The Big Gold Belt is a historic professional wrestling championship belt that has represented titles in multiple promotions throughout its history.
48-423: Originally designed in 1985 by silversmith Charles Crumrine and commissioned by Jim Crockett Promotions for NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair , the championship belt has three large gold plates with a distinctive name plate onto which the champion's name was etched. While not the first wrestling championship belt to incorporate a name plate, it popularized the concept. The original championship belt design
96-526: A Reno, Nevada , silversmith specializing in rodeo-style belt buckles, to produce the new championship belt. The championship belt debuted on February 14, 1986, at a Championship Wrestling from Florida card called "Battle of the Belts II", where NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair defended the title against Barry Windham . In 1988, the assets of JCP were purchased by media mogul Ted Turner , whose cable network TBS broadcast JCP programming. He launched
144-606: A deposit per regulations that was required of reigning NWA World Heavyweight Champions and was to be returned after the conclusion of their reigns. WCW was forced to strip Flair of their recognition of world champion and introduced a new title belt design to continue to represent the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. On September 8, two days before Flair's WWF debut, the NWA followed suit and also stripped Flair of their recognition as world champion. Flair soon signed with
192-704: A foundation to NJPW's nWo Japan . Establishing himself as leader of its Japanese sister stable, Chono joined the American nWo in December 1996 as it was gaining momentum in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He would also join its successor, Team 2000, which would eventually restructure again. In a match against WCW's Bill Goldberg , Chono supposedly " shot " the match (actually employing legitimate combat) and dislocated his shoulder. Upon returning to Japan, Chono rejoined NJPW, where he achieved much success. He won
240-457: A hiatus, which forced him and Hiroyoshi Tenzan to vacate the title on July 7, 1995. Since 1999, Chono has owned his own clothing brand, Aristrist (stylised in all caps), with his wife Martina. The name is a portmanteau of "Aristo" and "Tristano". Chono appears as a gang member in the 2017 video game Yakuza Kiwami 2 , alongside Genichiro Tenryu , Keiji Mutoh , Riki Choshu and Tatsumi Fujinami . Besides appearing in numerous TV shows, he
288-651: A match against Matt Borne where he was victorious, he debuted his signature move, the STF. On February 10, 1990, he wrestled in the main-event of NJPW's second Tokyo Dome show, teaming with Shinya Hashimoto against Antonio Inoki and Seiji Sakaguchi , on April 27 he won the IWGP Tag Team Championship with Mutoh, and on December 26 he defeated his mentor, wrestling legend Lou Thesz , when Thesz came out of retirement for one last match. The next year, Chono solidified his main-event status with an amazing performance in
336-563: A new belt for the renamed World Tag Team Championship was unveiled, with the design was based on the World Heavyweight Championship and the Women's World Championship. General Specific Silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver . The terms silversmith and goldsmith are not exact synonyms , as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are (or were, at least) largely
384-524: A promoter, with New Japan permitting him to set up cards in different areas of Japan. Following the 2007 G1 Climax , it appears that Chono may be breaking away from his BLACK faction and formed the Legend stable, having sworn in wrestlers such as Riki Choshu, Jushin Thunder Liger , Shiro Koshinaka , and AKIRA . Outside wrestling, Chono began appearing on Gaki no Tsukai 's " No Laughing Batsu Game " as one of
432-516: A prop in the film (as the original was needed for the actual company). These copies saw use as substitute belts at WCW events afterwards. In March 2001, after the long and bitter rivalry of the Monday Night War , World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. bought out WCW. The Big Gold Belt became property of the WWF and continued to represent the abbreviated WCW Championship within the promotion during
480-562: A six man tag team match for Dotonbori Pro Wrestling on April 13, 2014. He teamed with Daisuke Masaoka and Hayata in a loss to Super Delfin , Hub , and Gran Hamada . Since 2014, Chono's appearances have been limited to non-active roles such as commentary, talk battles and special appearances. In a 2017 interview, Chono did not completely rule out the possibility of a return to the ring but believed it would be unlikely due to various injuries. In 2021, he revealed that he had been suffering from spinal stenosis and underwent surgery for it, which
