Every wrestler would like to have something unique to their character and presentation to immortalize their name in history, in WWE or any other promotion. Wrestling fans always remembered wrestlers who showcased such uniqueness in their careers, and that’s what the current generation of wrestlers are trying to do as well.
Winning a major championship adds that uniqueness to a wrestler’s career but some of them chose to improvise on their presentation as a champion simply by holding their championship belts in unconventional ways.
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With that said, let’s take a look at some wrestlers who stood out among the others by holding their championship belts in unique ways.
UPDATE: 2024/05/07 20:00 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA
Championship gold is the top prize in WWE. Traditionally, a title has been worn around a wrestler’s waist or over their shoulder. This is the typical way that many have done it for decades. However, sometimes wrestlers have found their own ways to carry gold. And this, even though it is a small detail, adds to a wrestler’s presentation. It helps to make them standout and for their title reign to have just that bit more to it. Whether it was a major world title, a midcard title, or a tag team title, it does not matter. Everyone is going to find their own way to standout in professional wrestling. Here are a few of the most unique ways that WWE stars have worn their championship belts.
Nic Nemeth & Nigel McGuinness Held Them Backwards
They Wore Them The Opposite Of The Traditional Way
- Wrestlers typically wear titles around their waists.
- Nemeth has held gold in NJPW, WWE, and AAA.
- McGuinness is a former ROH World Champion.
The traditional way of sporting a championship belt is to wear it around the waist, and we’ve seen many wrestlers uphold that standard by wearing their titles that way.
But former World Heavyweight Champion Nic Nemeth (formerly Dolph Ziggler) and former ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness did the exact opposite by wearing their title belts with the front design facing backward.
Fans will remember Nemeth doing that while making his entrance during his World Championship reign in 2013. Nigel McGuinness also did the same during his time as the Ring of Honor World Champion in 2008.
Carlito & Primo Wore Their Gold Around Their Necks
They Were Unified WWE Tag Team Champions
- Carlito and Primo unified the WWE Tag Team and World Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 25.
- They spent 280 days in total as champions.
- They lost the titles to Edge and Chris Jericho.
WWE fans will remember when the company unified the WWE and World Tag Team Championships for the first time in 2009. The unification took place at WrestleMania 25, where WWE Tag Team Champions Carlito and Primo defeated the World Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz to become double champions.
Having to hold two titles at the same time is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and The Colons made it more unique with their presentation of the title belts. While Carlito wore the titles around his neck like a Catholic priest wears his stole, Primo wore his titles crossed against each other from one shoulder to the other.
Kurt Angle, Kenny Omega, & Eddie Kingston Wore Titles All Over Their Bodies
They Were Both Holding Multiple Titles At Once
- In 2007, Kurt Angle won every avaliable men’s title in TNA in 2007.
- Omega was known as the “Belt Collector” in AEW.
- Eddie Kingston held the ROH World Title, AEW Continental Title, and NJPW Strong Title all at once.
As mentioned earlier, holding two titles at the same time is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a wrestler, but only a few wrestlers can claim that they have held more than two championships simultaneously.
Those wrestlers who have held multiple titles at the same time ran out of space to display them and ended up using their entire upper bodies as a showcase.
We have seen Kurt Angle hold all the men’s championships in TNA in 2007, with Kenny Omega having held the AEW World Championship, Impact World Championship, and the AAA Mega Championship at the same time in 2020. Most recently, Eddie Kingston wore the titles of three separate promotions in AEW, ROH, and NJPW.
Cody Rhodes Held Not A Belt, But A Ring
He Held The Ring Of Honor
- Rhodes held the ROH World Title for 175 days.
- He won it in 2017.
- He lost the title to Dalton Castle.
While we’re talking about wrestlers holding their title belts in unique ways, Cody Rhodes took it to another level of uniqueness when he chose not to hold the title at all during his run as the Ring of Honor World Champion in 2017.
ROH billed Rhodes as the first member of the Rhodes Family to hold a world championship in 31 years, and The American Nightmare chose to make his reign more memorable by replacing the world title belt with a ring, which he named after the promotion’s name.
He wore the ring to represent his status as the world champion and stated that he would bring the title belt when he feels like it.
