62-538: The AEW TBS Championship is a women's professional wrestling television championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established on October 6, 2021, it is the secondary championship of the promotion's female division, and the inaugural champion was Jade Cargill . It is named after the TBS television network, which airs AEW's flagship program, Dynamite . The reigning champion
124-587: A four-way match to win the NYWC Fusion Championship. On May 3, 2021, Nightingale made her All Elite Wrestling (AEW) debut, competing on AEW Dark: Elevation against Thunder Rosa , to whom she lost. On June 6, Nightingale made her Ring of Honor (ROH) debut on ROH's Women's Division Wednesday program, where she defeated Alex Gracia. On August 4, Nightingale competed in the ROH Women's World Championship tournament to determine
186-695: A concussion. On November 23 at Full Gear , Nightingale returned during the AEW World Championship main event between fellow Conglomeration member Orange Cassidy and champion Jon Moxley , where she prevented Moxley's Death Riders stablemate Marina Shafir from interfering. On October 29, 2022, Nightingale made her debut for Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW) at The Mountain Top 2022 , teaming with Yuka Sakazaki , to defeat Maki Itoh and Yuki Kamifuku . On April 27, 2023, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) announced that Nightingale would compete in
248-594: A few isolated championship matches. On rare occasions, a male wrestler will compete in championship matches for championships generally contested exclusively in the women's division. Such examples include Harvey Wippleman becoming the only male to capture the WWF Women's Championship in 2000, and Eric Young winning one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship in 2012. Gimmick match classifications sometimes factor into
310-508: A former AEW TBS Champion . She also performs for AEW's partner promotions New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where she was the inaugural Strong Women's Champion , and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), where she is a former CMLL World Women's Champion . In addition to her work in AEW and NJPW, Nightingale is known for her tenures with Ring of Honor and Shimmer Women Athletes , challenging for championships in both promotions . Paultre
372-474: A four-woman single-elimination tournament on May 21 at Resurgence to crown the inaugural Strong Women's Champion . At Resurgence, Nightingale defeated Momo Kohgo in the semi-finals and Mercedes Moné in the finals to become the inaugural Strong Women's Champion. She had her first successful title defense on the June 2 episode of Rampage , where she retained the title by defeating Emi Sakura . On July 5, at
434-624: A gender specification, though Chyna defeating Jeff Jarrett to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship in 1999 and Tessa Blanchard defeating Sami Callihan to win the Impact World Championship in 2020 are notable exceptions. In promotions featuring only a single gender (such as Women of Wrestling or Shimmer Women Athletes ), gender classifications are often unnecessary as well. Titles specifically designated for women may fall into any of
496-787: A hardcore championship is the FTW Championship in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), which is primarily contested in FTW Rules matches . A past such title is WWE Hardcore Championship , which was active from 1998 to 2002. In recent years, style-based championships have centered around what is known as "scientific" or technical wrestling. Examples of this include the NXT Heritage Cup (which is specifically contested under "British Round Rules") in WWE 's NXT brand, and
558-502: A knee infection. In All Elite Wrestling , when a champion gets injured, a match is held to determine an interim champion until the lineal champion is cleared to compete, after which a match is held between the two to crown an undisputed champion. For example, Jon Moxley became interim AEW World Champion in June 2022 after then-lineal champion, CM Punk, was sidelined with a foot injury. When Punk returned in August, Moxley defeated him in
620-654: A match for the AEW TBS Championship , which Willow lost. Nightingale challenged for the championship again at Battle of the Belts IV , losing once again. On the October 21 episode of Rampage , it was announced that Nightingale had signed with AEW. On June 2, 2023, Nightingale defended the Strong Women's Championship against Emi Sakura on All Elite Wrestling's television show AEW Rampage , marking
682-466: A match to become the undisputed champion. These interim reigns are not recognized as official reigns. However, if the lineal champion's injury renders them indefinitely sidelined, they can forfeit the championship and the interim champion becomes the lineal champion. An example of this happened in November 2022, when it was announced that then-lineal AEW Women's World Champion , Thunder Rosa relinquished
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#1732791658123744-416: A measure of their performance ability and drawing power. The most accomplished or decorated wrestlers tend to be revered as legends. American wrestler Ric Flair has had multiple world heavyweight championship reigns spanning over three decades. Japanese wrestler Último Dragón once held and defended a record 10 titles simultaneously . Professional wrestling's championship belts are modeled similarly to
