13 Wrestling Matches That Cost Wrestlers Their Custom Belts

Goldust won his first Intercontinental Championship defeating Razor Ramon at the 1996 Royal Rumble with assistance from Marlena and The 1-2-3 Kid. He debuted his all gold version of the Intercontinental Championship in a non-title match against Fatu on Raw (18 March 1996). This was during Goldust’s feud with Roddy Piper where ‘The Bizarre One’ amped up his flamboyant persona. The ostentatious custom title was a fitting accessory.

Goldust (c) vs. Ahmed Johnson

King of the Ring 1996

Goldust and Johnson’s feud is best remembered for its inciting incident. After Owen Hart knocked Johnson unconscious with his arm cast, Goldust performed his own interpretation of CPR. Johnson was left with gold lips as he tore the backstage area up.

The match was a disappointing end to Goldust’s title run. Though not a squash, it halted Goldust’s momentum and wasted much of his character building. This was a recurrence in the career of Dustin Rhodes. Whenever he was on the cusp of transcending the mid-card, his momentum was halted. Owen Hart as a heel commentator was one of the match’s saving graces, particularly in refusing to applaud Johnson saying he was only able to win because “Goldust breathed new fresh air into his mouth”.