528-557: A victory over JOKER (Kuuga, Orochi, and Tadasuke ). On October 3, 2011, Chono returned to NJPW for a Team Wolf reunion match, teaming with Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Hiro Saito to defeat Osamu Nishimura, Koji Kanemoto , and Shinjiro Otani. In January 2013, Chono signed with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) as an advisor. On August 25, 2013, Chono teamed with Joe Doering and defeated KENSO and AJPW President Nobuo Shiraishi in an exhibition tag team match. Chono left AJPW in 2014. After returning to freelance, Chono wrestled once in eight years:
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#1732859333402576-457: Is laser beam welding . Silversmiths may also work with copper and brass , especially when making practice pieces, due to those materials having similar working properties and being more affordable than silver. Masa Chono Masahiro Chono ( 蝶野正洋 , Chōno Masahiro , born September 17, 1963) is a Japanese-American retired professional wrestler and actor best known for his 26-year stint with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). As
624-476: The British rule in 1875. Silversmiths saw or cut specific shapes from sterling and fine silver sheet metal and bar stock; they then use hammers to form the metal over anvils and stakes. Silver is hammered cold (at room temperature). As the metal is hammered, bent, and worked, it 'work-hardens'. Annealing is the heat-treatment used to make the metal soft again. If metal is work-hardened, and not annealed occasionally,
672-678: The TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view, the title was unified with the WWE Championship when WWE Champion Randy Orton defeated World Heavyweight Champion John Cena , and the title was officially retired. Afterwards, the Big Gold Belt was used in conjunction with the existing WWE Championship belt to represent the unified championship known as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship (the name has since reverted to
720-847: The Young Lions Cup . After winning the tournament, he went on an excursion that started in Europe, wrestling for Otto Wanz 's Catch Wrestling Association . After a while in Europe , Chono went on an excursion to North America , starting in the United States for Central States Wrestling in Kansas City, which by then broke away from the National Wrestling Alliance to form the World Wrestling Alliance. He would also later wrestle in
768-561: The 2008 DVD release of Nature Boy Ric Flair: The Definitive Collection that the $ 25,000 he initially deposited with additional interest totalling $ 38,000 was never paid back to him, and as a result, Flair kept the Big Gold Belt until a settlement was finally reached with WCW. With its return to WCW, the Big Gold Belt represented the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once again, being awarded to Masa Chono after his August 1992 tournament final victory over Rick Rude for
816-832: The Canadian Maritimes for Atlantic Grand Prix Wrestling and in Puerto Rico , where he, Hashimoto, and Mutoh formed The Three Musketeers . Chono returned to NJPW part-time in July 1988. He came back to the United States in October 1988 and teamed with Mike Davis in Continental Championship Wrestling (CCW), by then renamed the Continental Wrestling Federation (CWF), and won that company's tag titles as
864-545: The IWGP Tag Team Titles on six occasions and also won the very prestigious IWGP Heavyweight Title in 1998. In 2002, Chono won his fourth G1 Climax tournament and had a brief, memorable feud with WWE's Chyna . He also became a booker for NJPW around this time. In 2003, Chono briefly joined Pro Wrestling NOAH for a handful of matches and was defeated by GHC Champion Kenta Kobashi on 2 May of that year. On October 13, he lost to Hulk Hogan . In early 2004, Chono became
912-692: The Japanese Connection. In April 1989, he took part in the IWGP Heavyweight Championship tournament, held at New Japan's very first show at the Tokyo Dome ; he lost to eventual winner of the tournament and new champion Big Van Vader in the quarterfinals. During this time, he would return to the United States and have a brief run in Australia . Upon Chono's return to New Japan in October 1989, he reinvented himself. On October 15, 1989 during
