143-518: The Million Dollar Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the American promotion WWE . The title was originally introduced in 1989 by "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase , who was unable to win or purchase the WWF Championship (now WWE Championship). In storyline, the title was an unsanctioned championship that DiBiase rarely defended. After DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster won
286-431: A "loser leaves the company" match, losing a final contest against Huertas González before leaving. This was the second time that Rivera's role as general manager was overthrown and it was followed by a storyline which was run where Pérez had fired him and vignettes were aired where he was seen as a homeless man. Orlando Toledo, a nephew of the now-defunct Quiñones was introduced as the new general manager. A fictional election
429-449: A Boricua Rumble match, before winning their following appearance. As a sidetrack, Rivera ran a mock campaign to become Governor of Puerto Rico for the fictional Partido Luchador Puertorriqueño (PLP) prior to the 2008 general elections. The closure to the Loteria del Terror came when the other members turned on Rivera and Pérez, citing that "they themselves were part of Capitol once", igniting
572-552: A Caribbean Strap Match, ending their feud. During the match ECW originals The Sandman , Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer were in attendance because the event was held in Philadelphia where ECW originated in and Sandman spat beer in Vega's face and the three were kicked out of the building. On the September 7 episode of Raw , Vega defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley . This was followed with
715-458: A clear advantage early on. At SummerSlam , Los Boricuas defeated The Disciples of Apocalypse. In the first singles match between former Nation members, Vega fought Crush to a no contest. At Ground Zero: In Your House on September 7, he defeated Faarooq and Crush in triple threat match. At the UK-exclusive pay-per-view, One Night Only, Vega and Pérez unsuccessfully challenged The Headbangers for
858-623: A conflict arose between them, leading Vega to expel Laureano from the IWA. On March 2, 2002, Vega used his authority to award himself the IWA World Heavyweight Championship, eventually dropping it to Figueroa. Los Boricuas reunited later that year, when Pérez joined Vega to win the IWA World Tag Team Championship. In November 2002, Vega was injured by Banderas, and was absent for two weeks. When he returned, he pursued
1001-409: A contest for the belt between his brother and Danielson, which was won by the younger Rivera. Rivera then entered a feud with Álvarez, who had served as special referee at Summer Attitude 2010 and made his in-ring debut in the IWA, winning the contest between them. Rivera went on to win two more matches over midcard talent before entering a lengthy hiatus. Returning in winter, he confronted "The Academy",
1144-504: A feud with DiBiase after encountering him in a jewelry store over their watches. Over the next few weeks, "The Million Dollar Man" would continue to one-up Grimes, outbidding him in various purchases. The two then had a "Million Dollar Face-Off" on the May 25 episode where LA Knight defended and allied with DiBiase. At TakeOver: In Your House Knight defeated Grimes in a Ladder Match for the title. After this, WWE added an official title history for
1287-440: A feud with Toledo's Estrellas stable until early 2007, when the former left the company following an event where Rivera sided with Pérez when a conflict between him and Mario Savoldi. Upon retaking his role as general manager, he became the leader of a new heel stable known as "Los Auntenticos" along Pérez and Ricky Vega . This faction was quickly involved in an angle dealing with a power struggle against several other stables within
1430-497: A feud, which saw Huertas González defeating Rivera in a "death match", his retirement contest for the IWA. Rivera eventually make amends with Pérez and joined him along Babderas and Sewell in order to feud with González and Toledo's Estrellas. Following a tag team match that went no contest in February 2007, his team won six consecutive matches against the heel factions. Rivera himself defeated Estrellas' members Kafu , Mikael Judas and
1573-575: 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
SECTION 10