806-548: A separate TBS Championship for male wrestlers. It was later reported that the promotion would introduce a secondary women's championship and it would instead be called the TBS Championship. Prior to the October 6, 2021, second anniversary episode of Dynamite , AEW President and Chief Executive Officer Tony Khan said there would be a major announcement made on the show. During the episode, AEW commentator Tony Schiavone and referee Aubrey Edwards officially unveiled
868-754: A severe injury and despite the championship being quite important. In 1998, Shane Douglas kept the ECW World Heavyweight Championship while sidelined. In 2005, Trish Stratus kept the WWE Women's Championship while sidelined with a herniated disk for four months. In 2012, CM Punk kept the WWE Championship while undergoing and recovering from knee surgery. In 2015, Ryback kept the WWE Intercontinental Championship while recovering from
930-489: A short, TV-friendly time limit, usually 10 or 15 minutes. These titles were originally introduced during a time when weekly TV shows were seen as a vehicle to promote the money-making live shows, where major title defenses took place. Television titles provided a championship that would be defended on the weekly television shows. Examples of a television championship include the AEW TNT Championship (named after
992-422: A wrestler and defended in sanctioned matches, but are not recognized as legitimate titles by the promotion. Examples of unsanctioned championships include: Willow Nightingale Danielle Paultre (born January 25, 1994), better known by the ring name Willow Nightingale , is an American professional wrestler . She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a member of The Conglomeration and
1054-492: Is Mercedes Moné , who is in her first reign. She won the title by defeating Willow Nightingale at Double or Nothing on May 26, 2024. In March 2020, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) established the AEW TNT Championship as a television championship for the men's division, named after the TNT television network, owned by WarnerMedia . In May 2021, it was announced that AEW's flagship program, Dynamite , would be moving from TNT to
1116-567: Is WWE's NXT Heritage Cup , which is represented with a trophy. The fate of a title depends on the champion's condition and the importance of the title to the promotion (e.g. Gregory Helms held the WWE Cruiserweight Championship , despite being sidelined with an injury, because the Cruiserweight Championship was not a major championship). The champion may be forced to vacate his or her title if
1178-564: Is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations . Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches , in which competitors are involved in predetermined rivalries. These narratives create feuds between the various competitors, which cast them as villains and heroes (heels and faces respectively). The bookers in a company will place the title on the most accomplished performer, or whom they believe will generate fan interest in terms of event attendance and television viewership. Professional wrestling portrays
1240-427: Is becoming increasingly rare as champions are needed to be present in regular tours even when titles are not defended. Professional wrestling championships are often split up into various different classifications, each of which designate varying levels of importance to the belts. The world heavyweight championship (also just world championship) is the name given to the championship that is typically presented as being
1302-472: 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. Some teams may invoke what is called the Freebird Rule , in which a stable of three or more wrestlers are all officially recognized as champion, allowing any pairing of the stable's members to defend
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#17327916581231364-556: Is scripted, there is no promotion or group of people that recognize one official world title of the industry (the closest was the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship during the territory days during the mid to late 20th century). Instead, each promotion can promote their top title as a world title, with some of them promoting title matches around the world to claim the designation. Some promotions may even recognize multiple world championships, such as
1426-497: Is the case with WWE, as due to the large size of its roster, the promotion splits its roster into what they call brands where talent exclusively perform and their two main brands ( Raw and SmackDown) each have their own world championship. The first widely recognized world heavyweight championship was the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship , created in 1905, and the inaugural champion
1488-500: Is very common for these variations to be the second most prestigious championship in a promotion, but exceptions have existed, like the now defunct WWE European Championship , which served as the company's tertiary singles championship, and the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship , which many NWA territories created versions of and promoted as their most prestigious championship whenever
1550-533: The Heart of Shimmer Championship . After holding the NYWC Starlet Championship since February 2016, Nightingale lost the title to Kris Statlander on February 23, 2019. Nightingale reclaimed the NYWC Starlet Championship on January 25, 2020, defeating then-champion Tina San Antonio in a steel cage match. On February 26, 2022, Nightingale defeated Johnny Radke, Dino Might, and John Silver in
