Ranking The Top 10 Championships In Wrestling Today

The Chairshot crew comes together to rank the top championships in wrestling today. Do you agree? Did AEW get snubbed? Was NXT overvalued? What about Japan?

Last week’s edition of the Greg DeMarco Show was a fun experiment where Andrew Balaz joined Miranda Morales and myself (Patrick O’Dowd was out sick) to rank the Top 10 Championships in Wrestling Today. The concept was spawned by a text exchange between Andrew and myself, where a picture of IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion EVIL was sporting new silver/grey hair and new gear. I added the following comment: there’s the #3 champion in the world today.

Andrew replied asking who is above him: “Drew and Keith?” I assumed the two WWE world championships would rank ahead in terms of modern day importance, but my assumption seemed to be met with a surprised response. Thus, a concept was born for the following week’s Greg DeMarco Show.

The Top 10 Championships In Wrestling Today

Throughout the process, there was a definite tiered approach that revealed itself. The top two championships stood out above the rest:

#1 – WWE Championship

Currently held by Drew McIntyre, this title combined legacy with worldwide recognition to take the top spot, but it wasn’t without argument.

#2 – IWGP Heavyweight Championship

Currently held by EVIL, this title has it all: history, workrate, prestige. In fact, I was willing to concede that it’s likely the most prestigious championship, but not necessarily the most important.

After these two, the list got interesting. As you can hear in the podcast linked below, I started asking about the AEW World Championship, but it wouldn’t appear in the next tier.

#3 – WWE Intercontinental Championship

Long considered the “workhorse championship” and a predictor for future success, the modern day Intercontinental Championship is, at times, treated like a third world title in WWE. Currently held by AJ Styles, this belt has made performers like Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, The Rock, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and many others. Today, it’s sometimes a mid-card belt and sometimes can main event a PPV. But history wins out and it got the #3 spot.

#4 – NXT Championship

I was really surprised at the level of support shown for Miranda’s suggestion of putting the NXT Championship this high. But a great point was made: it’s basically the new Intercontinental Championship. A predictor of success for a high percentage of title holders, amazing workrate in matches, and held in high regard among fans across many sub-groups. Keith Lee is the current champion, and you won’t find many who don’t think he’s amazing.

#5 – NXT Women’s Championship

Even though WWE didn’t stick with the equal naming of this title–and I wish they had)–Io Shirai’s NXT Women’s Championship is really an equal to the NXT (Men’s) Championship. It’s a predictor of success, the matches tend to be great, and several future Hall of Fame talents have held that championship.

Next we moved into the third tier, with me still surprised that no one would bite on the AEW World Championship. AEW is the #2 company in America, airs on TNT, and was rolling along strong before the pandemic shut down live crowd wrestling. But alas…

#6 – All Japan Triple Crown Championship

When the PWF World Heavyweight Championship joined with the NWA United Heavyweight Championship and the NWA International Championship–kinda like Voltron–in 1989, the Triple Crown Championship was born. The holder carried around all three belts through 2013, when a new singular belt was crafted. Legendary performers like Stan Hansen, Kenta Kobashi, The Great Muta, Vader, Mitsuharu Misawa, and several Mount Rushmore level names in Japan and beyond have held the Triple Crown, currently held by 7-time champ (and that’s a record) Suwama. The championship made the list for legacy and prestige, but was penalized for relevance today.

#7 – Raw Women’s Championship

The second women’s championship to hit the list, Sasha Banks’ Raw Women’s Championship was the same title won by Charlotte Flair in front of 100,000+ fans at WrestleMania 32, which really cemented the Women’s Revolution/Women’s Evolution. It fell below the NXT Women’s Championship because it’s less protected, but it’s place in history can’t be argued.

Next up we shifted into tier 4, where any number of championships could have made the cut. there could only be three, and these are them!

#8 – IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Also held by EVIL (the only person holding two championships on this list), this title has headlined WrestleKingdom in the Tokyo Dome and has, at times, been treated as a second world title in New Japan. 2020 booking has dropped it down a notch, as the double champion concept often hurts the secondary title involved.

#9 – GHC Heavyweight Championship

The top title in Pro Wrestling NOAH is filled with prestige and spectacle, currently held by Go Shiozaki. The recent acquisition of NOAH actually helped it’s status, as the future outlook for this title is brighter than it’s recent history.

#10 – ROH World Championship

Much like the two spots above it, many titles could be in the #10 spot, but the ROH World Championship won out based on history. A veritable “Who’s Who of Pro Wrestling” have held this championship, including CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Nigel McGuinness, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Roderick Strong, Adam Cole (BAY BAY), Kyle O’Reilly, Eddie Edwards, Cody Rhodes, and many others.

What about the AEW World Championship?

Along with the AAA Mega Championship, NWA World’s Championship, Smackdown Women’s Championship, United States Championship, Impact World Championship, Impact Knockouts Championship, the AEW World Championship did not make the cut. Unlike the other 6 listed alongside it, this one was the most surprising to me.

The AEW World Championship, currently held by Jon Moxley, has only had two title holders in it’s short history, and that was a big crux in the argument against it’s inclusion. Much like the WWE Universal Championship–also not on this list–it’s still lacking in being taken seriously, even at times by its own company.

Did it deserve to be on the list? If this was my personal Top 10 I believe it would have been on the list. But that’s not how you make a strong list, you have to have a group effort. I think it’s fair to call it a snub, but you gotta listen to the podcast version and hear us make this list. Outside of myself, neither Andrew or Miranda (who often defends AEW) had any inclination to include this title. If we went to #11 or #12, I still don’t think it makes the cut.

Hear us develop this list by listening to last week’s Greg DeMarco Show!
The process is as entertaining as the list itself.

So there you have it, our Top 10 Championships in Wrestling Today! Let us know in the Chairshot Facebook Group, or on social media @ChairshotMedia what you think!