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A Belt of Prestige

  • [아시아뉴스통신] Ian Maclang 기자
  • 송고시간 2018-11-02 17:15
  • 뉴스홈 > 국제
Photo by: PATRIOT_RS.174 / Flickr
 

One look at this belt and it will attract people to get their money's worth as they seek to buy replicas of this famous championship jewelry.


The WWE Championship Belt.


Over the years, the belt has also transformed into a fashion statement as championship belt replicas begin to appear, attracting WWE fans to get a piece of this jewelry. 


Once in possession, the wearer becomes the center of attention and envy since it can invoke a championship feeling.


The belt has a long history of prestige and tradition that WWE fans could not ignore and it is a factor that leads them to invest even on a replica of a piece of wrestling history.



Forging the Belt


The Championship belt's early design featured a circle featuring two grapplers. The circle is the place where the title holder's picture will be placed. Above it is a shield with stars on opposite sides and an eagle on top. The caption "World's Champion" is located below the circle. Buddy Rogers and Bruno Sammartino would sport this belt design. 


During Sammartino's second championship, a new version of the belt was used. The features include a blue strap, a centerpiece that featured a crowned globe and two grapplers, and the words "WWWF World Champion." Two side plates, representing Sammartino's championship titles, were added. Sammartino would sport this version of the belt during his seven-year dominance.


When Pedro Morales became champion, the belt underwent several changes. In 1971, the belt featured an indigo colored strap and a trio of shield-shaped plates. Its center plate has the words "World Heavyweight Champion" and a cross at its center, and below it is a separate plate containing the letters "WWWF."


The 1972 Morales belt featured a centerpiece with an eagle at the center and the words "WWWF Heavyweight Wrestling Champion" around the edges. Six side plates, representing several countries, were also featured. Red was the color of this belt's strap.


1973 saw the introduction of another yet similar design. Sporting a black strap, the design featured two grapplers above the eagle. Sammartino, Stan Stasiak, Superstar Billy Graham, and Bob Backlund would wear this version. It was during Backlund's reign that the organization was shortened to World Wrestling Federation (WWF).


In 1982, the famous "Big Green Belt" became the organization's belt. Ten side plates were featured to represent the previous champions, while the center plate has a wrestler hoisting up the championship belt with a globe behind him. Backlund, The Iron Sheik, and Hulk Hogan would wear this design around their waists.


The said design would give way to the Hogan Belts of '84 and '85. They were called as such since Hogan was the only wrestler to wear it. The Hogan Belts' designs were similar to the NWA Television Championship's design, and they are composed of silver plates on a black strap, a center plate with the letters "WWF" at the top an eagle with two banners below it reading "World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion."


The Hogan '86 belt would feature a globe in the center with Roman columns and olive branches, the words "World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion," the popular WWF block logo at the top, and four side plates with two flags, representing countries, per plate.


1988 saw the birth of the "Winged Eagle" championship, which became the organization's primary design as many wrestlers sport this version for the next decade. It was recognized as the most popular design.


A decade later, the belt evolved as the "Big Eagle," which Stone Cold Steve Austin (The Texas Rattlesnake) made famous during the company's "Attitude Era." The design's center plate became fully rounded, while its side plates were updated.


When Chris Jericho became the company's inaugural Undisputed Champion, the "Big Eagle" was used alongside WCW's "Big Gold Belt." But when Triple H beat Jericho, the Undisputed Championship belt made its debut on the April 1, 2002, episode of Monday Night Raw. The Undisputed belt features a name plate and an eagle atop the globe, a design that was sported by its predecessors.


The belt became the WWE Championship in September 2002, following Brock Lesnar's announcement of being an exclusive member of the SmackDown! roster.


The Big Gold Belt, meanwhile, resurfaced as Raw's World Heavyweight Championship at that time. 



Taking it for a Personal Spin


During his championship reign in the "Attitude Era," Stone Cold modified the belt to make it an extension of his persona via the "Smoking Skull" belt. Globes, eagles, and logos would make way for snakes, smokes, and skulls, a perfect fit for one of the company's most celebrated anti-heroes.


Years later, John Cena followed suit with the introduction of the "Spinner Belt" after clinching the championship at Wrestlemania 21. Although it was meant for Cena, the "Spinner Belt" became the company's primary design from April 11, 2005, until February 18, 2013. The company's logo, situated between an eagle on top and the word "Champ" and a name plate below, could be spun in the same manner as turntables.


Yet, when Edge beat Cena at SummerSlam 2006, he followed his predecessor through his "Rated-R" belt. The only difference is that the company logo was replaced by Edge's insignia.



Back to Basics


On the Raw's February 18, 2013 episode, The Rock, who defeated CM Punk to clinch his eight Championship, introduced a new WWE Championship belt. The Orange County Choppers contributed to the belt's new design, which featured a large cutout of the scratch WWE logo (coated with diamonds) inside a large irregular heptagonal plate, and the word "Champion," which was situated below the logo. A divider bar and a large plate were present on each side, while default side plates feature a red globe with the company logo underneath a crown. 


The only modification is that the side plates can be replaced with the incumbent champion's emblem. Just like its "Big Eagle" predecessor, it was used along with the "Big Gold Belt" to represent the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, following Randy Orton's victory on December 15, 2013, that led to its unification.




A New Tradition


Since fall of 2014, WWE has made a tradition of sending customized Championship belts, which featured the team's logo on the side plates, to various teams who have clinched their respective championships. The company can also present the same token to notable people for their success in their professions.


NFL's San Francisco Giants (2014), MLB's Kansas City Royals (2015), NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers (2016), NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins (2016), FIFA's US Women's National Soccer Team (2015), Serena Williams (2017), and London police officer Charlie Guenigault (2017) are some of the recipients of this token.