 The WWE Championship belt, an example of a championship belt in professional wrestling. In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition of a wrestler being the best in his or her promotion, or for lesser championships (such as the WWE Cruiserweight Championship), his or her division. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 379 pixelsFull resolution (1039 × 492 pixel, file size: 191 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 379 pixelsFull resolution (1039 × 492 pixel, file size: 191 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ...
For the video game, see Pro Wrestling (video game). ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Cruiserweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ...
A wrestler can earn a championship by defeating the current champion in a match (by far the most common) or in other ways determined by the promotion, such as winning a tournament for a vacant championship. Most championships are represented by a championship belt, which the wrestler wears around his or her waist or carries over the shoulder (or just carry around by hand). A Championship Belt is used primarily in combat sports such as boxing, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling to signify the champions of the promotion or company, much like the Vince Lombardi Trophy or The Stanley Cup. ...
How champions are determined
Championships are usually won/held by a wrestler whom the promotion's bookers believe will generate fan interest in terms of event attendance and TV viewership. Usually, these are wrestlers who generate large fan interest and crowd reactions over a sustained period of time, whether as a face or a heel. A booker, as the term is used in professional wrestling, is a person who puts matches together and determines basics about their content, such as relative overall length, who the eventual victor will be, and many of the moves which will be made during the match; in other words, the...
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In professional wrestling, the term over means making a wrestler look good. ...
In professional wrestling, a face or babyface is a character who is portrayed as heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analagous to villains. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The wrestler can create this crowd reaction either through in-ring skill or from mic skills while cutting promos. Generally, the wrestlers who draw the greatest fan response will be rewarded with a storyline in which he or she competes with the current champion for the title, and eventually the championship itself. In professional wrestling, a promo is short for promotional interview, a dialogue or monologue used to advance a storyline. ...
In professional wrestling, an angle is a fictional storyline. ...
Belt styles Professional wrestling's championship belts are modeled after the championship belts in boxing. They are made of elaborately designed gold plates, usually bearing the name of the title and the wrestling promotion, on a leather strap. The color and designs vary with each title and promotion. For other senses of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer (disambiguation). ...
Since 2002, all major WWE titles, with the exception of the ECW World Championship, have included a nameplate with the current titleholder on the bottom of the main faceplate. This is in the style of the NWA Championship of the 1980s (nicknamed the "Big Gold Belt"), which included a nameplate. When the WWE and WCW titles were merged into the WWE Undisputed Championship, the new belt included a nameplate (for a time re-named World Wrestling Championship, in anticipation to the name change from WWF to WWE), which has since been added to the design of new WWE championship belts. Also see: 2002 (number). ...
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ...
The Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) World Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ...
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship is the primary professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance. ...
The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ...
This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or of a poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ...
This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ...
The WWE Undisputed Championship title belt (2002) The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Undisputed Championship was a professional wrestling championship. ...
Types of championships Professional wrestling championships are often split up into various different classifications, each of which designate varying levels of importance to the belts.
Regional championships The most common types of championships are regional championships. Most national promotions will hold claim to a World Heavyweight Championship or something of the same global status, which always holds the premier position within the promotion. These promotions will also sometimes have other titles of national or international importance as secondary championships. The World Heavyweight Championship is the name given to a number of unrelated titles, meant to emphasize the top championship of boxing, professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, or other similar sports and performance arts. ...
Examples of World Heavyweight titles include:
Examples of National and International titles include: The International Wrestling Grand Prix (IWGP) World Heavyweight Championship is the top professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling. ...
The AJPW Triple Crown World Heavyweight Championship (ä¸‰å† ãƒ˜ãƒ“ãƒ¼ç´šçŽ‹åº§, Sankan HÄ“bikyÅ« ÅŒza) is the top singles title in All Japan Pro Wrestling. ...
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship is the primary professional wrestling title in the National Wrestling Alliance. ...
The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ...
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ...
The Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) World Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ...
The World Championship Wrestling (WCW) World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world championship in World Championship Wrestling. ...
The Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) World Heavyweight Championship is the primary professional wrestling championship in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). ...
Smaller promotions often opt not to claim a world title due to their scope being limited to a specific area. In these promotions, a national title, state title, or even more sectioned regional title will be considered the top prize in the promotion. The NWA North American Heavyweight Championship is a secondary title in the National Wrestling Alliance that was created in 1994 after World Championship Wrestling withdrew from the NWA. From 1998 through 2000, the title was the major championship in Music City Wrestling. ...
The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship. ...
The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. ...
The WWE European Championship belt The WWE European Championship is an inactive title competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment. ...
NWA National Heavyweight Championship. ...
The WCW International World Heavyweight Championship was a championship that took the place of the original NWA World Heavyweight Championship when World Championship Wrestling withdrew from the National Wrestling Alliance in 1993. ...
Examples of State and Regional titles include:
Regional designations are also used to apply to other types of titles. The ECW Maryland Championship was a short-lived title in ECW when they were known as Eastern Championship Wrestling. ...
The ECW Pennsylvania Championship was a short-lived title in ECW when it was called Eastern Championship Wrestling]]. It existed in 1993. ...
The NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship is a title that has existed since the 1930s and has had several different names. ...
The NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and defended in its member promotion Pacific Northwest Wrestling, which promoted shows in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. ...
The NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship sanctioned by the National Wrestling Alliance and is defended in the U.S. state of Hawaii. ...
