7 WWE Belts That Never Made It To Regular TV

Dark match Heavyweight champions.

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WWE.com

For most wrestling fans, there aren't many things in the pro wrestling business more prestigious than a championship belt. While WrestleMania moments and Hall of Fame rings are always going to be heralded as the very peak of the business itself, both of those accolades are pretty hard to come by, if you haven't won a title or two along the way.

Contrary to Vince Russo's belief that championships are merely "props" in the presentation, the championships provide the kayfabe incentive for the wrestlers, while they also represent career goals for many of the roster. Meanwhile, the belts can also be reward for a job well done. The WWE Championship is often considered the Oscar of the WWE.

However, there have been several times in history where a new championship belt has been made and, for one reason or another, never made it to TV. On other occasions, a title has appeared briefly, never to be seen again. Regardless of which category these rare belts fall into, these short-lived championships were discarded before they had barely seen the light of day.

So let's crack open the vault, and take a look at some of the rarest championship belts that didn't make the cut on TV...

7. Internet Championship

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WWE.com

Zack Ryder was on the brink of WWE extinction in 2010. A lower mid-card guy that was used predominantly for enhancement matches, the 'Long Island Iced Z' was on a slippery slope, and viewed by many fans as a contender to be "future endeavoured".

Zack, however, had other plans. He wasn't going to give up without a fight. Ryder bounced back of his own volition by creating a weekly YouTube show titled Z! True Long Island Story. The show snowballed and soon became a huge success, gaining a cult following in the process. As a result, Ryder began referring to himself as the Internet Champion - illustrated by a modified Intercontinental Championship toy belt, complete with social media stickers and the word "Internet" over the space where Intercontinental" would usually be.

As the show began to flourish and the audience began to grow bigger and bigger, Ryder went all out and had a genuine, bespoke championship made. The belt itself was created by Wildcat Championship Belts, who also made the WWE US Championship, and the title was introduced on Z! TLIS on 28 July 2011.

Despite the belt's popularity amongst the WWE Universe, the title has yet to appear on WWE TV due to its unsanctioned status; however, it has appeared on the house show circuit.

Contributor
Contributor

Occasional wrestler, full-time gym rat and lifelong lover of the grapple game. Would probably buy you a shot of Jack at the bar in exchange for witty banter...and preferably more Jack. @MartynGrant88 for more wrestling-related musings and weight room wisecracks!