{"id":212402,"date":"2026-02-22T15:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T21:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=212402"},"modified":"2026-02-24T17:58:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T23:58:30","slug":"top-five-pro-wrestling-title-belts-from-the-wwe-winged-eagle-to-the-ecw-world-title-belt-the-design-of-these-belts-represents-distinct-design-matching-the-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/02\/22\/top-five-pro-wrestling-title-belts-from-the-wwe-winged-eagle-to-the-ecw-world-title-belt-the-design-of-these-belts-represents-distinct-design-matching-the-era\/","title":{"rendered":"TOP FIVE PRO WRESTLING TITLE BELTS: From the WWE &#8220;Winged Eagle&#8221; to the ECW World Title belt, the design of these belts represents distinct design matching the era"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-584665726\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><div>\n<div>\n<p>In many professions, there is a goal that you\u2019re working toward. Maybe it\u2019s promotions, especially when tied to a pay raise. Some are incentivized by trips, rankings, or employee of the month perks. I\u2019ve also had the job where not being fired was the award itself. In professional wrestling, you chase title belts.<\/p>\n<p>A title victory is what makes you go into the history books. They can remove footage, ignore it ever happened, or be used as a target to mock the company\u2019s own history, but they can\u2019t change the fact that at that moment, the company believed in you. Decisions in creative centered around you as a main character on their television show.<\/p>\n<p>Be it the World Heavyweight Championship, part of a tag team, or the workhorse\/rising star titles, all are important and historical &#8211; well\u2026 unless it was a title defended under 24\/7 rules. They all hold their specific place in a company. I\u2019ve even come around to enjoying the WWE Speed Championship, and how it changes the pace and style of a match. Be it the design, lineage, or simple childhood nostalgia, I\u2019ve come up with my list of favorite title belts.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>5. WWE U.S. Spinner Title<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-USSpinner.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-212403\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-USSpinner.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-USSpinner.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-USSpinner-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When writing these lists, many times I come up with four choices right off the bat, then wade through all the options for the fifth choice. Most of the times, like in this case, I could pick a different one if you asked me later today after lunch. This one is my number five today, for a few reasons.<\/p>\n<p>At the time in hip-hop culture, spinning rims were all the rage. You\u2019d listen to third cost rap (that\u2019s Houston\u2019s rap scene). All the time rapper would talk about when their car stopped, the wheels stayed spinning. It was a time that WWE was in step with actual culture in that era, where that wasn\u2019t always the case. I\u2019ve always liked U.S. Championships (more on that later), and the red and blue makes a belt pop.<\/p>\n<p>Then you had this rising star, who was embracing the hip-hop culture that I was listening to at the time, living in Texas myself, winning what went back and forth from a workhorse title to a rising star title. This was a rocket to see how he performed with it, and was his stepping stone to winning his first WWE Championship.<\/p>\n<p>From a business perspective, it sold a lot of belts, and still does (replicas available at <a href=\"http:\/\/Nerdstalgia.Shop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/Nerdstalgia.Shop&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1771641785295000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3NA9gEpSrdZhju6sB1U32W\">http:\/\/Nerdstalgia.Shop<\/a>), and inspired one of the best selling title belts in the WWE Championship Spinner Title. While I\u2019m never personally a fan of the top prize being changed, and it was past its date when it came to culture cred, I can\u2019t deny the business reasons behind it.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>4. ECW World Heavyweight<\/h3>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-ECWWorld.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-212404 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-ECWWorld-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-ECWWorld-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-ECWWorld.jpg 421w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>In a world where I was a teenager, wrestling wasn\u2019t cool. The Shockmaster wearing a bedazzled Storm Trooper helmet on WCW, and on WWF\u2019s shows, the occupational gimmicks were lame too. Most people my age had given up on the \u201cHulk Hogan kid stuff\u201d and had moved onto other things, like having a social life. It wasn\u2019t something I was proud of watching. Other 13 year olds didn\u2019t think a show featuring The Repo Man was worth watching.<\/div>\n<p>Then I discovered something that was a little taboo. I\u2019d read about ECW in Pro Wrestling Illustrated and other Apter Mags, so it made my day when I discovered access to the show. For anyone who\u2019s ever uttered \u201c6-7,\u201d there was a time that you\u2019d use an antenna to get channels, and every once in a while, depending on how clear the sky was, you could access TV stations on small networks, sometimes from a distance you\u2019d access a channel from a bigger city. I was delighted to tune in and see Public Enemy in a tag match that went all over the area. Great music being used for entrances, and storylines I would not have wanted my saintly Christian mother to have eavesdropped on.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2754014106\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>The ultimate prize there was the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, and my favorite incarnation was the final used on their television and was brought back for the start of the WWECW experiment.the color of purple was different, as was the promotion. The broken letters and barbed wire on the plates of the title helped you know what to expect from this promotion. A violent alternative to corporate wrestling.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll even shout out the oversized ECW title used at the end of the WWE show. It didn\u2019t represent the ECW brand well, but it was still a beautiful title.<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of &#8220;PWTorch &#8217;90s Pastcast&#8221; with Patrick Moynahan and Alex McDonald, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/pwtorch-90s-pastcast-moynahan-mcdonald-discuss-pwtorch-newsletter-374-2-17-96-incl-superbrawl-vi-review-wwf-files-ftc-complaint--70172556\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cwade keller\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PWTorch \u201890s Pastcast - Moynahan &amp; McDonald discuss PWTorch Newsletter #374 (2-17-96) incl. SuperBrawl VI review, WWF files FTC complaint\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=70172556&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>3. NWA World Television<\/h3>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-NWATVTitle.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-212405 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-NWATVTitle-300x130.