Name Plates vs. Side Plates

I started watching in August 2001 so Invasion for me.

NXT is really good right now with the belts, but I’ll go with what you’ve dubbed Universe Era. I know a lot of people would agree that the current belts are too similar and unoriginal. Although I really dig the new IC Title.

My favorite belt all-time is the Undisputed Championship/WWE Championship title from 02-04. The big gold belt was nice. IC title cool. Always liked the WWE Tag Team Championship design. World Tag Team Championship was good. Women’s title was fine. Divas, bad lol. Spinner WWE Title ended up not being all that bad, plus the Rated-R version is great.

12 – WWE Divas Championship

Yes, I know. However, for what it is, it’s technically perfect!! Think about it. The complete Divas logo is the center plate. It’s practically covered in gems. It’s a decent size for Divas. Of course men won’t like it, but it’s not for men, it’s for Sexy, Smart, Powerful Divas. Besides, it’s on the bottom of my list, and we’ve seen worse.

11 – WWE Women’s Championship

Now this is how you do a Women’s Championship. When they modified it and added a nameplate, I think it then became perfect as I thought there was too much space not being used. It’s not too “Diva”, but not too “Wrestling” like. It’s just a classy piece of history associated with some of the Greatest Female Wrestlers of all time.

10 – WWE Cruiserweight Championship

I personally like this Belt better than both the WWF Light Heavyweight Belt and the WCW Cruiserweight Belt. I think this Belt had what the previous two designs were lacking. I think that is due to the color scheme they went with and the amount of plates used. Plus that property plate looks like a nice finishing touch.

9 – WWE Tag Team Championship (Smackdown)

I liked the Classic WWF Tag Belts. I liked the Attitude WWF Tag Belts. When the Smackdown Tag Belts debuted, I thought it was a good way to pay homage to the previous designs. Making them exclusive to Smackdown, using primarily Blue, made it stand out to me. The only thing I think I would have changed would be to use a Blue Strap instead of Black.

8 – World Tag Team Championship (Raw)

As soon as this design showed up on TV, I instantly loved it. It felt like an updated design. To me, it was refreshing to see a brand new shape to the Tag Team Belts of old. Making them exclusive to Raw, using primarily Red, made it stand out to me. The only thing I think I would have changed would be to use a Red Strap instead of Black.

7 – Million Dollar Championship

This was Bling before the term “Bling” was cool. This was the first Championship that I thought was literally more valuable than the WWF, Intercontinental, and Tag Team Championships combined. I actually use this designed, in “platinum”, as my United States Championship in WWE 13. I always wished Ted made Million Dollar Tag Team Belts when Money Inc. were WWF Tag Champs.

6 – WWE United States Championship

This Belt is represents the United States of America in every way possible. It looks like something Captain America himself would wear, had he stepped foot in a WWE ring. From Old Glory all over the nameplate, to the Bald Eagles on the inner side plates, to Lady Liberty on the outer side plates, this Belt itself should be put in the Smithsonian among other American National Treasures.

5 – WWE Intercontinental Championship

The Classic design of the WWF Intercontinental Championship Belt had a simple, basic design that I didn’t think screamed “Intercontinental” as much as it should have. When the Attitude Era version of the Belt showed up, I thought that’s how the Intercontinental Championship should look like. What did it for me was the fact that the 7 continents were displayed on the side plates perfectly.

4 – ECW Championship (WWECW / Big Platinum)

Yes, I’m from Philly. No, I didn’t really like the original ECW Belt, in any variation / paint scheme they ever used. I like the fact that they used platinum (silver, for you nonbelievers). It made it stand out from the rest of the Championships in the WWE. To me, it was Vince’s way of saying, “It’s mine now and I’ll make it better than it was.”

3 – WWE Championship (Spinner)

Some of you wouldn’t have this Belt on your list. Most of you wouldn’t have this Belt in your Top 3. Look, it is (but I can’t prove it is) the most selling replica of all time. It hit its target consumer. I don’t care if it doesn’t look like a prestigious Championship, but the fact remains that from 2005 – 2013, it was the “Richest Prize” in Professional Sports Wrestling Entertainment.

2 – World Heavyweight Championship (Big Gold)

This Belt stood the test of time. If you noticed, 11 out of 12 Belts on my list have nameplates. It was the NWA Championship, the WCW Championship, the WCW International Championship, one half of the Undisputed WWF / WCW World Championship, and currently, the World Heavyweight Championship in the WWE. That’s saying something about its beauty.

