10 Ugliest Wrestling Championship Belts
Aren't people supposed to want to win these?
At SummerSlam, Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor will battle to crown the first-ever WWE Universal Champion. Though the creation of the title was announced on the 25 July episode of Raw, the new belt has not yet been unveiled to the public.
Despite the fact that nobody has seen the Universal Title, rumors are spreading about its design - and they're quite underwhelming. According to numerous sources, the belt will be an exact replica of the WWE World Championship, but with red backgrounds, much like the Women's Championship. Meanwhile, the WWE World Championship will be given a makeover, adding blue backgrounds to represent the Smackdown brand.
It's hard not to think of the design as a missed opportunity. The WWE World Championship is a good-looking title belt, but the Universal Championship could be unique. A round center plate with jewels representing stars or planets would tie in nicely with the name.
Still, even if the Universal Championship ends up looking too much like the World Championship, it won't be too bad - it'll have a long way to go before it can vie for the title of ugliest championship belt in wrestling history.
Just a note: I won't be counting unused belt designs. If someone had the good sense to pull the plug before an ugly title made TV, that's worth something. I'll also only be including belts from larger promotions, as small independents with limited budgets may be hampered in terms of what they can commission.
10. ROH Television Championship (2012 - Present)
In 2010, Ring of Honor unveiled a new secondary title, the ROH Television Champion. It was a more traditional secondary title for the company that had once tried to introduce a Pure Championship, complete with confusing rules. Fans were more familiar with the concept of a TV Title, which ROH would make a focal point of its television show.
The original design was handsome, if unremarkable, but the new belt which debuted in 2012 was a complete 180. Apart from the center plate, the belt isn't too terrible - despite the stereo camel clutches going on just left and right of the middle - but it's that center plate which ruins everything. Twice as tall as it is wide, the plate looks like some sort of gigantic pill - and it's a tough one to swallow.
The belt looks ugly by itself, but it's even worse when strapped around a wrestler's waist. It stretches up to the chest and down to the crotch, looking awkward and unseemly. You definitely wouldn't want to try and sit down while wearing it.