Championship In wrestling , a championship or title is a recognition of a wrestler being the best in their promotion . A wrestler can earn a championship by defeating the current champion in a match ( by far the most common ) or in other ways determined by the promotion , such as winning a tournament for a vacant championship ( occasionally , though very rare , in an effort to get a Heel over , an on - screen authority figure may simply hand a championship to a wrestler without the wrestler earning it , as was the case with Triple H and the World Championship in 2002 ) . Most championships are represented by a championship belt , which the wrestler wears around the waist , carries over the shoulder , or carries around by hand . How champions are determined . Championships are usually won / held by a wrestler whom the promotion ' s booker s believe will generate fan interest in terms of event attendance and TV viewership . Usually , these are wrestlers who generate large fan interest and crowd reactions over a sustained period of time , whether as a Face or a Heel . The wrestler can create this crowd reaction either through in - ring skill , from a quirky gimmick ( e . g . Eugene ) , or from mic skills while cutting promo s . Generally , the wrestlers who draw the greatest fan response will be rewarded with a storyline in which they compete with the current champion for the title , and eventually the championship itself . Belt styles . Professional wrestling ' s championship belts are modeled after the championship belts in boxing . They are made of elaborately designed gold plates ( thus their common nickname " gold , " for example , " Your son has a fondness for gold , " means he ' s either a current or former champion ) , usually bearing the name of the title and the wrestling promotion , on a leather strap . The color and designs vary with each title and promotion . Since 2002 , all major WWE titles have included a nameplate with the current titleholder on the bottom of the main faceplate . This is in the style of the NWA Championship of the 1980s ( nicknamed the " Big Gold Belt " ) , which later became the primary title belt of World Championship Wrestling , which included a nameplate . When the WWE and WCW titles were unified to become the WWE Undisputed Championship , the new belt included a nameplate which has since been added to the design of new WWE championship belts . Types of championships . Professional wrestling championships are often split up into various different classifications , each of which designate varying levels of importance to the belts . Regional championships . The most common types of championships are regional championships . Most national promotions will hold claim to a World Heavyweight Championship or something of the same global status , which always holds the premier position within the promotion . These promotions will also sometimes have other titles of national or international importance as secondary championships . Examples of Major Heavyweight titles include : Examples of National and International titles include : Smaller promotions often opt not to claim a world title due to their scope being limited to a specific area . In these promotions , a national title , state title , or even more sectioned regional title will be considered the top prize in the promotion . Examples of State and Regional titles include : Regional designations are also used to apply to other types of titles . Weight class championships . Another common classification of championships are by weight classes . Typically promotions prefer to have a heavyweight title as their top prize , with other designators such as cruiser weight , middleweight , or light - heavyweight titles . Despite having different weight limits from their boxing counterparts , these titles are considered to be equal standing with their boxing classes . Promotions often utilize one sub - heavyweight classification , while others sometimes may have more . In the rise of British wrestling , Mountevans ' committee ( a governing body that instilled rules from professional wrestling ) created seven formal weight divisions : Calling for champions to be crowned at each weight . Examples of other Weight Class championships include : Gender championships . Gender occasionally plays a role in the classifications of championship belts . For gender - specific titles , the classification " Men ' s " or " Women ' s " is often included at the beginning of the championship ' s name . Due to professional wrestling generally being a sport dominated by men , only women ' s titles are given official gender classifications . Generally , only men are allowed to win the championships without a gender specification , though Chyna winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship in 1999 against Jeff Jarrett is a notable exception . In promotions featuring only a single gender ( such as Women of Wrestling or SHIMMER ) , gender classifications are often thrown out the window as well . Entertainer and comedian Andy Kaufman once parlayed gender classifications to his advantage , turning inter - gender competitions into a unique wrestling side - show . Kaufman declared himself the " Inter - Gender Champion of the World " , and offered $ 1 , 000 to any woman who could pin him . None were successful during the run of the gimmick , though in other promotions such as WCW and WWE , women have successfully pinned men , most notably in a few isolated championship matches . Examples of gender championships include : Gimmick / style championships . Gimmick match classifications sometime come into prominence in the creation of title belts . In these classifications , special skill in a certain type of match or a certain style of wrestling is the signature of the division , and the champion is considered to be the most skilled wrestler at that specific style . Gimmick championships often take very differing forms . A common variation is the Hardcore Championship , which throws rules out the window in favor of a weapons - filled and often bloody competition . Another common variation is the Television Championship , which involves more frequent title defenses as well as the stipulations that the belt can only change hands on television ( as opposed to pay - per - view or unbroadcast " house " shows ) within a 15 - minute time limit . Style championships also take very different forms . A Pure Wrestling Championship focuses on mat - based and technical wrestling , while the X Division title in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotes a faster - paced , high - flying style . The cruiser weight title is often considered to be a style championship due to the X Division like pace and style of its competitors . Examples of Gimmick and Style championships include : Tag team championships . Tag Team championships are yet another different form of wrestling title . Some consider it to be a style championship , but tag team championships are unique in their ability to include multiple wrestlers on teams competing for multiple belts . The most common form of tag team championships are in 2 - on - 2 format , which is often implicitly understood . Other tag team championships include 3 - on - 3 and 4 - on - 4 formats , which are often explicitly stated within the championship name to distinguish them from the 2 - on - 2 championships . Examples of Tag Team Championships include : Tag Team Championships are also often combined with regional modifiers , gimmick modifiers , and weight class modifiers to further distinguish them . In such cases , the world championships are often given higher priority , while the other championships are seen as secondary tag team titles . Examples of Modified Tag Team Championships include : Unsanctioned championships . The concept of championships , and their central role in wrestling , allow for the potential for angle s . One such angle is an unsanctioned championship title . These are claimed by a wrestler and defended in sanctioned matches , but are not recognized as legitimate titles by the promotion . Examples of unsanctioned championships include : A wrestler may also win a sanctioned championship and " rename " it for the duration of his or her reign . Examples of this include :