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Wrestling belts, designs and reigns.


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19 minutes ago, NikoBaltimore said:

I appreciate how the design elements borrow from past title belts.  But I just don't care for it especially when it's replacing one of the all-time best.

Agreed. In theory a cool concept. But in actuality a big swing and a miss. The IWGP Title was so damn gorgeous. This belt is very futuristic and doesn't really fit in aesthetically. I know there's Cody neck tattoo memes, but this reminds me more of that redesigned WCW star ship logo. Just not visually pleasing in any way at all. Instead of it looking like their previous titles merged in a blender, it's the bad WCW logo, Cody's neck tattoo, and the Diva's butterfly belt in a blender. No bueno.

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9 minutes ago, NoFistsJustFlips said:

Agreed. In theory a cool concept. But in actuality a big swing and a miss. The IWGP Title was so damn gorgeous. This belt is very futuristic and doesn't really fit in aesthetically. I know there's Cody neck tattoo memes, but this reminds me more of that redesigned WCW star ship logo. Just not visually pleasing in any way at all. Instead of it looking like their previous titles merged in a blender, it's the bad WCW logo, Cody's neck tattoo, and the Diva's butterfly belt in a blender. No bueno.

Adding to those comparisons, the Transformers logo.

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I thought the belt might grow on me the more I saw it but no, I'm liking it less each time. There's something about the shape of it that just seems off. I don't know if widen the bottom half would help but it wouldn't hurt. I don't like how much strap is visible in the front. I think it looks fine with Ibushi it fits him but I can't really see it as a belt others would wear with pride. I literally can't picture Tanahashi with that belt or Okada for that manner, it lacks the feel of grandeur that a main belt should have. I think shaping it more like the previous belt and more emphasis on the idea of a lions mouth biting the world would have made a better belt. It feels like a rough draft of a good belt that needed more time to revise before being implemented.

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I honestly prefer all four versions to the new one. V4, V3, V1, V2 and the new one from best to worst. V4 of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship was not only the best looking active world title, it was one of the best looking belts ever made. I'd only put Big Gold and the WWF Winged Eagle Championship above it.

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Ditto for the GHC Heavyweight Championship:

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The second version of the GHC Heavyweight Championship had a hard act to follow and they've done a great job. There's two added details to it, I really appreciate. 1) The colour green associated with the legendary Mitsuharu Misawa and Pro Wrestling NOAH. 2) The round plate on the back is a smaller replica of the main plate from the first GHC Heavyweight Championship. Well done, Pro Wrestling NOAH.

Edited by The Natural
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The IWGP Heavyweight Championship has gone from the best active world title to dropping that. I'd take the GHC Heavyweight Championship, AJPW Triple Crown Championship, NXT Championship, NXT United Kingdom Championship and AEW World Championship over the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. I wish I could like it but I really don't. It's made worse by replacing one of the best belts ever made. My biggest issue by far is the shape of the main plate. I don't like the gap between that and the side plates, the very long strap as well.

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2 hours ago, The Natural said:

The IWGP Heavyweight Championship has gone from the best active world title to dropping that.

I think that's a pretty good analysis. I'm not as invested in New Japan as most on this board are, but I'd agree the new belt is a step down. It's still by far not the worst belt and not really bad, but it's not really good either. All the old IWGP belts are at least one level above it aswell. 

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45 minutes ago, ReiseReise said:

I think that's a pretty good analysis. I'm not as invested in New Japan as most on this board are, but I'd agree the new belt is a step down. It's still by far not the worst belt and not really bad, but it's not really good either. All the old IWGP belts are at least one level above it aswell. 

Thanks, man. I will say my interest in NJPW has dropped since 2019 compared to 2012-2018. I don't like the design of the new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and how it's retired two belts with a legacy of names/a rich history over decades to a brand new title. That lineage gone. Wrestlers coming up unable to hold the belt won by legends. It be like rebooting the WWE Championship with the WWE Universal Championship erasing said record of names. To me the design is a bad blend of the WWE Divas Championship, Cody Rhodes neck tattoo and the Transformers logo.

Edited by The Natural
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