#17329246393311716-783: A few wins over Kengo Kimura and Black Cat . TNT's final match in NJPW took place on July 23, 1993, where he teamed with Masa Saito against Brad Armstrong and Hercules Hernandez in a losing effort. Having gained much wrestling experience, Rivera was recalled to the United States . After losing two dark matches in the World Wrestling Federation as TNT in July 1993, Rivera debuted as Kwang on January 10, 1994. This gimmick incorporated clichéd elements previously used to portray mysterious "Asian" wrestlers and being billed from Japan, including
1859-593: A former Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling wrestler, is the son of Miguel Pérez, Sr. , Jesús Castillo, Jr. is the son of Pedro "Huracán" Castillo, and Jose Estrada, Jr. is the son of José Estrada, Sr. Meanwhile, Faarooq had organized The Nation into a black-only group, while Crush had formed The Disciples of Apocalypse , a white biker stable, launching an angle which became known as "The Gang Wars", based on ethnic stereotypes and loosely mirroring some actual gang wars. The three four-member teams wrestled against one another, with none gaining
2002-600: 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
2145-450: A goatee during the WWF's first In Your House pay-per-view. When Razor Ramon was attacked by Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie , Rivera, portraying a fan in the audience, jumped the guardrail to rescue him. Later that night, Razor introduced him as his childhood friend, "Savio Vega". Vega made his wrestling debut on the May 28 episode of Action Zone , defeating Eli Blu . He then qualified for
2288-511: A group that had entered the IWA two months earlier that was harassing Pérez. At Christmas in PR 2010, Rivera wrestled and lost to one of The Academy's members, the debuting Chris Angel for the vacant Intercontinental Championship. A rematch was scheduled for Histeria Boricua 2011, which was promoted with a throwback angle in which he emphasized how having defeated other undefeated wrestlers such as Austin and Johnson, claiming that his loss at Christmas in PR
2431-754: 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
2574-778: A heart attack, and he unsuccessfully attempted to regain control of the general manager by challenging González at Summer Attitude. On July 25, 2004, Rivera reformed La Compañia. In August 2004, González was involved in an angle in which he won 49% of IWA's stocks. He then entered a feud with the owner of the remaining 51%, Víctor Quiñones. On August 28, 2004, at Bad Blood, González announced that from that moment onwards, IWA would be known as "Capitol Sports Promotions", claiming that Quiñones had already received documentation confirming this. González then began recruiting Huertas González to join him, claiming that their origin in "Capitol joins them". In September 2004, somebody assaulted Huertas González backstage, leaving behind Rivera's trademark bat. It
2717-532: A heel stable called "La Compañia" (The Company), which included Apolo and Ricky Banderas , whom he called his "Dream Team". Vega was depicted as co-owner of the IWA, though he had no real share in the company. As general manager, he was more often a manager than a wrestler. Under this authoritarian gimmick, he introduced his catchphrase, A mi manera o pa' la calle , (roughly, "My way or the highway"), with which he threatened to fire wrestlers, and occasionally did so. He would "discipline" wrestlers by mugging them in
2860-545: 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
3003-404: A mask, a stereotypical martial arts moveset, and Asian mist . The WWF aired promotional vignettes in the weeks before his televised debut, which happened on January 22, 1994, when he, managed by Harvey Wippleman , was the fourth man to enter the 1994 Royal Rumble , marking Rivera's pay-per-view debut. During the match, he teamed with the fifth entrant, Owen Hart , battling the face wrestlers to
SECTION 20
#17329246393313146-511: A match against Savio Vega on May 28, 1996), the title was again abandoned. In May 2002, the WWF was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE, which became an orphaned initialism in 2011). After several years, the Million Dollar Championship reappeared on WWE television in 2009 when DiBiase, the guest host of the night, appeared on the July 6 episode of Raw , carrying the belt as he fulfilled his guest host duties. Nearly
3289-598: A match against two lowcard members of La Compañia. At the IWA's 10th Anniversary show, he wrestled Bravo to a no contest, with the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship being held up. Rivera lost the rematch. In August 2009, he won a handicap match over Rondón and Rodríguez and teamed to defeat La Compañia. He went on to defeat Bravo and Edwin Vázquez Ortega in consecutive matches. Following this, Rivera once again turned heel, teaming with Gilbert , facing
