Taz Brings Classic Title To AEW
FTW belt last appeared in ECW some 21 years ago.
When Tony Khan teased an announcement that would "send shocks through the world of professional wrestling", many speculated about what it would be. Now it's been made, and it might not be what most people expected.
On Night 2 of Fyter Fest, Taz emerged to bestow his charge Brian Cage with the FTW World Championship. The unrecognized title (standing for F*ck The World) originated in ECW in the late 1990s, when Taz created the belt out of frustration that he would not be able to challenge then-ECW champion Shane Douglas' world title due to injury. Likewise, Taz is giving the FTW belt to Cage to compensate for his inability to challenge current AEW champion Jon Moxley, who is currently in self-quarantine following his wife Renee Young's COVID-19 diagnosis.
Taz lost the belt (intentionally) to Sabu in late 1998 before regaining it four months later at Living Dangerously 1999, where it was united with the ECW title.
Its appearance on Fyter Fest marks the first time the belt has been seen in 21 years, with Cage as the third-ever FTW champion. Currently, the belt is still unrecognized by AEW, and considering its history it'll probably stay that way for the foreseeable future.