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"130\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-NWATVTitle-300x130.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-NWATVTitle.jpg 588w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>I specifically love this belt with the red strap. It wasn\u2019t all that different from other title belts in its design. In fact, AEW\u2019s National Championship is from the same basic design. There were three things specifically about this title that made me love it.<\/div>\n<p>First, the title itself had a distinct purpose. Talking to the 6\/7 people again, but wrestling as a television show was once there for the purpose of hooking you to buy tickets to see the stars live. Those live matches didn\u2019t air anywhere, and were consequential. That is where you saw two stars battle over titles and personal grudges. On television you\u2019d get one star you wanted to see against a Kenny Powers lookalike for under five minutes. But the Television title was made, and now you\u2019d see matches with real stakes on television. The pace was also different, as World Championship matches would often go 30-60 minutes, these matches had ten minute time limits, and forced a challenger to be focused on defeating the opponent quickly or suffer the time limit draw, helping many talent have matches where there was no title change, but wasn\u2019t hurt because they had taken a loss.<\/p>\n<p>Second, I love its design on the side plates. Each of the four plates would have a network logo for ABC, CBS, and NBC, then the other was used to place a satellite dish. It made a simple statement of what they were champion of.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, it\u2019s the wrestlers who\u2019ve held this belt. Sting held this belt. Dusty wore this title. But for me, when I broke in, there were two men that made this belt the title to watch, Arn Anderson and Stunning Steven Austin. They way they held onto their prize at any means necessary, the way they\u2019d lure their opponent into defeat or draw was brilliance. I even bought a replica to take to an AEW show in hopes I\u2019d run into Double A and be able to ask for an autograph, but sadly he\u2019d left the company a week prior to the event I purchased tickets for. Lord Steven Regal carried this forward with the WCW version of the Television Championship.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>2. WWF Winged Eagle<\/h3>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-WingedEagle.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-212406 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-WingedEagle-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-WingedEagle-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-WingedEagle.jpg 588w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>This was a first in my memory to be different with a title design. Most are some sort of circle, oval, or a rounded rectangle. This time, it was an eagle. And the wings came up from the actual belt plate. A classic design that was used by the WWF from the time Andre the Giant used the twin referee to count to three over Hulk Hogan, all through the occupational gimmick era where Bret was the shining star carrying the wrestling, and was retired after Stone Cold Steve Austin won his first WWF Championship from Shawn Michaels. We even had a short reprieve of the design when a broken up and duct taped version of that title was used for the Hardcore Championship.<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>1. WCW U.S. Championship<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-WWEUSTitle.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-212407 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-WWEUSTitle-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-WWEUSTitle-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-WWEUSTitle-326x245.jpg 326w, https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-WWEUSTitle-80x60.jpg 80w, https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-WWEUSTitle.jpg 588w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>I\u2019ve loved every incarnation of this championship from the NWA, to this WCW belt, and the three WWE designs. This specific version though, holds that special spot for me due to my own fandom. In WCW, the TV Title was the workhorse championship, the U.S. Championship was seen as a next in line title. Show you could get over and sell tickets with the smaller belt, to prove you worthy for the main title.<\/p>\n<p>These were main even players &#8211; but not ready for, or sometime not built to be &#8211; the face of the company. You don\u2019t have to be a &#8220;Face-of-the-Company&#8221; level wrestler to be important, and why the U.S.\u00a0 Championship existed, and sometimes still does exist. This title was held by such legends as Sting, Dustin Rhodes, DDP, Booker T, and Raven just to name a few of my favorite champions from my years watching.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3249157\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>I always loved the simple design, with the United States flag in the center. Not gaudy and flashy, but not as plain as the Big Gold World Heavyweight Championship used in NWA, WCW, and WWE at different times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>(Griffin is a lifelong fan of wrestling, superheroes, and rebellious music of all forms. He is the owner of Nerdstalgia, and you can shop online, learn about visiting the store in Colorado Springs, or catch him at a comic con in the Rocky Mountain area by going to <a href=\"http:\/\/nerdstalgia.shop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/nerdstalgia.shop&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1771641785295000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3dnILUC_1pz4zuLzmYbiU5\">http:\/\/nerdstalgia.shop<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Pro Wrestling Then and Now - WWF Survivor Series 1997 (Recorded 11\/30\/22)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NRazT4T1ucQ?start=5&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-269282587\"><div id=\"pwtor-2125425146\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>In many professions, there is a goal that you\u2019re working toward. Maybe it\u2019s promotions, especially when tied to a pay raise. Some are incentivized by trips, rankings, or employee of the month perks. I\u2019ve also <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/02\/22\/top-five-pro-wrestling-title-belts-from-the-wwe-winged-eagle-to-the-ecw-world-title-belt-the-design-of-these-belts-represents-distinct-design-matching-the-era\/\" title=\"TOP FIVE PRO WRESTLING TITLE BELTS: From the WWE &#8220;Winged Eagle&#8221; to the ECW World Title belt, the design of these belts represents distinct design matching the era\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":212407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,52,27,4488],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-212402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlightarticles","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists","category-top-five-lists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/02\/TitleBelt-WWEUSTitle.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212402"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":212420,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212402\/revisions\/212420"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/212407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}