The United States Championship is one of the oldest titles in professional wrestling history, beginning life in 1975 and still in existence to this day. For nearly half a century, it has made its way into the world of wrestling, existing in multiple different promotions like the NWA, WCW, and WWE.
During that time, there have been several different versions and designs of the belt, some of which are stunning works of art that exist fondly in the hearts of wrestling fans, while others were not so appealing. Of course, this is all subjective, as different fans will have different preferences when it comes to these designs.
10 Original United States Championship (black belt)
The first United States Championship design will be seen shortly, but an alternate version of this award emerged with a black strap instead of the classic red, and it wasn’t a good variation at all.
Although the rest of the title was the same, the color change on the strap made it just plain ugly. This just goes to show that even a small change can make a big difference in how a title looks. The likes of Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat sported this version, but it didn’t look good on either of them.
9 John Cena’s United States Spinner Championship
John Cena’s “Thuganomics” character allowed for the development of his own personal United States Championship design. It wasn’t the most horrible design in the world, but for a prestigious wrestling championship with so much history, it felt like a slap in the face.
It looked like a toy for the most part. Unlike Cena’s rotating WWE Championship, the US belt was not gold-plated to hide it and make it look like a plastic accessory.
8 United States Championship “Southern Style”
This was the first major redesign of the United States Championship, becoming the second official “version”. It was just a small belt with an oval center plate that didn’t look that impressive.
It was certainly unique, and the crown style implemented at the top of the title was nice, but overall it was too small and didn’t stand out compared to many of the other designs over the years. This was only a short-term design, in the hands of Sergeant Slaughter, Greg Valentine, and Wahoo McDaniel.
7 WWE United States Championship
WWE decided to reintroduce the United States Championship in 2003, though it came with a new, updated design from what it looked like in WCW.
This is a divisive design, but it’s hard to argue that it looks worse than many of the other designs over the years. The big US flag on the back is a bit jarring, and the yellowish-gold color looked a bit off-putting and fake. He lacked a special factor that championship wrestling is supposed to have, though he did manage to carve out a decent legacy overall in WWE.
6 Original United States Championship (Red Belt)
There’s something charming about the original United States Championship design. Back in the NWA, it was a big deal to have this title. The red belt was unique, and the gold-plated USA country outline was unlike many other belts at the time.
Compared to some of the more glamorous titles, it looks a bit messy indeed, without any proper wow factor. It looks like a classic throwback design though, and it certainly held up back then. It’s a mixed bag and not quite up there with the best designs. according to him JCP United States Championship History by Dick Bournethis first belt was designed by Nikita Mulkovich, and initially held by Harley Race.
5 First “WCW” United States Championship
After WCW left Jim Crockett Promotions and the NWA, the United States Championship underwent a redesign. Although this design is not much different than a very popular design that will appear shortly, it was a little worse due to the strange design of the center plate.
In a way, it looked as if it had been squashed, lessening the effectiveness of the gaze. All that said, the design is still very good, and the central gold eagle in the middle with the US flag behind it is very effective.
4 Current WWE United States Championship
WWE brought out a great design in 2020 when the new updated version of the United States Championship was unveiled and introduced. He took elements of the old WWE design and mixed them with the classic WCW designs, coming together in a great way.
Compared to other current WWE titles, it has an air of elegance and feels more like a throwback than the overly commercialized versions of the current men’s and women’s world titles, for example.
3 NWA United States Championship “The Silver Belt”
This version of the United States Championship bore a resemblance to the classic NWA World Heavyweight Championship, and for this reason it stands out in an important way and looks very prestigious.
This design spanned three years and was one of the most prominent designs in the NWA lineage of the title. Perhaps the silver design on this one took away some of its prestige due to the lack of gold, but it was still a pretty effective design.
2 Last United States Championship “NWA”
As noted, the United States Championship first existed within the NWA. In 1986, the biggest revamp of the title took place, making the design more like the classic designs fans know and love.
The balance of gold, red, and blue was very good here, and very much captured the spirit of what the US title should be. The big gold eagle made its first appearance smack dab in the center of the championship with this skin. He is definitely in contention for the most attractive American title ever.
1 Classic WCW United States Championship design
When fans think of the United States Championship in WCW, they think of this design, and it’s no coincidence. This is the most attractive version of the title throughout its entire history. It made only minor changes from the previous look the title had in WCW, but those changes elevated it in a major way.
This belt had more depth, a better shape, and simply more class and prestige, with a richer mix of black and gold. It was held by numerous prominent names, and it seemed like a big deal. It was a lot like the classic WWE Intercontinental Championship, in every way.