1612-557: The ROH Pure Championship in Ring of Honor (which is contested under "Pure Wrestling Rules"). A variation that was prominent in the 1980s and 1990s and made a return in the 2020s is a "television championship" or "iron man championship", which involves more frequent title defenses as well as the stipulations that the belt can only change hands on television (as opposed to non-televised house shows ) with title matches having
1674-489: The TNA Digital Media Championship , which was created in 2021 to reflect TNA 's online platforms or WWE's Speed Championship which is named after the X (Twitter) exclusive streaming show WWE Speed . In 2021, AEW introduced the first TV title specifically for female wrestlers, the AEW TBS Championship , named for the network that is the home of Dynamite as of January 5, 2022, serving as
1736-522: The home network of AEW's Rampage and Collision broadcasts plus other AEW programming) and the ROH World Television Championship . A modern take on the traditional TV title are internet championships. As professional wrestling began having events on streaming and online platforms, some promotions modified their television championships to be promoted as internet championships to reflect this. Examples of this include
1798-538: The "Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F." (the Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling Commission), the main regulatory body in Mexico: Gender occasionally plays a role in the classifications of championship belts. Due to professional wrestling being a male dominated sport, only women's titles are given official gender classifications. Generally, only men are allowed to win the championships without
1860-542: The "legitimacy" of their own titles, although cross-promotion does happen. When one promotion absorbs or purchases another, the titles from the defunct promotion may continue to be defended in the new promotion or be decommissioned, usually through championship unification . Behind the scenes , the bookers in a company will place the title on the most accomplished performer, or those the bookers believe will generate fan interest in terms of event attendance and television viewership. Lower ranked titles may also be used on
1922-557: The AEW TBS Championship as a television championship for the women's division. AEW announced that the inaugural champion would be determined by a single-elimination tournament . The tournament bracket was revealed on the October 22 episode of Rampage with a 12-woman field. The tournament itself began on the October 23 episode of Dynamite and concluded on the January 5, 2022, episode, the show's debut broadcast on TBS. In
AEW TBS Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue
1984-498: The AEW TBS Championship. On the May 1 episode of Rampage , Nightingale successfully defended her TBS Championship against Skye Blue in a Manitoba Massacre . On May 26 at Double or Nothing , Nightingale lost the TBS Championship to Mercedes Moné , ending her reign at 35 days. After the match, Nightingale was attacked by Statlander, ending their tag team. Sometime after splitting with Statlander, Nightingale joined The Conglomeration . On
2046-579: The July 15 episode of Collision , Nightingale defeated Ruby Soho to win the women's tournament. On July 16, it was announced that Willow will be facing Athena at Death Before Dishonor of year 2023 for the ROH Women's World Championship. This match main evented the Pay-per-view and during this match Willow was not successful as Athena retained. On September 23, 2023, episode of Collision, Nightingale
2108-546: The July 3 episode of Dynamite , Nightingale defeated Statlander in to advance to the finals of the Owen Hart Cup . On the July 10 episode of Dynamite , Nightingale lost the Owen Hart Cup finals to Mariah May due to interference from Statlander. On August 25 at All In Zero Hour, Nightingale with fellow Conglomeration member Tomohiro Ishii to defeat Statlander and Hathaway. Since Nightingale's team won, she
2170-682: The NWA World Heavyweight Champion was not around. Another common classification of championships are by weight classes . Given the scripted nature of professional wrestling matches, weight classes are not always strictly adhered to. Typically, promotions prefer to have a heavyweight title as their top prize, with other designations, such as cruiserweight , middleweight , or light-heavyweight titles. Promotions often have one sub-heavyweight classification, while others sometimes may have more. Mountevans' committee (a governing body that instilled rules for professional wrestling in
2232-485: The UK) created seven formal weight divisions: Classifying championships into weight classes is also common practice in the lucha libre promotions of Mexico . Lucha libre has a detailed weight class system patterned after boxing. Each weight class has an official upper limit, but examples of wrestlers who are technically too heavy to hold their title can be found. The following weight classes exist in lucha libre, as defined by
2294-560: The building that was the original home of both TNT and TBS. Also like the TNT title, the two outer side plates feature AEW's logo, while a third smaller side plate on the far right side also features the promotion's logo. This and the original TNT belt it was based on were originally commissioned by AEW and designed by Red Leather, and the actual construction of the belt was completed by Rey Rey Championship Belts. As of November 28, 2024, there have been five reigns between five champions. Jade Cargill
