldn’t fit the great Andre.
Heenan then showed off a championship belt custom made to fit Andre’s waist, the same design as the WWE title, only three times as large. It was only shown on TV a couple of times before Hogan won the match. They never used it for Andre’s 45-second title reign in 1988, so it was a bit of an embarrassment.
1 Hulk Hogan Photography Championship
Hulk Hogan is known for having a bit of an ego, but this was taking him a bit too far. In 1989, after Hogan claimed the WWE title, WWE wanted to play on Hogan’s fame by giving him a new version of the WWE title. It would be much like the old belt with one difference: a plate with Hogan’s picture in the center.
A dog tag is one thing, but a picture of the guy in the center of the title is another thing. WWE likely realized the headaches of having to trade a new photo with each champion so that it was never used beyond a couple of house shows, as this would have added to Hogan’s unique legacy as champion.