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The Heritage Cup is now part of WWE NXT. The trophy, which is considered an active championship in World Wrestling Entertainment, first re-emerged alongside the man who last won the coveted prize: Noam Dar.
Supernova 11 has journeyed across most brands in World Wrestling Entertainment. He started off in the Cruiserweight Classic, but eventually competed on RAW, 205 Live, NXT UK, and now, after a long wait, he's on NXT.
Fans were surprised to see the Scottish star on the developmental brand and even more surprised to see him carrying around the large trophy. While some of the audience may be familiar with the coveted prize, there's likely a significant amount of fans who are confused by it.
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This article will tell you five things you need to know about NXT's newest championship. This includes how the trophy is defended, the origins of the prize, and which superstars have held it.
Below are five things you need to know about the NXT Heritage Cup.
#5. The NXT Heritage Cup follows British Rounds Rules
The first thing WWE fans need to know about the NXT Heritage Cup is that the coveted trophy isn't won in a standard singles match with typical rules. Instead, two wrestlers compete in a bout with British Round Rules.
Instead of a bout being one fall to the finish, a wrestler must gain two falls to win the match. The only exception to this rule is if a wrestler is disqualified or knocked out, both scenarios would instantly end the match.
The match is also contested in rounds. Each Heritage Cup bout features six rounds that last for three minutes each. Whichever wrestler earns two falls within those six rounds or has the most points by the end of the six rounds wins the match and the trophy.
#4. The title was first introduced on the now-defunct NXT UK brand
British Round Rules aren't new. They've existed in various forms for decades, specifically in the boom for English wrestling. Unfortunately, pro wrestling's popularity sharply declined in the United Kingdom at one stage, thus making their influence less felt around the world.
WWE NXT UK sought to change that. The now-defunct brand was based on the growing indie scene in the United Kingdom market, with top stars from England, Scotland, and other nearby countries dominating the brand. It was on NXT UK where the Heritage Cup was created.
The trophy is not new to WWE as a whole. Instead, the coveted prize is just new to the NXT brand. NXT UK featured the championship on a regular basis beginning in 2020, with the NXT Heritage Cup often being the main event of a given episode of NXT UK TV.
#3. A-Kid was the first-ever WWE NXT Heritage Cup winner
As noted, the WWE NXT Heritage Cup was first established in 2020 on the NXT UK brand. The first-ever winner was decided via an eight-man tournament. Matches took place on NXT UK's weekly television show, as they stopped doing TakeOver events following the beginning of the pandemic.
Alexander Wolfe, Noam Dar, A-Kid, Flash Morgan Webster, Dave Mastiff, Joseph Conners, Trent Seven, and Kenny Williams all fought to become the inaugural champion. In the end, it was A-Kid who stood tall, last defeating Trent.
For those unaware, A-Kid went on to join NXT in the United States. He put on a mask and now competes as Axiom. The talented Spanish superstar is one of WWE's best wrestlers and will likely make a splash on the former black and gold brand.
#2. The trophy is NXT's 6th active championship, pending the status of the Women's Tag Team Titles
The introduction of the WWE NXT Heritage Cup to NXT is an interesting move, as the brand already features several champions. With the new trophy included, NXT is home to six different titles.
Carmelo Hayes currently holds the NXT Championship, while the NXT Women's Championship is vacant. The North American Championship is held by Wes Lee, while Noam Dar has the coveted Heritage Cup.
Gallus is currently in possession of the NXT Tag Team Titles, but the NXT Women's Tag Team Titles are currently a question mark. The current champions, Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre, were drafted to WWE SmackDown and brought the belts with them. Do the titles even belong to NXT anymore? For now, that remains unclear. Regardless, NXT has a lot of gold for roster members to attempt to win.
#1. Four men have been the holder of the NXT Heritage Cup
There have been five championship reigns with the coveted WWE NXT Heritage Cup. Of those five reigns, four different men have been able to claim themselves to be the top star of the division.
As noted, A-Kid was the first-ever WWE NXT Heritage Cup winner. He held it for 175 days before losing it to Tyler Bate. The Big Strong Boi held the trophy for 161 days before losing it to Noam Dar.
Supernova 11 lost the prestigious cup to Mark Coffey after 258 days, but won it back just 42 days later. He's held the cup ever since. Interestingly, every former NXT Heritage Cup winner, including the current champion, currently resides on NXT in the U.S.
