Which Titles Changed Hands At AEW Battle Of The Belts III?

Three titles were on the line at AEW's latest TV special.

by Andrew Pollard
AEW Battle of the Belts III Thunder Rosa
AEW

With AEW's Battle of the Belts III taking place last night, fans were wondering if the promotion would switch any of the three titles that were being defended at this TNT special.

For those looking to see a title change, they may have been left disappointed as all three belts were successfully defended by their respective champions. Still, that doesn't mean that Battle of the Belts III wasn't a fun show with some great action - particularly a barn-burner of a main event for the Ring of Honor World Championship.

Taped on Friday from Grand Rapids, Michigan's Van Andel Arena, this special opened with Wardlow retaining the TNT Title against Jay Lethal. Despite interference from Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh, the War Dog would score the 1-2-3 after hitting a powerbomb in what was a solid bout. A post-match beatdown of Wardlow from the three heels suggest this rivalry is only just getting started.

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Next up, AEW Women's Champion Thunder Rosa held off the challenge of Jamie Hayter in a snug back-and-forth affair. The physicality both women always bring to the table means they're perfect dance partners, and this match certainly involved its fair share of heavy hits, with Hayter even reportedly breaking her nose during this contest. The finish came when La Mera Mera scored a roll-up for the victory after Toni Storm had thwarted interference from Britt Baker.

With Caprice Coleman and William Regal joining the commentary team for the main event, Claudio Castagnoli retained the ROH World Title against Konosuke Takeshita. A phenomenal TV match that could've easily taken place on PPV, it was the beginning of the end for Takeshita when Claudio caught him mid-air from a diving knee, turned that into a Death Valley Driver, which soon led to the hammer and anvil elbows before Castagnoli hit the Ricolo Bomb for the win.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.