The Rock Swung The Championship In His Hand
He Is A Multi-Time WWE Champion
- The Rock is an eight-time WWE Champion.
- He debuted for WWE in 1996.
- He has worn gold around his waist in the past as well.
The Rock has held multiple championships throughout his career as a professional wrestler, and the list also includes ten world championships in WWE. The People’s Champion also has a unique way of holding his title belts as the fans have seen him simply holding the title in his hands while dangling it in the air as he makes his entrance.
His iconic hand raise standing in the turnbuckle is an important part of his entrance, and it makes it easier for him to do it if he just holds the title belt in his hands and whips it in the air as he raises his arm for the fans.
Roman Reigns Had Titles Hanging On His Back
He Did This As A Babyface
- Reigns has held numerous titles across his WWE career.
- In addition to world titles, he also held the United States and Intercontinental Titles.
- Paul Heyman often carried his titles to the ring during his historic Undisputed WWE Universal Title reign.
“The Tribal Chief” Roman Reigns may have had his Special Counsel Paul Heyman to carry his gold, but he had to do it himself during his babyface run as “The Big Dog.”
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However, he distinguished himself from the others by displaying his championship by holding the strap with the rest of the title hanging on his back. Fans will remember Reigns doing it during his various championship reigns in WWE, and there is also one instance when Mick Foley tried to teach Reigns the right way to hold the title in an in-ring segment.
John Cena, Giant Bernard & Bubba Ray Dudley Wore Titles Around Their Necks
It Was A Truly Unique Way To Display Their Titles
- Cena chose to wear his titles the same way he did his chains.
- Matt Bloom was a former IWGP Tag Team Champion in NJPW.\
- Bubba Ray Dudley held tag team gold countless times.
John Cena’s original rapper gimmick saw him sport a big chain around his neck, which also gave him the nickname the leader of the Chain Gang. He chose to wear his title belts the same way by hanging them around his neck.
Similarly, current WWE Performance Center Head Coach Matt Bloom also displayed the IWGP Tag Team Championship belt around his neck during his time as Giant Bernard in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
WWE Hall of Famer Bubba Ray Dudley also used to hold the tag team championship belt around his neck back in the day.
Will Ospreay Wore It Like A Sash
He Has Held Gold Across Numerous Promotions
- Ospreay signed with AEW in 2023.
- He has held gold in NJPW, Progress Wrestling, Revolution Pro Wrestling, and more.
- He is one of the best in the world today.
Current AEW performer Will Ospreay has held numerous championships throughout his career, including the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and the ROH Television Championship.
He has also held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship three times in his career, and his first reign started at the King of Pro-Wrestling event in 2017. Following his victory, he decided to stand out among the other champions in the company by wearing the title belt like a beauty contest sash.
Umaga & Pete Dunne Held Their Gold In Their Mouths
Many Wrestlers Do Not Do This
- Pete Dunne was NXT UK Champion for 685 days.
- Dunne is a member of New Catch Republic with Tyler Bate.
- Umaga was a two-time Intercontinental Champion.
The late WWE legend Edward Fatu competed under several names throughout his career with the company, but the Umaga character he portrayed between 2006 and 2009 allowed him to introduce a more ruthless side of himself to the fans.
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He is a former two-time Intercontinental Champion, and he used to hold the title belt in his mouth by biting the straps while the rest of the title dangled on his chest.
Another wrestler who used to hold his title belt the same way as Umaga was former NXT United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, who showcased his wild attitude by holding the belt in his mouth.
MNM & Damian Priest Wore Gold OnTheir Tights
All Three Men Have Been Tag Team Champions
- MNM consisted of John Morrison, Joey Mercury, and Melina.
- They are three-time WWE Tag Team Champions.
- Damian Priest and Finn Balor are two-time Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions.
When Melina, John Morrison, and Joey Mercury first broke out into the WWE as the MNM tag team, they immediately attracted the fans’ attention with their unique theme music and their wrestling style. Melina, as their valet, gained them even more popularity as she made their entrance even special with her trademark split.
They went on to become three-time WWE Tag Team Champions during their time together, and they used to display their titles by dangling the belts from the front of their tights. In addition, the Judgment Day’s Damian Priest reintroduced this style when he wore his Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles like this as well.
