13 Wrestling Matches That Cost Wrestlers Their Custom Belts

13. The Ultimate Warrior’s WWF World Heavyweight Championship

After defeating Hulk Hogan in WrestleMania VI’s “The Ultimate Challenge”, The Ultimate Warrior started a trend of customising the Winged Eagle for pay-per-view title defences. At SummerSlam 1990, Warrior debuted a pale blue strap for his successful defence against Rick Rude. He celebrated being the sole survivor in a traditional Survivor Series match with a white strapped World Heavyweight Championship. Warrior’s purple variation would be his last.

Sgt. Slaughter (with General Adnan) vs. The Ultimate Warrior (c)

Royal Rumble 1991

The Ultimate Warrior was more hype than a Columbian sniffer dog trained by Mojo Rawley. Typical of Warrior’s in-ring work, his intensity carried the match. Slaughter sold everything Warrior threw at him, lulling fans into comfortable confidence of a babyface win.

Slaughter and Adnan weren’t the only heels gunning for Warrior. The interference of Sensational Sherri and ‘Macho King’ Randy Savage tipped the odds. It was a sceptre strike from the ‘Macho King’ which knocked Warrior out. Slaughter simply pinned Warrior, garnering significant heat. Even for a heel, the match and its conclusion made the new champion look weak. However, Slaughter was a transitional champion. His only run with the World Heavyweight Championship lasted just 64 days, before he lost to Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VII.