960-513: The NWA World Heavyweight Championship as well as the newly established WCW World Heavyweight Championship . An exception to this arose in the spring of 1991. On March 21, 1991, Tatsumi Fujinami defeated Flair at the WCW/New Japan Supershow . Following this match, the NWA recognized Fujinami as their new champion. However, WCW did not recognize this title change. While Flair would defeat Fujinami at SuperBrawl I on May 19, 1991 to reunify
1008-523: The NWA World Heavyweight Championship in July was recognized by WCW as holding the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship , the world championship of a kayfabe subsidiary of WCW called "WCW International". The WCW International World Heavyweight Championship was represented by the Big Gold Belt until June 19 1994, when it was unified with the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. The Big Gold Belt then represented
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#17328593334021056-552: The NWA World title to IWGP Heavyweight champion The Great Muta in a Title vs. Title match. Around 1993, he participated in his third G1 Climax tournament, losing to Hiroshi Hase in the semi-finals. In January 1994, he received a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Shinya Hashimoto, though he would ultimately lose the match. In August 1994, he won his third G1 Climax tournament, defeating Power Warrior in
1104-515: The NWA and WCW world titles, during Fujinami's approximately two-month reign as NWA World Heavyweight Champion, Flair retained possession of the championship belt and it only represented the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. In July 1991, Flair and WCW parted ways while Flair was still champion. The Big Gold Belt left with Flair due to a dispute with WCW Vice President Jim Herd in which Herd refused to return Flair's $ 25,000 deposit,
1152-602: The Voodoo Murders (Dupree, KENSO , and Joe Doering ). In December 2010, Chono began working for Antonio Inoki's Inoki Genome Federation as a booker. On March 6, 2011, Chono entered Pro Wrestling ZERO1 for their 10th Anniversary Show, where he defeated Daichi Hashimoto in his debut match. On April 17, 2011, Chono wrestled for Osaka Pro, where he teamed with Kuuga and Orochi in a losing effort against Shodai Tiger Mask , Billyken Kid, and Tsubasa. On August 14, 2011, Chono returned to Osaka Pro, teaming with TAJIRI and Zeus in
1200-462: The WCW World Heavyweight Championship again, remaining the top title in WCW until the end of the promotion in 2001. Upon winning the title for the second time in 1996, Hollywood Hogan spray-painted the belt with the nWo logo and afterwards wore the Big Gold Belt in that defaced condition. During the filming of the movie Ready to Rumble in 1999, bronze cast copies of the original belt were made for use as
1248-510: The WWE Championship). However, much like how Chris Jericho carried both physical title belts as Undisputed WWF Champion, the title history for the World Heavyweight Championship was retired as this lineage follows that of WWE's original world title. On the August 18, 2014, episode of Raw , a single, redesigned WWE Championship belt was presented to then-champion Brock Lesnar, and the Big Gold Belt
1296-609: The World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE ) and exhibited the Big Gold Belt there, proclaiming himself "The Real World's Heavyweight Champion" until WCW sued, upon which Flair instead used a WWF World Tag Team title belt, digitized out on television, on the (kayfabe) orders of WWF President Jack Tunney until Flair won the World Wrestling Federation Championship at the 1992 Royal Rumble , thereby unifying it with his own claim. Flair stated on
1344-410: The attackers, usually giving Hōsei Tsukitei a slap to the face. In January 2010 it was reported that Chono would be leaving New Japan and becoming a freelancer, after spending most of his career with the company. In March 2010, Chono portrayed Nobunaga Oda in two matches during a Samurai Festival after leaving New Japan. Chono wrestled AKIRA, who portrayed Mitsuhide Akechi , on both days, winning
1392-589: The claim to the title's number-one contendership by Raw's Triple H . Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff said that the WWE Undisputed Championship was thus disputed, and he awarded the World Heavyweight Championship , in the form of the Big Gold Belt, to Triple H. A new version of the belt, incorporating a WWE logo for copyright purposes, was introduced in March 2003. On December 15, 2013 at
1440-521: The finals. A short time after winning his third G1 Climax, Chono underwent a change in attitude. Originally a clean-cut fan favorite during his NWA World title reign, he turned heel, angered that Power Warrior received a shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Championship before him, as he won the tournament. He also changed his image and adopted a yakuza gimmick , complete with sunglasses, menacing mannerisms and black coats and tights. Chono's partnering with Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Hiro Saito as "Team Wolf" provided
