Every WWE World Championship Design

The WWE Championship is seen as the top prize in the world of professional wrestling, and while it has tons of history and prestige, there’s no doubt people still want a fantastic design.

The aesthetic of a title is crucial to fans taking it seriously. There’s a reason the Universal Title had a difficult start after all. So, when it comes to the WWE Championship, which are the best title designs, and which are the worst?

UPDATE: 2024/05/05 18:30 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA

In the post-WrestleMania landscape, there are two brand new world champions. Cody Rhodes holds the Undisputed WWE Championship on SmackDown, whereas Damian Priest holds the World Heavyweight Title on RAW. Both are very worthy champions and join a long lineage of people to have held world titles in WWE. Throughout WWE’s history, numerous people have held top prizes, such as Steve Austin, John Cena, Randy Savage, Batista, Triple H, The Undertaker, and more. However, not all of WWE’s titles have had phenomenal designs. But, there are many that are truly legendary and iconic, so much so in fact that fans want to see some of them return in the future. Here are all of WWE’s world titles, ranked.

22 The Universal Championship Was Never A Popular Design

Years Active: 2016-2022

Although this design was pretty good for the WWE Championship, the fact that WWE simply just copied the design and placed it on a strawberry jam (and then blueberry jam) strap was lazy. This means that it drops way down the list when it comes to designs.

It wasn’t original, nor did it even look especially good with the colored straps either. Upon its introduction, fans booed the design out of the building. It is one of, if not the very worst world title designs of all time.

21 Daniel Bryan’s Eco-Friendly WWE Championship Was Unique To Him

Years Active: 2019

In late 2018, Daniel Bryan unexpectedly turned heel after he defeated AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. Bryan’s heel work was exceptional, and to get fans to detest him even more, he changed the ‘side plate’ version of the WWE Championship into a customized version of his own, which was an eco-friendly WWE Championship.

Bryan was the “Planet’s Champion” and his version of the gold had wood in the centerpiece. The side plates had his name on it, and the championship was a beige color. Bryan held the WWE Championship for the majority of his WWE Title run until Kofi Kingston ended his WWE Championship run at WrestleMania 35.

20 The Rated-R Title Was Made For The Rated-R Superstar

Years Active: 2006

In 2006 when Edge brought out his Rated R Title, which was all about him. It was a unique touch and made the title feel very personal, with this one being notorious still to this day as one of the best titles in history. This variation of the belt was introduced during Edge’s second reign as WWE Champion.

The company took the spinner aspect of the championship and added Edge’s logo to the middle of it, rather than focusing on the classic WWE logo. It worked perfectly with the arrogant character that he had at that time.

19 The Blue Tint Is The Worst Looking Of The WWE Championships

Years Active: 1977-1983

When it comes to the worst-looking WWE Championship design, this version certainly takes that title. There is just so much going on in this title that it really becomes quite distracting.

The blue mixed in with the gold really doesn’t look good and while the different gems do make this title unique, they also don’t really work with the rest of the design.

18 The Red Tints Design Appeared Very Briefly

Years Active: 1984

This version of the WWE Championship was only around for a short stint, but it was a relatively clean-looking title that certainly looked prestigious, even though it wasn’t a title design that most people remembered.

The red lettering is something that really popped with this and stood out when Hulk Hogan was wearing it, and while the rest of the design was relatively simple, it was a title that looked prestigious, which is always a good thing.

17 The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Was Awarded To Roman Reigns

Years Active: 2023-Present

This championship essentially merged the WWE Championship and the Universal Title into one belt. It is a unique title because, unlike previous unified WWE Championships, it carries the lineage of both respective titles. While the belt looks good, it is essentially just two titles in one given to Roman Reigns once he reached 1,000 days as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. The title belt continues to be used to this day, with Cody Rhodes being the second-ever person to hold this version of the title after he defeated Reigns at WrestleMania 40.

16 The Big Green Title Helped Establish Hulk Hogan

Years Active: 1983-1984

This is a title design that a lot of fans forget about, but it is one that The Iron Sheik really helped to make famous. It’s a huge title, mainly due to the strap itself, with WWE opting to have a double strap all the way around with gold plates on them.

It was certainly an interesting decision, and the gold plates with the green really look great. However, the strap itself is certainly too big here, which makes this look a little clumsy in comparison to other titles.

15 The Black Background Is One Of The Rarest WWE Titles

Years Active: 1985

WWE decided to make a slight tweak to the WWE Championship in 1985, adding some black details to the title as WWE put all the focus onto the logo, helping it to pop. Because everything matched nicely here, it helped create a slick-looking belt, while also being one of the rarest.

It looked good around Hulk Hogan, who was the only man to have ever held this version, and it is something that worked out for him as it stood out and looked impressive, but this isn’t a title that had a long run.

14 The Differing Colors Were Synonymous With The Ultimate Warrior

Years Active: 1990-1991

The Ultimate Warrior was a colorful character in WWE, therefore it made sense for him to inject that personality into the WWE Championship during his time with the title. That is exactly what he did, by having the straps of the title be different colors during his run in 1990.

