Do WWE Wrestlers Keep Their Belts?

WWE wrestlers are some of the most popular athletes in the world. But do they keep their belts after they retire? Read on to find out!

Introduction

WWE is a professional wrestling promotion company based in Stamford, Connecticut. It was founded by Jess McMahon and Toots Mondt in 1952 as Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC). The company’s name was changed to World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in 1963, when it was acquired by Vince McMahon. In 1982, the company was renamed World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which has remained its legal name since then.

WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship

WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship was a world heavyweight championship in WWE. It was established under WWE in 2002, after WWE bought World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The title was then unified with the WWE Championship, which WWE had established in 1963. The last holder of the title was Rey Mysterio, who won it by defeating John Cena and Big Show in a triple threat match at The Bash on June 28, 2009.

The title was retired on August 16, 2010, owing to WWE introducing a new world heavyweight championship (the WWE World Heavyweight Championship) at SummerSlam 2010 as a result of the Raw brand extension. A tournament was held later that same year to determine the inaugural champion.

In December 2013, following the debut of the original world heavyweight championship belt in 2002 and its subsequent retirement and reactivation under differing names, WWE revealed an updated version of the world heavyweight championship belt.

The WWE Championship

WWE Champions are determined by a match in which the object is to pin one’s opponent. The most common way to win is via pinfall, in which an opponent is held down on his back with both shoulders touching the mat for a three-count. Other ways to win include submission, technical knockout (i.e. if an opponent cannot continue due to injury), countout (i.e. if an opponent fails to return to the ring before a 20-count) and disqualification (i.e. if an opponent breaks the rules).

The current WWE Champion is Ronda Rousey, who is also the first-ever women’s UFC Champion and Olympic bronze medalist in judo. Rousey won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34 in 2018, making her the first woman to win a WWE title in history.

The Universal Championship

The Universal Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE on the Raw brand. It is one of WWE’s two flagship championships, alongside the WWE Championship on the SmackDown brand. The current champion is Brock Lesnar, who is in his second reign.

The NXT Championship

The NXT Championship is a professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE on their NXT brand. It is one of two world titles for the NXT brand, alongside the NXT North American Championship. The current champion is Adam Cole, who is in his first reign.

The title was introduced on July 1, 2012, at a WWE House Show in Winter Park, Florida. It replaced the FCW Florida Heavyweight Championship as the top championship of WWE’s developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). When FCW was rebranded as NXT Wrestling in August 2012, the title remained as its top championship. The inaugural champion was Seth Rollins. As per usual with professional wrestling championships, the title is won as a result of a match.

Conclusion

Based on our findings, it appears that WWE wrestlers do not keep their belts. The belts are property of WWE, and while wrestlers are allowed to take them home with them, they have to return them at some point. There are a few exceptions to this rule, such as when a wrestler retires or is released from WWE. In those cases, the wrestler may be allowed to keep the belt.