1488-549: The first G1 Climax tournament, winning the tournament in a thirty-minute final over Mutoh. He won the tournament again in 1992, winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in the process. Since then, he has won the tournament on three more occasions. On September 23, 1992, Chono suffered a serious neck injury from a botched sitdown tombstone piledriver while defending the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Steve Austin . On January 4, 1993, he lost
Big Gold Belt - Misplaced Pages Continue
1536-609: The first match and losing the second. On August 15, 2010, Chono returned to New Japan to serve as the special ring announcer for the G1 Climax final match between Hiroshi Tanahashi and Satoshi Kojima . On November 5 and 6, Chono appeared in a series of shows in Taiwan for All Japan. On November 5, Chono and Mutoh defeated the Voodoo Murders ( TARU and Rene Dupree ). The following day, Chono teamed with Mutoh and Masakatsu Funaki to defeat
1584-623: The leader of nWo Japan , Team 2000 and Black New Japan , he was the promotion's top heel for much of his career, beginning in 1994 when he adopted a yakuza inspired gimmick. Aside from his work in NJPW, Chono has also made appearances for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), as a member of the New World Order , as well as occasional appearances in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), Pro Wrestling Noah and Pro Wrestling Zero1 . Chono holds
1632-561: The leader of the Black New Japan stable, which was the most dominating heel stable in NJPW until it was disbanded by Riki Choshu . As a reaction to this, Chono lead an "Anti-Choshu Army" with Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Black Strong Machine . Chono won the 2005 G1 Climax tournament, thus having achieved a record-setting five G1 victories. His success in the G1 has given him the nickname Mr. August. On October 30, 2005, Masahiro Chono and Tenzan defeated
1680-482: The metal will crack and weaken the work. Silversmiths can use casting techniques to create knobs, handles and feet for the hollowware they are making. After forming and casting, the various pieces may be assembled by soldering and riveting. During most of their history, silversmiths used charcoal or coke fired forges , and lung-powered blow-pipes for soldering and annealing. Modern silversmiths commonly use gas burning torches as heat sources. A newer method
1728-747: The period of the WCW/ECW " Invasion ". After the conclusion of Invasion at the Survivor Series in November 2001, the WCW Championship being held by The Rock became known simply as the World Championship for the month that followed as the WCW name was phased out. The title was unified with the WWF Championship at Vengeance in December 2001. Chris Jericho became the final recognized titleholder and
1776-504: The promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which took its name from JCP's flagship television show, and inherited its membership in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), continuing to promote the NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair. In January 1991, WCW officially recognized Ric Flair as their world champion in conjunction with the NWA's recognition. During this time, the Big Gold Belt represented
1824-408: The public of the trade. Silversmiths in medieval Europe and England formed guilds and transmitted their tools and techniques to new generations via the apprentice tradition. Silverworking guilds often maintained consistency and upheld standards at the expense of innovation. Beginning in the 17th century, artisans emigrated to America and experienced fewer restrictions. As a result, silverworking
1872-556: The record for most wins of the G1 Climax at 5, which has earned him the nicknames "Mr. August" and "Mr. G1" . Overall, he is a two-time world champion, with one reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion and NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion each. He is also a seven-time IWGP Tag Team Champion . Chōno debuted in 1984 against Keiji Mutoh at a New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) event in Saitama , Japan. In 1987, he defeated Shinya Hashimoto to win