This led to a blue, white, yellow, and purple version of the title being created, with the outside strap being those differing colors. Sgt. Slaughter continued with the purple title that he wore for a while before the next change took place.

13 Andre The Giant’s WWE Title Was Never Actually Utilized As The World Title

Years Active: 1987

This was a personal championship created specifically for Andre The Giant, and it would have been presented to him had he won the WWE Title at WrestleMania 3 in 1987. It was shown on one episode of WWE Prime Time in order to truly get over the size of the strap, showcasing how dominant Andre was.

While it did get some screen time, it was never an official title in the same way that others were. However, the sheer size of this one was impressive, and it’s a shame that it didn’t get a run as the established title.

12 The Original Title Was Basic, But Effective In Design

Years Active: 1963

The very first WWE Championship design obviously plays a huge part in history as this is the title that started it all. For the time, it certainly stood out and looked unique, but in comparison to other designs, this is really lacking.

The strap itself looks loosely fitting and the plates stuck onto it just don’t look as neat and tidy as other titles that came in subsequent years. However, this title does play a big part in history and has become iconic.

11 Representing The World Truly Made It Look Like A World Title

Years Active: 1986-1988

This version of the title brought in elements from around the world, with a globe in the middle that looks similar to the ways that the Intercontinental Championship has been used at times. While this version added flags from around the world on the sides.

It was an interesting design that did manage to reflect the wrestlers from around the world, but it didn’t end up being a version that became memorable in the grand scheme of things.

10 The Spinner Title Was Introduced By John Cena

Years Active: 2005-2013

This is one of the most famous WWE Championship designs of all time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is one of the greatest. Fans instantly think of John Cena when it comes to this title as he was the man who brought it to WWE.

It was clearly created to fit his gimmick at the time, but it then outstayed its welcome. The title didn’t suit other gimmicks and it felt like it was mainly just brought to life to sell toys, which it no doubt succeeded in.

9 The New WWE World Heavyweight Championship Harkens Back To A Classic

Years Active: 2023-Present

This is WWE’s newest world title design, getting introduced in 2023 ahead of the draft due to Roman Reigns being the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship holder. It is unclear as of year which lineage this title will continue, or whether it will be one of its own.

It looks to take inspiration from the old World Heavyweight Championship with the overall shape, but it has the WWE logo slapped in the middle. Although it has mixed reviews, the fact that it is different to other world titles ensures that it stands out of the crowd. It looks prestigious, though time will tell on what the overall consensus will be on this design.

8 The Undisputed WWE Title Was A Perfect Championship

Years Active: 2002-2005

This is exactly how a WWE Championship should look. It’s sleek, but it also stands out due to the size of the belt, which is what should happen for a world champion. The likes of Brock Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero helped make this an iconic title, which is why it’s so memorable.

The design itself is amazing with the shooting stars and the globe in the middle. Having black and gold is a color scheme that has always worked well with this title, as this design showcases.

7 The Smoking Skull Title Was Custom Made For Steve Austin

Years Active: 1998-1999

Championship designs that are specific for one wrestler are always a risk as there’s a chance they will no longer look good if another wrestler holds them. However, the Smoking Skull design for Steve Austin is a great exception to the rule.

This championship is superb just down to its pure uniqueness. It stands out with the skull design and the little moments of red really provide a great pop of color, helping the title stand out even more.

6 The Red Leather Title Was Great In The WWE’s Early Years

Years Active: 1973-1983

This is one of the most iconic WWE Championships of all time and it is one that many of the greats from the ’70s and ’80s held. It looks superb and really stood out as the red and gold went really well together.

It wasn’t in your face and too bright, but it was subtle and helped to create a beautiful design. It was one that really felt classy and deserving of the main event star.

5 The Big Eagle Title Defined The Attitude Era

Years Active: 1998-2002

This title is one that a lot of wrestling fans remember and rightfully so as it is an absolutely gorgeous design. Taking place during WWE’s hottest period, this is another reason that the title is great because a lot of fans remember it fondly.

It has a really classy look with the big eagle being a prominent feature. The circle design looks great on the middle part of it and the pop of blue color really makes it stand out.

4 The Side Plates Title Was Introduced By The Rock

Years Active: 2013-2014

This particular version of the WWE Championship saw the side plates get introduced to the wrestling world, which helped to make them feel more unique and personal to the wrestlers winning them. Fans enjoyed this slight change, as it helped to make them far more fun to look at.

Each wrestler gets something completely different with their logos being used on the side, and that is something that made fans happy as they got a new title each time it changed hands.

3 The Updated WWE Championship Had A Sleek Design

Years Active: 2014-2023

This WWE Championship was really fantastic. At first, people weren’t too sure what to expect from the new title as it was such a change in design and it’s certainly very large and in your face.

But the design is incredibly sleek and it no longer looked like a kid’s toy as the spinner title did. It got a slight tweak when Brock Lesnar won it in 2014, adding the red elements with black behind it, to make WWE’s logo really pop. Plus, having the side plates on the title being different for each champion really helped the title unique to each person, which is a lot of fun.