The Most Important Title in Wrestling History
The WWE Championship — known through various eras as the WWWF, WWF, and WWE Championship — is the most recognised title in professional wrestling. Its design history is a direct mirror of how the entire sport evolved over six decades.
1963 — The WWWF Championship
The original title was a black leather strap with a simple globe design on the main plate. Buddy Rogers was the first champion. It was understated by today's standards but enormously significant — this was the belt that started it all.
1971 — The Globe Belt
An evolution of the original, with a more detailed globe and the words "World Wide Wrestling Federation" added around the plate. Bruno Sammartino carried this belt for most of his legendary 11-year reign.
1983 — The Big Eagle (First Era)
Hulk Hogan's era brought the first truly iconic WWE design. Red leather, a large eagle with spread wings, and heavy gold plating. This design is still one of the most beloved in history and remains one of our best-selling replicas.
1988 — The Winged Eagle
The Winged Eagle is arguably the most celebrated wrestling title design ever made. Its proportions were perfect — big enough to be imposing, clean enough to be timeless. Hogan, Warrior, Hart, Michaels, Austin — this belt was part of every major era from 1988 to 1998.
1998 — The Attitude Era Title
With the Attitude Era came a new, more aggressive design — darker tones, bold eagle, side plates. This is the belt Stone Cold Steve Austin made famous.
2002 — The Undisputed Title
Following the WWF/WWE rebranding and the Undisputed Championship merger, WWE introduced a white leather strap with gold plating and spinner elements that would evolve further under John Cena.
2005 — The Spinner Belt
John Cena debuted a spinning WWE logo in the centre of the main plate — one of the most polarising designs in wrestling history. Fans either love it or hate it. Collectors love it.
2013 — The WWE Championship (Butterfly Design)
CM Punk's long reign ushered in a cleaner, more "corporate" aesthetic — side plates, refined proportions, and a design language that has carried through to the current era.
2023–Present — The Undisputed WWE Championship
The current title introduced with the unification of the WWE and Universal Championships is a dual-branded design with customisable side plates for each champion. It's the modern pinnacle of WWE title design.
Every one of these designs is available in replica form from our workshop. If you want the full history on your wall, browse our WWE collection.