Weight class championships Another common classification of championships are by weight classes. Typically promotions prefer to have a heavyweight title as their top prize, with other designators such as cruiser weight, middleweight, or light-heavyweight titles. Despite having different weight limits from their boxing counterparts, these titles are considered to be equal standing with their boxing classes. Promotions often utilize one sub-heavyweight classification, while others sometimes may have more. In the rise of British wrestling, Mountevans' committee (a governing body that instilled rules from professional wrestling) created seven formal weight divisions: This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Professional wrestling performed within the boundaries of the United Kingdom spans over 100 years but became popular when the television show World of Sport was launched featuring wrestling in the mid-1960s, making household names of the likes of Mick McManus, Count Bartelli (the dominant wrestler in Britain during the...
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- Lightweight (154 pound limit)
- Welterweight (165)
- Middleweight (176)
- Heavy middleweight (187)
- Light heavyweight (198)
- Mid-heavyweight (209)
- Heavyweight
Calling for champions to be crowned at each weight.
Examples of other Weight Class championships include:
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1997-2001). ...
NWA WORLD LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE HISTORY 1. ...
NATIONAL WRESTLING ALLIANCE WORLD WELTERWEIGHT TITLE El Santo 46/03/15 Mexico City Defeats Pete Pancof. ...
The NWA World Middleweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. ...
The NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship was a secondary title in the National Wrestling Alliance that was for the lighter wrestlers. ...
Gender championships Gender occasionally plays a role in the classifications of championship belts. For gender-specific titles, the classification "Men's" or "Women's" is often included at the beginning of the championship's name. Due to professional wrestling generally being a sport dominated by men, only women's titles are given official gender classifications. In promotions featuring only a single gender (such as Women of Wrestling or SHIMMER), gender classifications are often thrown out the window as well. Women of Wrestling, aka WOW, is a defunct pro wrestling promotion founded in 2000 by David McLane, previously the founder of Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling and Powerful Women of Wrestling. ...
Shimmer was a charter member of the group Fearsome Five. ...
Entertainer and comedian Andy Kaufman once parlayed gender classifications to his advantage, turning inter-gender competitions into a unique wrestling side-show. Kaufman declared himself the "Inter-Gender Champion of the World", and offered $1,000 to any woman who could pin him. None were successful during the run of the gimmick, though in other promotions such as WCW and WWE, women have successfully pinned men, most notably in a few isolated championship matches. Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman (January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer, actor, and performance artist. ...
WCW logo until 1999 World Championship Wrestling or WCW, was a professional wrestling promotion that existed from 1988 to 2001. ...
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ...
Examples of gender championships include:
The NWA Womens Championship is the National Wrestling Alliances womens singles professional wrestling title. ...
The WCW Womens Championship was a short-lived title for the womens division in World Championship Wrestling. ...
The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Womens Championship is a professional wrestling championship. ...
The WWF Womens Tag Team Championship was a short-lived title in the World Wrestling Federation. ...
Gimmick/style championships Gimmick match classifications sometime come into prominence in the creation of title belts. In these classifications, special skill in a certain type of match or a certain style of wrestling is the signature of the division, and the champion is considered to be the most skilled wrestler at that specific style. In professional wrestling, a gimmick is a wrestlers personality, behavior, attire and/or other distinguishing traits while performing. ...
Gimmick championships often take very differing forms. A common variation is the Hardcore Championship, which throws rules out the window in favor of a weapons-filled and often-bloody competition. Another common variation is the Television Championship, which involves more frequent title defenses as well as the stipulations that the belt can only change hands on television within a 15-minute time limit.
Style championships also take very different forms. A Pure wrestling Championship focuses on mat-based and technical wrestling, while the X Division title in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotes a faster-paced, high-flying style. The cruiser weight title is often considered to be a style championship due to the X Division like pace and style of its competitors. The Pure Championship is a title contested for in the North Americian independent professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
Examples of Gimmick and Style championships include:
World Wrestling Entertainments Hardcore Championship was a championship defended under hardcore rules: No Disqualifications, meaning all weapons and interference are legal. ...
The World Championship Wrestling [WCW] World Television Championship is one of the unusual belts in the history of wrestling. ...
The ECW World Television Championship belt The ECW World Television Championship was the secondary title in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1992 until it folded in 2001. ...
The Pure Championship is a title contested for in the North Americian independent professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. ...
The TNA X Division Championship belt (2007—) The Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship contested for by wrestlers in TNAs X Division. ...
The NWA World Television Championship was a National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned mid-card level title defended in Jim Crockett Promotions. ...
Tag team championships Tag Team championships are yet another different form of wrestling title. Some consider it to be a style championship, but tag team championships are unique in their ability to include multiple wrestlers on teams competing for multiple belts. The most common form of tag team championships are in 2-on-2 format, which is often implicitly understood. Other tag team championships include 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 formats, which are often explicitly stated within the championship name to distinguish them from the 2-on-2 championships.
Examples of Tag Team Championships include:
Tag Team Championships are also often combined with regional modifiers, gimmick modifiers, and weight class modifiers to further distinguish them. In such cases, the world championships are often given higher priority, while the other championships are seen as secondary tag team titles. The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Tag Team Championship is the premier tag team title in the NWA. There have been several versions of this title, but the title recognized by the NWA is the version that was recently defended primarily in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). ...
This article is about the tag team championship that is currently defended on the RAW brand of WWE. For SmackDown!s tag team championship, see WWE Tag Team Championship. ...
This article is about the tag team championship that is currently defended on the SmackDown! brand of WWE. For the original WWE Tag Team Championship that is currently defended on the RAW brand, see World Tag Team Championship (WWE). ...
The Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling championship in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). ...
Examples of Modified Tag Team Championships include:
// Information The title histories presented here show all five versions of the NWA North American Tag-Team Championship. ...
The WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship was a short-lived title created in 2001 just prior to World Championship Wrestling being sold to the World Wrestling Federation. ...
The NWA National Tag Team Championship was a tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance from 1980 until 1986. ...
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