3432-495: A match to Tsuruta and Yatsu on January 29. On September 30, 1990, TNT made his debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling , by losing to Masahiro Chono at Antonio Inoki 's 30th Wrestling Anniversary event. TNT would make frequent tours to Japan to compete for NJPW between 1990 and 1993, competing as a gaijin . He wrestled major star Tatsumi Fujinami and rising stars Shinya Hashimoto and Keiji Mutoh in various singles matches. While he lost most of his singles matches, TNT would receive
3575-461: 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
3718-416: 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
3861-426: A mob, while singing a traditional Puerto Rican bomba, Santa María . Later in 2001, he allied with the main heel stable in the promotion, The Starr Corporation, composed of Chicky Starr , Víctor Rodríguez and Ricky Banderas. At Christmas in PR 2001, Vega and The Starr Corporation turned on Banderas and Shane , who teamed as Los Hermanos en Dolor, and feuded with Banderas. The Starr Corporation remained on his side until
4004-566: A month, before dropping it to Abdullah the Butcher. On April 25, 1990, TNT defeated rival Leo Burke to win his second Television Championship. A few months later, TNT turned heel and began feuding with Carlos Colón, who had won the Universal Heavyweight Championship from Abdullah the Butcher. This led to a match between the two for the title at Aniversario , where they wrestled to a sixty-minute draw. Later that year, TNT lost
4147-414: A no contest, due to a large amount of bleeding from both. On November 15, 2003, Kindred and Vega attacked Banderas following a match, and he was rescued by Vampiro , starting a new feud for La Compañia. At Hardcore Weekend 2003, Rivera returned to his "El Hombre que ellos llaman TNT" persona, wrestling against Huertas González. To close the year, Rivera was fired by José Chaparro, who went on to take over
4290-409: A no contest. The stable eventually grew to include Rivera's younger brother Dennis Rivera and his tag team partner Noel Rodríguez. Los Auntenticos would then create a "terror list" where the names of former WWC employees were written. This list was used in a new angle were the stable would ambush and attack wrestlers that were randomly selected from the list. At Golpe de Estado, Los Autenticos lost in
4433-509: A pair of brass knuckles. After the match, Vega issued his rematch clause. On August 31, 2013, Vega lost to BSP World Heavyweight Champion Menace and Dimes in a three-way dance match celebrated in el sector La Jurado in Caguas, PR. Rivera remained completely absent from any wrestling-related activity for several months as a consequence. He reappeared on the final edition of WWC's Superestrellas de la Lucha Libre show before Aniversario 2011, interrupting
Million Dollar Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue
4576-452: A rematch from WrestleMania 13 against Johnson and The Legion of Doom. After this, The Nation began having internal problems and soon disbanded, when Faarooq expelled several members, including Vega and Crush. Following his departure from The Nation of Domination, Vega formed his own stable, Los Boricuas , composed of Puerto Rican wrestlers, brought in from Puerto Rican promotions, all members of notable wrestling families. Miguel Pérez, Jr. ,
4719-467: A second tour to W*ING in September. On September 19, TNT teamed with Pogo to defeat Saito and The Iceman in a Caribbean Hurricane Cage Deathmatch . TNT's final match in W*ING took place on September 20, in which he defeated Yukihiro Kanemura . This would be TNT's final appearance for W*ING, as he exclusively returned to compete for CSP. TNT would then lose the title to Fidel Sierra on October 19. TNT regained
4862-714: 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
5005-480: 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
5148-431: A sibling rivalry against Dennis Rivera who was supported by Noel Rodríguez and Richard Rondón. The feud continued with matches between both, Los Autenticos lost two tag team matches against this team, known as "La Malicia". In matches between brothers, the result was a no contest and a win by Dennis Rivera. Concurrently, he entered a second feud against Joe Bravo and his own stable, "La Compañia Elite". Rivera and Pérez won
5291-446: A singles match over González. He subsequently brought Miguel "Mr. Big" Maldonado to La Compañia to serve as his personal bodyguard. On November 11, 2005, Rivera defeated Carlos Cotto to win his second World Heavyweight Championship. Later that month he retained in a leather strap match. A third match between them that featured José Huertas González as referee was declared a no contest. However, on January 6, 2006, he lost to González in