1 – Undisputed WWE World Championship

This is my all-time favorite design. This is the Belt that made me start my collection. This is the Belt that made me spend a ridiculous amount of money for, 10 years after its introduction. This is the Belt that I wanted to be buried in. This is the Belt that represented Professional Sports Wrestling Entertainment. This is the Belt that deserves its own Hall Of Fame induction. I love it so much, that I’m about to drop more money into it next year to have it customized and personalized to be a one-of-a-kind family heirloom. Yes, that’s how much I love it!!

I do like the current WWE Championship Title Belt, the “Big W” or the “Big Logo”, but I’m just not sure where I would rank it in my Top 12. I’m thinking it’s somewhere between number 2 and number 3.

No doubt. Still my favorite title designs for each iteration of the belts. Though I do prefer the more gold version of the Tag Team Titles like the ones LOD wore. And, I have to agree with 👑🇵🇭⭐️, you have to add the Million $ Belt with this era. 

 I’ll take any of these over the new belts.
    

80s-New Generation is the clear best to me. The WWF, Intercontinental and Tag Team championships all look timeless. The rest, not so much.
The Undisputed belt is nice, but also looks dated and very 2002 to me. Same goes with the oval IC (my vote for possibly worst ever).

Now they don't design belts, they design products and branding. The new IC isn't that bad but I also find it very forgettable. The tag belts are horrendous. The US title is the only one to survive without a major redesign for so long and that's a travesty as that belt is hideous.

I don't mind double plating, but man do I hate silver belts. The current tags, cruiserweight and WWECW titles are very bad because of this. When everything else is gold, it's a visual representation that says "2nd rate titles". Also the current WWE, Universal and women's championships don't look like championships anymore. They're toys and props. It looks very silly, like a prize you'd win on a 90s kids gameshow (Guts anyone?).

It's sad to think that the belts from 30 years ago look more prestigious than the garbage we have today. 

I love the titles from yesteryear but when WWE started to put a name plate on the titles was such a WCW move but I like the current titles with the side plates because instead of a name it's the superstars logos which is cool as .

Seeing that photo of the titles from different eras side by side really highlights how the belts today are a rainbow of colors. While that can make them stand out and have their own unique look, the comparison shot really makes them look cartoony instead.

I mean I guess they're original in the sense that no one else has a large WWE logo on their belts lol. Unoriginal that all they did was take their logo and put it on the belt, used red and blue on multiple belts, and it's just pretty bland.

👑🇵🇭⭐️

By the undisputed title being dated and very 2002 to me I'm referring to a few things. I find it's shape to be a stand-out to most WWE titles. The wide oval, which isn't too unlike the spinner belt, is very distinctive to me, as well as the style of the eagle on it and it's somewhat protruding edges rather than a straight shape. Something about the undisputed title, a Limp Bizkit album cover and nu-metal seem like they're all from the same time. Of course that could be my own association in my head. I feel similarly to the oval IC title (one of my least favorites). The almost bubbley oval shape reminds me of the late 90s.

I don't doubt that the current WWE championships are a marketing ploy, but I don't think that makes them automatically creative or great. The fact that it sells as well as it does could be just as likely because of its exposure on TV and in sporting events, as well as the fact that we got a WCT version, just as much as it could be their design. I don't think popularity and prestige are the same thing. I like the Hulkamania/New Gen belts because they have a more plain but also uniform look to them, and they resemble sporting trophies to a degree to me. That's most likely my own nostalgia though.

Something about the WWE US title is off to me and I don't know what. It's either the shape or the colors I think but I can't tell which. I kind of like the point on the bottom so I think I just prefer gold over the red, white and blue. I agree that it needs some kind of updating to match the side plate gimmick of the rest of their belts. It's important to have a somewhat uniform look so that your titles can look like they're from the same company, without being straight copies.

You obviously are much more of a belt expert than I am, can you explain how gems make a belt the best, or more modern? Hopefully I don't sound too ignorant in this post.

Golden Age - New Generation era easily for me. Doesn't look like the gimmicky belts of the ruthless aggression era onward. Distinctive belts that looked nice and prestigious.

Everything WWE ran from 2002-2011 was fire. I loved that IC AE title. ing Cody Rhodes going back to the boring old one.

Yep.