2356-458: The championship belts in boxing , and other combat sports such as mixed martial arts . They are made of elaborately designed plates of gold or other precious metals , usually bearing the name of the title and the wrestling promotion, and is on a leather strap. The color and designs vary with each title and promotion. A wrestler may win a sanctioned championship and redesign the belt itself. Some (such as John Cena 's Spinner Belt) later became
2418-411: The championship. This rule is most commonly applied to the standard 2-on-2 tag team championship, though it has also been applied to the other variants. Tag team championships are also often combined with regional modifiers, gimmick modifiers, gender modifiers, and weight class modifiers to further distinguish them. In such cases, the primary title is usually called the world tag team championship , with
2480-487: The counterpart to the male TNT Championship. Sister promotion ROH introduced a similar title for their women's division, ROH Women's World Television Championship . 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
2542-520: The creation of title belts. In these classifications, special skills 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", a title often defended in weapons-filled and bloody competitions with fewer rules (count outs and disqualifications are not usually allowed). An active example of
AEW TBS Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue
2604-457: The first time that title was defended outside of NJPW. On June 17 at the premiere episode of Collision , Nightingale teamed up with Skye Blue to defeat Ruby Soho and the AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm . Nightingale competed in the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament , winning over Nyla Rose and advancing to the finals by defeating Athena in the semifinal round. On
2666-612: The inaugural champion, losing to Allysin Kay in the first round. On December 3, Nightingale defeated Mandy Leon to become the number one contender for the ROH Women's World Championship. On December 11, at Final Battle , Nightingale unsuccessfully challenged Rok-C for the Women's World Championship. Following Final Battle, ROH went on hiatus. During this hiatus, AEW President and CEO Tony Khan purchased ROH. On April 1, 2022, at Supercard of Honor , Nightingale faced Mercedes Martinez for
2728-510: The injury becomes too severe and the championship is too important. In May 2015, Daniel Bryan vacated the WWE Intercontinental Championship due to a major concussion and a year before, he had to vacate the world title due to neck surgery. In November 2015, Seth Rollins vacated the WWE World Heavyweight Championship due to a knee injury that required surgery. However, a champion may keep their title despite
2790-414: The interim ROH Women's World Championship but was defeated. On April 8, on AEW Rampage , Nightingale participated in the Owen Hart Cup tournament, losing to Red Velvet during a qualifying round match. On June 6 episode of Ring of Honor , Nightingale successfully defended the Strong Women's Championship against Rachael Ellering . On June 17, at Road Rager , Nightingale challenged Jade Cargill in
2852-637: The men's TNT Championship, with a couple of notable differences. The belt has six plates on a black leather strap. The center plate prominently features a relief TBS network logo at the center. Above the TBS logo is AEW's logo, while below the TBS logo is a blue banner that says "CHAMPION" (countering the red banner on the TNT title). The two inner side plates are the same as the TNT Championship, featuring "Tara on Techwood", 1050 Techwood Drive in Atlanta ,
2914-576: The most prestigious of those contested within a promotion. The wrestler holding a championship with this name is most commonly referred to as the "world heavyweight champion" or "world champion" (though some promotions may use synonymous/alternate terms, such as the AAA Mega Championship of Lucha Libre AAA World Wide or the Undisputed WWE Championship , the premier title of WWE ). Since professional wrestling
2976-418: The network's sister channel, TBS , also owned by WarnerMedia, in January 2022, while AEW's other core program, Rampage , would remain on TNT. Despite Dynamite moving to TBS, wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer reported that the TNT Championship would not be renamed. Then-AEW executive and wrestler Cody Rhodes also affirmed that there were no plans to rename the championship and that there were no plans for
3038-432: The official belt design. Others (such as Stone Cold Steve Austin 's Smoking Skull Belt, Edge 's Rated-R Spinner, Daniel Bryan 's eco-friendly belt, and The Fiend Bray Wyatt 's Universal title with his face on it) were not used after their respective title reign. While rare, there are cases of championships being represented with items other than belts, such as championship trophies, medals, crowns, etc. An example of this
3100-552: The other categories listed here (e.g. women's world titles or women's tag team titles). Andy Kaufman once used 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
3162-413: The other championships seen as secondary titles. Examples of 2-on-2 tag team championships: Examples of 3-on-3 tag team championships: Examples of 4-on-4 tag team championships: Examples of 5-on-5 tag team championships: The concept of championships, and their central role in wrestling, allows for the potential for angles . One such angle is an unsanctioned championship title. These are claimed by
