Throughout history, championship belts have been portrayed as the ultimate prize in professional wrestling. Like the holy grail of the squared circle - that combination of diamonds, gold, and silver emblazoned with the WWE logo can elevate a pro wrestler and how the audience views them.
For fans, the image of a title belt is almost magical. Perhaps that's why replicas of those same championships sell like hotcakes at the WWE Shop Zone. A beautiful-looking title belt adds to a performer's image. At the same time, being saddled with a belt that looks terrible can make any champion's reign seem forgettable. Over the years, WWE has had plenty of both.
12 Worst-Looking: The 'Penny' Tag Team Titles
Oddly Shaped Belt Designs Were Never Truly Accepted by Fans
These titles were often referred to as the 'penny belts' even though one of their designs was actually silver. This duo's championship looked more like it was designed by Fisher Price, as each version had a different color strap for the companies' two brands - Smackdown.
At the same time, they were the face of the division during a horrible downturn in of the promotion's storylines. And it seemed as if the division was being minimized and faded out. Combining the two belts didn't do much good, either: the unified version had a darker strap, but still the same 'penny-ante' design.
11 Best-Looking: The WWE Undisputed Championship
The 2001 Version of the Title Was Classically Designed
In 2001, RAW authority figure Ric Flair introduced a title belt that looked like it had been designed by a true artist. The championship - which is often associated with Brock Lesnar's first run with the promotion - eschewed anything gaudy. Rather, it was a simple (but elegant) black and gold design that was as excellent as the wrestler holding it.
This titanic trophy would stick around for less than a year, but its stylish look has made it a fan favorite of belt collectors to this day. Due to its astonishing appearance, several observers have even clamored for it to make a return over the years - but it hasn't been used on TV since 2002.
10 Worst-Looking: The WWE Divas Title
Butterflies Just Didn't Fit in the Wrestling World
Often referred to as 'The Butterfly Belt', the WWE Divas title was in existence from 2008-2016. The design of the championship reflected just how the company viewed women's wrestling at the time.
This powder puff of a prize was just silly, and the pink paint on it didn't help it fit very well in what is supposed to be a rough-and-tumble world like pro wrestling. But perhaps the biggest stigma the title carries most of all is that it was often defended in two-minute matches or bikini contests. Top talents were often pushed aside by bikini models whose lack of grappling skills made nearly every Divas' match a reason to take a quick bathroom break.
9 Best-Looking: Hulk Hogan's 1986 World Title
Shortly-Lived Belt is Still a Favorite Among Old School Fans
After holding a couple of different variations of the promotion's top title, Hulk Hogan received a beautiful belt that he defended for parts of 1986 and 1987. Adorned with flags from nations all over the globe, it truly represented a WORLD Championship like no other WWE title had before.
While it would quickly be replaced by most fans' favorite - 'The Winged Eagle' - it was another step toward the modernization of the product. It looked sharper, crisper, and more elegant than previous designs and is still a favorite among belt collectors today.
8 Worst-Looking: The 24/7 Title
A Silly Belt Based on a Silly Premise
The 24/7 division was supposed to be just for comedy purposes, so why wouldn't its title belt be a joke, also? The idea that WWE Superstars could square off anywhere and anytime was a unique idea that just got out of hand. Along the way, the trophy awarded for this pro wrestling scavenger hunt is one of the poorest designs we have ever seen.
Looking like a gold record and being accompanied by a gaudy green strap, it may have been the one belt that no wrestler really wanted to be seen with. Except, of course, for R Truth - who jumped headfirst into the levity and captured the belt a laughable 54 times before it was retired in late 2022.
7 Best-Looking: WWE Tag Team Championships (80s & 90s)
Slick Silver Belts Were Held by Many Legendary Duos
The most classic design of the promotion's Tag Team Titles was introduced in the mid-80s and was notably held by the best tag teams in WWE history like the British Bulldogs, the Hart Foundation, and the Legion of Doom. It represented an era of excellence in the tag division for several years.
While the belts were initially retired by the company after a long run, they were reborn (somewhat) when Triple H re-imagined the championship last year. A new version of title belts that strike a very close resemblance to these classics is now regularly defended on the Smackdown brand.
6 Worst-Looking: The Intercontinental Oval
The Late 90s Incarnation Pales in Comparison to Its Predecessor
As one of the most coveted secondary championships in wrestling history, the WWE Intercontinental Title has always been a symbol of excellence. Considered for years to be the stepping stone to the World Championship, many legends followed that same blueprint for success. Legends like Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels all made the jump from the IC division to the top of the mountain.
Unfortunately, when it was reworked in the late 1990s, the new design had a strange, oval-shaped centerpiece, complete with a purple strap. Quite frankly, it looked more suited for a Women's Title based on its shape and style. The 'Oval Intercontinental' is also associated with the downfall of the division, as many of the reigns during the early 2000s were virtually pointless.
5 Best-Looking: The Classic Intercontinental Title
The 1980s Version has Always Been the Best
The strikingly gorgeous, flared-out version of the WWE Intercontinental Championship debuted in the mid-80s, and it lasted for a generation. It was originally worn by stars like Randy Savage, Tito Santana, and Ricky Steamboat. The Honky Tonk Man had a legendary title reign, and it extended to later performers like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Mr. Perfect.
Since it was originally retired in the late 90s, it's made comebacks in a few different incarnations. Cody Rhodes debuted a variation of the championship with a white strap in the 2010s, and there's always a chance that this piece of art could be brought back to represent the promotion's secondary division.
4 Best-Looking: The NXT UK Championship
Classic Title Design Makes This One of WWE's Best Ever
While NXT UK may not have been around for a very long time, its existence from 2018 to 2022 highlighted the careers of some of Europe's top wrestling stars. Many of those grapplers have now made their way to the main roster - most notably current WWE World Champion Gunther.
The design of its championship displayed as much luster as the stars in the ring. Basing it off classic British designs, the championship almost looked regal, as if only royalty could hold it. After NXT UK became part of the main brand here in the US, the title was merged with the overall NXT Men's title.
3 Worst-Looking: The Cruiserweight Title (2016-2022)
A Failed Belt for a Failed Division
World Wrestling Entertainment has attempted multiple times to establish a division for its smaller stars. They seemed to have had the right formula in 2016 when they re-introduced the Cruiserweight Championship, and they had a bevy of talented, young stars waiting to challenge for it.
Unfortunately, the promotion gave about as much attention to the title design as it would to the cruiserweights as a whole. The new belt had a strange seven-sided centerpiece, with a purple strap. Once again, it looked almost feminine for a man's title belt, and its awkwardly shaped plates didn't help matters much. The championship became the exclusive property of NXT and was eventually phased out completely in 2022.