1920-592: The same but differed in that the end product may vary greatly (as may the scale of objects created). In the ancient Near East (as holds true today), the value of silver was lower than the value of gold, allowing a silversmith to produce objects and store them as stock. Historian Jack Ogden states that, according to an edict written by Diocletian in 301 A.D., a silversmith was able to charge 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, or 300 denarii per Roman pound for material produce. At that time, guilds of silversmiths formed to arbitrate disputes, protect its members' welfare, and educate
1968-623: The subsequent undisputed champion in the WWF and professional wrestling. Following the unification of the World Championship (formerly WCW Championship) and WWF Championship in December 2001, the Big Gold Belt and the WWF Championship belt were collectively used to represent the Undisputed WWF Championship (those who held the championship belts after Jericho are credited as having held only the WWF Championship). After Jericho
Big Gold Belt - Misplaced Pages Continue
2016-515: The team of Shinsuke Nakamura and Hiroshi Tanahashi to win their fifth IWGP Tag Team Championship. The team went on to rename themselves Cho-Ten , a portmanteau of the members' names. They were stripped of the titles in late 2006 after they split up, and refused to defend them together. Masahiro Chono formed a stable with Shinsuke Nakamura in 2006 called Chono and Nakamura-gun, which began feuding with Tenzan's new group, GBH . Chono continued to wrestle full-time in 2007, but also began working as
2064-473: The vacant title in New Japan Pro-Wrestling . Meanwhile the new WCW World Heavyweight Championship belt design that had been commissioned after Flair's departure also continued to be used. In September 1993, WCW formally seceded from the NWA, and the promotional rights to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship were returned to the NWA. With the Big Gold Belt remaining property of WCW, Ric Flair who won
2112-727: Was defeated by Triple H at WrestleMania X8 , the two title belts were replaced by a single Undisputed WWF Championship belt (later WWE), which was first awarded to Triple H on April 1, 2002. By 2002, the WWF had been divided in what became known as the brand extension and the promotion along with its parent company were renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The roster was divided into two franchises or "WWE brands", split between Raw and SmackDown! . The WWE Undisputed Champion appeared on both shows and defended against challengers from both brands. After SummerSlam in August 2002, WWE Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar announced that he had signed an exclusive contract with SmackDown, ignoring
2160-477: Was known for being unbranded as it only read "World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion" and bore no initials or trademark of its owning promotion. The Big Gold Belt was first introduced in 1986 to replace the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt that had been used since 1973, historically known as the "domed globe", and nicknamed by both wrestlers and fans the "Ten Pounds of Gold". Jim Crockett Jr. , of Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), commissioned Charles Crumrine,
2208-461: Was one of the trades that helped to inaugurate the technological and industrial history of the United States silverworking shift to industrialization. Very exquisite and distinctly designed silverware, especially the artisanal craft that goes by the name of Swami silver , emerged from the stable of watchmaker-turned-silversmith P.Orr and Sons in the South Indian city of Madras (now Chennai) during
2256-419: Was permanently retired. In 2023, WWE unveiled a new World Heavyweight Championship which pays homage to the Big Gold Belt and other previous world championship designs, but is not considered to be a return of the Big Gold Belt. Shortly after, a new belt for the renamed Women's World Championship was also unveiled using the same design except the strap is white and the belt is an overall smaller size. In 2024,
2304-715: Was successful. In a 2022 interview, Chono discussed how Keiji Muto requested to have his retirement match with him but was unsure if he could compete. On February 21, 2023, Chono was challenged to an impromptu match by Muto during Muto's retirement show at the Tokyo Dome , which Chono won. Chono announced his own retirement following the match. On December 28, 1991, Chono married Martina Carlsbad, whom he met while on an excursion in Germany in 1987. Together they have one son (born July 4, 2006) and one daughter (born August 2009). In late-June 1995, Chono's father died. His death forced Chono to miss an IWGP Tag Team title defense and take
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