10 Most Prestigious Wrestling Titles Of All Time

1. WWWF/WWFWWE Heavyweight Title

WWE title
WWE

This, the most prestigious of all, is the sole title to emerge with its bulletproof reputation intact throughout the three banners of the former Titan Sports.

Forget that Vince McMahon held it. Forget that it has frequently been used experimentally to artificially embellish the aura of John Bradshaw Layfield and Sheamus. Forget that it was traded much too frequently at the mercy of TV ratings during the Attitude Era.

The title has drawn the most money of any, being the star-making epicentre of WrestleMania. A raft of megastars who have both sustained and exploded the industry did so in large part as a result of their association with what sadly no longer bears the Golden Eagle design.

Steve Austin grabbed his real star-making moments in 1996 and 1997 with the Austin 3:16 promo and the WrestleMania 13 Submission match, respectively, but it's telling that WWF only started winning the ratings battle when he was crowned, undisputedly, as the WWF Champion.

Match quality, too, has been remarkably consistent - and diverse. Arena-wide brawls, technical classics, story-driven epics, and several dangerous gimmick iterations have all been contested for and made significantly better by the promise of immortality afforded by the prize.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!