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The TNT Championship is one of the most important titles in AEW. It is considered the promotion's secondary championship after the world title.
Named after the TNT television network, which currently airs AEW Rampage and Battle of the Belts, it rose to prominence thanks to the title reigns of Cody Rhodes and the late Brodie Lee.
The current TNT Champion is Wardlow, who defeated Scorpio Sky for the strap and last defended the title against Orange Cassidy on Dynamite. The TNT Championship belt features six plates with the center plate prominently displaying the network logo. Above that is the AEW logo, while there is a red banner at the bottom with the words 'champion.'
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The title itself has undergone numerous changes since its inception in 2020. In fact, it has become common for a new champion to create a unique design for the belt to signal a new reign, which includes different color schemes and minor customizations.
But not all designs have been a hit. Some have resonated better than others. Here we rank the five best TNT Championship belt designs on AEW television so far.
#5. Original TNT Championship
Cody Rhodes became the inaugural TNT Champion after he defeated Lance Archer in the finals of a tournament at Double or Nothing 2020. Since it was the height of the pandemic, The American Nightmare celebrated in front of a limited audience.
The COVID-19 also affected the creation of the title belt as it wasn't completed on time. Thus, special guest Mike Tyson presented an unfinished design to Rhodes, featuring a red strap and no plating.
Understandably, the unfinished title wasn't well-received by AEW fans. However, given the circumstances, Cody Rhodes did his best to establish the title's prestige through multiple open challenges.
#4. Black Strap TNT Championship
During Night 1 of the special New Year's Smash episode of Dynamite on January 6, 2021, a new belt was unveiled by then-TNT Champion Darby Allin, featuring the same design as the previous belt but on a black leather strap as opposed to red.
The black strap design had two versions with very subtle differences. Allin's version was sleek and much more conventional, with the gold and silver color palette contrasting with the black strap. It also had a mirrored finish which looked gorgeous under arena lights. Darby held this for the first half of 2021 before dropping it to Miro.
When Sammy Guevara defeated The Redeemer later that year, he was presented with the standard championship design. This did not last long as the Spanish God's black-strapped version was soon updated with rhinestones, giving it a blinged-out appearance. The championship's original designer, Ron Edwardsen, nicknamed it the "TNT Bling" belt.
While it was a glamorous design, this era of the TNT Champion will, unfortunately, be associated with rapid title runs between Guevara, Cody Rhodes, and Scorpio Sky, which significantly devalued the title.
#3. Completed Red Strap TNT Championship
The late, great Mr. Brodie Lee beat Rhodes for the TNT Championship and destroyed the original, incomplete version. He soon introduced the completed design, which featured a gold lining to the silver plating and a TNT logo with a mirrored background.
It was a huge improvement and immediately made the championship look like a legitimate title that could be a cornerstone for the company. The gold, silver, and red mixture made it stand out amongst all the other belts in AEW.
Now, it holds a very special place in the hearts of the AEW family. The design was retired soon after Brodie Lee's unfortunate passing in late 2020. The red belt will forever be associated with the leader of The Dark Order.
#2. TNT Championship 'LA Lakers' version
When Scorpion Sky won the TNT Championship in early 2022, his tag team partner Ethan Sky and manager Dan Lambert presented the champ with a custom version in the colors of Sky's hometown NBA team, the LA Lakers.
Inspired by the Lakers' purple and gold color scheme, the belt also featured legendary player Kobe Bryant’s numbers engraved on the strap as a tribute.
The gorgeous design is truly unique and has a personal meaning to the former SCU member. Unfortunately, its appearance was cut short due to Sky's brief run as champion.
#1. Bulgarian Flag-inspired TNT Championship
In our humble opinion, the most creative TNT Championship design introduced so far is Miro's Bulgarian flag version. Soon after defeating then-champion Darby Allin, The Redeemer introduced the iconic design at AEW Fyter Fest Night One in 2021 to accompany his gimmick change.
It featured a stunning white leather strap with the center plate no longer sporting a red banner but green instead. Additionally, the two inner side plates had an inscription of the Coat of Arms for Plovdiv, Bulgaria, which is Miro's hometown. It read "Ancient and Eternal" in Bulgarian.
The green plating meshed perfectly with gold and silver, plus the engraved side plates completed the Bulgarian-flag-inspired palette. It made for a prestigious-looking title that complimented Miro's dominating run as champion.
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