5434-535: A six-man street fight tag match against the Legion of Doom and Johnson. On the next Raw , Vega lost to Johnson by disqualification when The Nation interfered. Vega then feuded with Intercontinental Champion Rocky Maivia . Like Austin a year earlier, Maivia entered the feud as an undefeated prospect with a major push. On the April 14 RAW , Vega defeated Maivia by pinfall, while holding his tights. At In Your House 14: Revenge of
5577-567: A stable known as "La Cruz del Diablo". Dennis Rivera eventually returned to his side citing that "blood is heavier than water". He won consecutive matches over Bravo at the Copa José Miguel Pérez and Summer Attitude. Rivera joined his brother in defeating The Bad Boys from Hell's Kitchen, also winning singles contests over Keith Walker and Sonny Roselli. In June 2010, Rivera was contacted by Hugo Savinovich in order to become involved in an angle with IWA's main rival, WWC. Savinovich serves as
5720-572: A stable led by Faarooq , after turning on his partner, Ahmed Johnson . Johnson became the Nation's main rival in the following months. In his first match as a member, he defeated Flash Funk . At In Your House 13: Final Four , he teamed with Faarooq and Crush to win a six-man tag match. In February, he lost consecutive matches by disqualification to Marc Mero and Goldust. On March 17, 1997, Vega and Crush lost to The Legion of Doom by disqualification. At WrestleMania 13 , they teamed with Faarooq to lose
5863-662: A stalemate until Diesel entered seventh and eliminated all the previous entrants. Kwang's televised singles debut was on the January 30 episode of Wrestling Challenge , where he defeated Ray Hudson. On the April 18 episode of Monday Night Raw , Kwang suffered his first loss in the WWF, against the WWF Champion Bret Hart . On the May 9 episode of Raw , he lost a King of the Ring qualifying match to Razor Ramon . On September 12, he lost to The Undertaker . On January 9, 1995, he
Million Dollar Championship - Misplaced Pages Continue
6006-652: A time limit draw, then lost a rematch for the titles the next week. For the rest of the year, he wrestled in tag matches with Razor and Bob Holly , as well as in singles matches against wrestlers including Waylon Mercy , Sid and Goldust . On January 1, 1996, episode of Raw , Vega teamed with Razor, unsuccessfully challenging The Smoking Gunns for the Tag Team Championship in a Raw Bowl match . In March 1996, Vega and Razor teamed one last time losing to Tatanka and Razor's former protege The 123 Kid and then afterwards Vega's alliance with Razor quietly ended. Vega
6149-528: A victory over the fake Razor Ramon , who had appeared following the original Razor 's departure to World Championship Wrestling . On the December 22 episode of Superstars , he teamed with Jesse James to unsuccessfully challenge Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith for the Tag Team Championship. Vega entered the 1997 Royal Rumble , but was eliminated by eventual winner Stone Cold Steve Austin. On January 25, 1997, Vega turned heel and joined The Nation of Domination ,
6292-565: A wrestler and defended in sanctioned matches, but are not recognized as legitimate titles by the promotion. Examples of unsanctioned championships include: Savio Vega Savio Vega is a ring name of Juan Rivera (born August 10, 1964), a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He is known for his work in the World Wrestling Council , where he won the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship three times and
6435-457: A year later, when DiBiase was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 27, 2010, he had the Million Dollar Championship belt with him. Then, on the April 5 episode of Raw , after DiBiase's son Ted DiBiase Jr. disbanded his tag team, Legacy , DiBiase Jr. came out holding the Million Dollar Championship, claiming his father had given it to him. WWE's official website confirmed the reactivation of
6578-544: 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
6721-564: 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
6864-427: 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
7007-465: 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
7150-542: 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
7293-481: 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
SECTION 50
#17329246393317436-484: 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