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#17327916581233224-465: The performers who show potential, thus allowing them greater exposure to the audience. However, other circumstances may also determine the use of a championship. A combination of a championship's lineage, the caliber of performers as champion, and the frequency and manner of title changes, dictates the audience's perception of the title's quality, significance, and reputation. A wrestler's championship accomplishments can be central to their career, becoming
3286-803: The promotion is based, an example being WWE's United States Championship . Sometimes it may specify a specific state or territory, such as the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Championship . It is also common to be a smaller division of the world, an example being the WWE Intercontinental Championship , the AEW International Championship (previously known as the All-Atlantic Championship), or the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship . It
3348-431: The second night of NJPW Independence Day , Nightingale lost the title to Giulia , ending her reign at 45 days. Nightingale made her debut for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) on March 29, 2024, at Homenaje a Dos Leyendas , where she teamed with La Catalina and Tessa Blanchard to defeat Lluvia , Stephanie Vaquer , and Zeuxis On July 13 at Fantastica Mania 2024, Nightingale defeated Lluvia and Viva Van to win
3410-555: The structure of title match combat sports . Participants compete for a championship, and must defend it after winning it. These titles are represented physically by a championship belt that is worn or carried by the champion(s). In the case of team wrestling, there is a belt for each member of the team. Almost all professional wrestling promotions have one major title, and some have more. Championships are designated by divisions of weight, height, gender, wrestling style, and other qualifications. Typically, each promotion only recognizes
3472-510: The title due to a back injury she suffered in August. As a result, then-interim champion, Jamie Hayter , became the official champion. Before the 1980s when title matches were rare, some champions could keep their titles even when injured; Bruno Sammartino kept his WWWF World Heavyweight Championship from April to June 1976 despite being injured by a botched body slam from Stan Hansen . In Mexico , this situation still occurs, but in Japan , it
3534-419: The tournament final, Jade Cargill defeated Ruby Soho to become the inaugural TBS Champion. On the October 22, 2021, episode of Rampage , the participants of the inaugural TBS Championship Tournament were revealed. Tony Khan announced on Busted Open Radio that the tournament would have a 12-woman field with four of them receiving a first round bye . The TBS Championship belt design is nearly identical to
3596-646: Was George Hackenschmidt . The lineage of many prominent contemporary world championships can be traced back to the World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship, with the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship considered its direct successor , with many world championships having been spun of from the NWA's title. A very common championship variation. The championship usually specifies the location on where
3658-491: Was allowed to choose the stipulation for her and Statlander's match at All Out on September 7, which she chose to make it a Chicago Street Fight . At All Out, Nightingale was defeated by Statlander, ending their feud. On October 12 at WrestleDream , Nightingale unsuccessfully challenged Mariah May for the AEW Women's World Championship. After WrestleDream, it was reported that Nightingale would take time off to recover from
3720-447: Was injured and pulled from the match against Hart. Kiera Hogan was Nightingale's replacement in the match against Hart until she was defeated by Hart. Hart attacked Hogan until Skye Blue came out to make the save, but Blue was misted by Hart, "blinding" her. In early 2024, Nightingale formed a tag team with Kris Statlander and they were managed by Stokely Hathaway . On April 21, 2024, at Dynasty , Nightingale defeated Julia Hart to win
3782-798: Was the inaugural champion and has the longest reign at 508 days, which is also the longest reign of any AEW championship. Willow Nightingale has the shortest reign at 35 days. Mercedes Moné is the oldest champion, winning the title at 32, while Hart is the youngest at 22, also making her the youngest female champion in AEW's history. Mercedes Moné is the current champion in her first reign. She defeated previous champion Willow Nightingale at Double or Nothing on May 26, 2024, in Paradise, Nevada . Professional wrestling championship#Gender championships Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s A championship or title in professional wrestling
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#17327916581233844-594: Was trained by Mike Mondo at the New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC) school in Deer Park, New York . On February 27, 2015, Paultre, under the ring name Willow Nightingale, made her professional wrestling debut on NYWC's We Can Do It event, losing to Sammy Pickles. A year after her debut, Nightingale won the NYWC Starlet Championship. On November 21, 2018, at Shimmer Women Athletes ' Volume 108 event, Nightingale unsuccessfully faced Dust for
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