In the current day, quite literally anyone can be a WWE Champion – well, not officially.
It’s become more common in recent years for the company, in maintaining positive relationships, to send replica WWE Championships to those who have succeeded in their respective field. It’s particularly common in the sporting world, with basketballers, footballers, and others having been awarded their own piece of championship gold.
However, unwanted publicity came their way recently when it was unearthed that an armed robber was seen wearing a WWE Championship belt. Police in Temple, Texas are said to be on the hunt for a man wearing the title following his alleged involvement in an armed robbery. The incident is said to have taken place on October 25 at around 9:49pm local time.
Reports suggest the man was wielding a gun while demanding money. The official sum of money stolen remains unknown but luckily, no injuries have thus far been noted.
WWE’s History Of Gifting Replica Championships
Though it’s unlikely that the wanted man was wearing an officially-licensed and gifted championship, the sports entertainment giant has made a habit over the years of providing customised championship belts to people outwith the wrestling world. Particularly, this extends to the sporting world.
It’s become somewhat of a tradition for the winners of various sporting leagues, such as the National Basketball Association and the National Football League, to be presented with their own WWE Championships. These will often come with custom sideplates, as is typical of all WWE Champions.
In 2022, the company has gifted titles to the Los Angeles Rams, who won the 56th Super Bowl, and seemingly the Golden State Warriors, who won the latest NBA season. The latter wasn’t officially unveiled in a WWE-issued statement, but the team’s power forward Draymond Green was spotted wearing the championship with pride.