7579-403: The 1995 King of the Ring tournament as a replacement for the injured Razor Ramon. He qualified for the tournament by defeating Irwin R. Schyster on the June 25 episode of Sunday Night Slam . Vega then defeated Yokozuna by countout in the first round, after interference from Yokozuna's tag partner, Owen Hart , backfired. He then defeated The Roadie with a rollup pinfall. He faced Mabel in
7722-852: The International Wrestling Association , where he was a long-time general manager and won five titles, including the IWA Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship . In 2011, he was featured in the first interpromotional angle between IWA and WWC. Rivera was born and raised in Vega Alta, Puerto Rico . He was connected to the wrestling business while working as a security guard at World Wrestling Council live shows. After graduating from high school, he began his professional wrestling career in 1985. He made his professional wrestling debut on August 14, 1985, for Mid-South Wrestling as Skandor Akbar 's newest client,
7865-493: The Mexican promotion Universal Wrestling Association as Corsario I and teamed with Corsario II. On August 8, Los Corsarios lost a masks versus masks two out of three falls match to Los Brazos ( Brazo de Plata and El Brazo ). Corsario would then wrestle for UWA two more times in two out of three falls matches, losing both matches. After a few exploits in various promotions, Rivera went to Miami, Florida , where he tried out for
8008-593: The North American Heavyweight Championship , his first professional wrestling championship. On July 11, he became a dual champion, winning the World Tag Team Championship with Mr. Pogo by defeating The Youngbloods ( Chris and Mark ) and holding it for nineteen days, before losing it back to Youngbloods. TNT would then begin feuding with Pogo, defeating him in a match at Aniversario on September 20. On January 30, 1988, TNT lost
8151-544: 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
8294-539: 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
8437-562: The Universal Heavyweight Championship . TNT was originally expected to win the belt, given his status as a fan favorite and solid wrestling skills. On February 9, 1990, he defeated Burke for the Universal Heavyweight Championship, marking the first world championship win of his professional wrestling career. As a result, TNT vacated the Television Championship. He held the Universal Heavyweight Championship for
8580-549: The WWC Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship three times. During the 1990s, he worked for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), initially under the masked, villainous and venom-spewing Kwang gimmick. He later portrayed Savio Vega, the eventual leader of a Puerto Rican stable , Los Boricuas . After leaving the WWF, Rivera returned to Puerto Rico and joined Víctor Quiñones ' promotion,
8723-476: The WWF Tag Team Championship in 1992, the Million Dollar Championship was abandoned. The title has since been revived on three occasions. The first was in 1996 for DiBiase's protégé, The Ringmaster , who shortly after became Stone Cold Steve Austin, but the title was abandoned after DiBiase left the promotion a few months later. In 2010, the title was revived for DiBiase's son, Ted DiBiase Jr. , but
SECTION 60
#17329246393318866-417: The WWF Tag Team Championship on February 7, 1992, DiBiase abandoned the Million Dollar Championship. Ted DiBiase would later go on to award the championship to his newest protégé, The Ringmaster , on his arrival in the WWF in January 1996 ( pre-taped in December 1995). The Ringmaster would shortly after become known as Stone Cold Steve Austin. After DiBiase left WWF (with the storyline reason of Austin lost
9009-616: The WWF World Tag Team Championship . At Badd Blood: In Your House , The Disciples defeated Los Boricuas. Between October and November, Vega also had singles matches, losing to Goldust, Mero and Ken Shamrock . On the October 27 RAW , Vega and Pérez unsuccessfully challenged The Legion of Doom for the Tag Team Championship. In their next match, they lost to The New Age Outlaws . In December 1997, Los Boricuas and The Disciples exchanged victories. His first singles contest of 1998
9152-483: The World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He was accepted and sent back to Puerto Rico to wrestle for the Capitol Sports Promotions (CSP) as "TNT", adopting a fan favorite character based on his martial arts background and featuring several elements from stereotypical Hispanic gimmicks. He was managed by "El Profe" Ángel Pantoja Rivera. TNT made his CSP debut on May 2, 1987, by defeating Miguel Pérez to win
9295-509: 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
9438-483: The "Colossus" Michael Jarvis. He and Cotto formed a regular tag team to feud with Jarvis and Judas, earning a 2-1 advantage. Rivera went on to defeat Jarvis twice and get disqualified against Kafu leading to Summer Attitude 2007. Subsequently, Rivera joined Sewell to form a tag team, winning two matches against the Estrellas. He then entered a feud against Figueroa, with both of their matches going inconclusive. He remained in
9581-523: 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
9724-542: 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
9867-517: The 'Taker , he once again defeated Maivia, this time by countout. After the match, he attacked Maivia's knee. On May 11, at In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell , Vega wrestled as part of a gauntlet match against Johnson and was eliminated, before Faarooq won it for The Nation. The next night on Raw , he challenged The Undertaker for the WWF Championship, but was disqualified. On June 9, The Nation lost
10010-506: The April 13 episode of Superstars , Rivera, wearing a mask featuring the flag of Puerto Rico and billed as "The Caribbean Kid", defeated Austin by pinfall, then unmasked himself. This was Austin's first singles defeat in the WWF, and The Caribbean Kid's sole appearance. On the April 15 episode of Raw , Vega challenged Goldust for the Intercontinental Championship. Vega won the match, but WWF President Gorilla Moonson reverted
10153-654: The BSP director of operations Alexis Baez. On July 7, 2013, Vega retained the BSP World Heavyweight Championship by defeating number one contender Dimes at its Summer Splash event held in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico. On July 20, 2013, Vega lost the BSP World Heavyweight Championship to Dimes at Summer Splash La Revancha , held in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, after the challenger threw white powder in his face and then hit Vega with
10296-651: The Bollywood Boys. His team performed as the unambiguous heels, gaining the victory by employing illegal tactics. Vega became BSP World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Emperador Maximus on January 26, 2013, in La Barra in Caguas, PR. On April 28, 2013, Vega retained the BSP World Title by defeating Lloyd Samoa in Cayey, PR despite the outside interference from the challenger's manager Octavio 5to (Victor Manuel Sierra Garcia) and
10439-555: The Boss Man's services. The Boss Man then told both Slick and DiBiase that he could not be bought and immediately returned the bag to Roberts, who had been left handcuffed to the ring ropes. The Boss Man then released Roberts, walked back to the Brother Love set, pushed Slick, and again told an irate DiBiase that he could not be bought before walking off to the cheers of the crowd, cementing his face turn. DiBiase had his bodyguard Virgil get
10582-639: The Brawl for All tournament, he was released in August 1998. Vega returned to WWF television in July 1999. He would make a number of appearances on WWF Super Astros , and would participate in WWF Shotgun and WWF Jakked/Metal dark matches (sometimes with other Boricua members). During this time, he provided commentary at the Spanish announce table at the Fully Loaded PPV and several episodes of Monday Night Raw. He
10725-667: The IWA, Division One Pro Wrestling (D1PW) in Florida and Nu-Wrestling Evolution in Spain . Vega retained the RXW championship twice in June, against Ricky Vega and PJD. On March 21, 2009, Vega defended and lost the RXW World Heavyweight Title in a rematch against Panama Jack Daniels. Vega was released from his TNA contract on July 31, 2009. On October 2, 2009, Vega participated in a Wrestling Alliance Revolution card, defeating AP Dynamite for
10868-567: The IWA, he competed in Revolution X-treme Wrestling based in Panama , performing in a battle royal to determine the winner of the vacant RXW World Heavyweight Championship, where he won the event. In January 2008, he began an international tour. This tour began with a presentation in Boston for Power House Wrestling Of New England. And continued with a visit to Ecuador where he would defend
11011-440: The Million Dollar Championship to their website, thus recognizing the title as an official championship in the promotion. During the following episode of NXT , Knight turned on and attacked DiBiase, who was saved by Grimes. Grimes then defeated Knight to win the title at TakeOver 36 on August 22. On the following episode of NXT , Grimes gave the title back to DiBiase, who said that Grimes should keep it, but DiBiase actually kept
11154-527: The Million Dollar Championship was again deactivated. After more than a decade of being off television, the title was brought back in 2021 for WWE's NXT brand . On the February 10, 2021 episode of NXT , Cameron Grimes made his return from injury and claimed to have become a GameStop investor during his time away (in reference to the GameStop stock rise ), thus making him the "richest man in NXT". Grimes then began
11297-475: The NWA World Champion, Dan Severn . The Gang Wars came to an end when the leaders of the three stables faced off in a triple threat match, which Vega won. After the angle, Los Boricuas splintered into two tag teams. On July 6, Vega defeated Brakkus in a Brawl for All tournament boxing match. On August 10, he lost a quarterfinal match to Darren Drozdov . As a result of a severe arm injury sustained from
11440-670: 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
11583-634: The North American Heavyweight Championship to Abdullah the Butcher . After the title loss, TNT participated in the La Copa Gillette tournament, in which he defeated Mr. Pogo in the first round, but fought Invader I to a time limit draw in the quarter-final. On June 18, he won the Caribbean Heavyweight Championship from Hercules Ayala. Two months later, he dropped it to Buddy Landel . After failing to regain
11726-476: The October 26 episode of Power Pro Wrestling , Corsario and Dutch Mantell unsuccessfully challenged Al Perez and Wendell Cooley for the Tag Team Championship . Corsario finished his run with Mid-South on November 11 at a live event by teaming with Steve Williams in a loss to The Bruise Brothers. During that year he also wrestled for Houston Wrestling . In 1986, Rivera wrestled a few matches for
11869-596: The Real World Tag League, and their participation in the tournament ended with a loss to Hiroshi Wajima and Giant Baba on December 11. Abdullah and TNT competed in several matches in AJPW in January 1988, including a title challenge against Ashura Hara and Genichiro Tenryu for the PWF World Tag Team Championship on January 9, 1988, in which the challengers came up short. They left AJPW after losing
12012-684: The TNA Knockouts. He also served as the unofficial trainer for the division during this tenure. On July 31, 2009, Rivera was released from his contract. In late 2011, Rivera was rehired by TNA, this time to work with Ring Ka King , a TNA affiliate promotion in India. Along with Jeff Jarrett and Dutch Mantell , he was responsible for training the Indian wrestlers at Ohio Valley Wrestling , TNA's developmental territory in Louisville, Kentucky. While wrestling in
12155-573: The TNT character. During the following weeks, Rivera continued this line by issuing two challenges in IWA events, as well as changing the name of his finisher to "La Painkiller". At Summer Attitude 2010, Rivera defeated World Wrestling Entertainment employee Bryan Danielson , then IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Champion and first contender to the WWE United States Championship , by pinfall following his finishing move. Later that night, he sanctioned
12298-579: The Television Championship to Steve Strong on December 4. In early 1991, he feuded with a wrestler who had originally used the name "TNT", and began proclaiming himself "Original TNT". On January 26, TNT lost to Original TNT in a match for the vacant Television Championship. However, TNT defeated Original TNT in a non-title match on March 2, winning the rights to the TNT name, forcing his opponent to compete as "Action Jackson". The feud concluded later that month, when Rivera defeated Jackson to win his third Television Championship on March 30. On April 20, TNT lost
12441-575: The Terrible to win his third Caribbean Heavyweight Championship on March 4, and dropped it to Rip Rogers on May 14. On June 17, TNT defeated Carlos Colón to win the Television Championship . TNT would then begin feuding with Chicky Starr , whom he defeated in a gimmick versus hair match at Aniversario . During the last half of 1989, TNT had a midcard feud with Leo Burke , which was interrupted midway through when Burke defeated Carlos Colón for
12584-482: 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
12727-596: The WAR World Heavyweight Championship. On November 1, 2009, Vega and Pérez participated in a Dominican Wrestling Entertainment card, being booked to win the DWE World Tag Team Championship. They dropped the title on DWE's final event of the year, Cierre de Temporada, held on December 20, 2009. On a Ring Ka King episode aired on February 11, 2012, Rivera returned to his T.N.T. character as part of his work as trainer for TNA. His opponent
12870-555: The World Tag Team Championship. However, he turned on Huertas González and joined Sewell, turning La Compañia heel. Following this, Rivera took a random Canadian heel character, replacing his traditional outfit featuring the Flag of Puerto Rico to one sporting the Flag of Canada. He feuded with González throughout 2005. Both formed different tag teams with members of their stable, exchanging victories. On June 18, 2005, Rivera won
13013-552: The Wrestling Alliance Revolution Tag Team Championship. The tour concluded in Panama where he defended the company's title against Ricky Banderas . In PHW he participated in a tag team match, where he teamed with a wrestler using the name Don Vega. They defeated a team that included the company's heavyweight champion. He would then compete in "WAR Conquest 2008", a special event organized by Wrestling Alliance Revolution. In this event he defended
13156-411: The back. The strap itself is made up of multiple metal dollar signs that go around the entire circumference of the strap; there are small hinges between each dollar sign so that the strap can go around the title holder's waist. All of the metal on the belt is gold plated . Although the belt was billed as being worth US$ 1,000,000, DiBiase claimed the cost was around $ 40,000, while Bruce Prichard claimed
13299-467: The belt back from Roberts at WrestleMania VI after Roberts was counted out during their match at the SkyDome . In 1991, DiBiase's bodyguard Virgil rebelled, turned face, and challenged DiBiase at SummerSlam for the Million Dollar Championship. Virgil won the match, however, DiBiase regained the championship with the help of Repo Man at Survivor Series Showdown . When DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster won
13442-466: The belt during his feud with DiBiase. This also led to a face turn for the Big Boss Man , who resented his manager Slick selling his services to DiBiase in order to retrieve the belt from Roberts. After attacking Roberts and stealing the bag containing the belt and Roberts' pet python named Damien, DiBiase, the Boss Man, and Slick headed for " The Brother Love Show " where DiBiase bragged about buying
13585-458: 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
13728-411: 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
13871-445: The company's tag team championship along Condor Ortíz, in a match that they lose after Ortíz accidentally kicked Vega. Following the match he turned on Ortíz, and subsequently challenged Kuervo, the company's heavyweight champion to a title match on the event. The encounter happened later in card, and Kuervo retained by disqualification after Vega spat green mist on his face. During the following summer Vega alternated his work between
14014-477: The company. In his first match following a forced hiatus, Los Autenticos got disqualified in a match against González and Figueroa. They went on to defeat "Los Rabiosos", composed by Freddie "Blitz" Lozada and Maldonado. Rivera entered a feud against Lozada, after the former teamed with Ricky Vega to defeat Los Autenticos. On June 14, 2008, he defeated Vega. Rivera went then entered a feud with Bison Smith , losing twice. On October 4, 2008, he wrestled The Sheik to
14157-424: The cost was close to $ 50,000 during an episode of his podcast, Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard . Over the championship's 32-year history, there were seven reigns between six champions as well as three vacancies. Ted DiBiase was the inaugural champion and had the most reigns at two. His first reign was also the longest reign at 922 days and he had the longest combined reign at 1,010 days. Cameron Grimes had
14300-487: 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
14443-520: 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
14586-419: The crowd and issued another challenge to Colón who responded in a subsequent interview issuing a challenge of his own. The WWC responded by entering the IWA's next event, Summer Attitude and vandalizing Quiñones' Hall of Fame induction. Despite this, the negotiations between the promotions were stalled and no further actions were taken for the remainder of 2011. At Halloween Mayhem 2011, Rivera returned to IWA for
14729-410: The decision and vacated the title. The following week on Raw , Vega and Goldust fought for the title, which was won by Goldust. Austin won a rematch at In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies on April 28. One month later, at In Your House 8: Beware of Dog , Vega defeated Austin in a Caribbean Strap Match . According to the stipulations, Austin's manager, Ted DiBiase , had to leave the WWF. This
14872-622: The final matches and changing his wrestling persona to "El Hombre Dinamita" (a reference to his "TNT" gimmick, which the WWC had trademarked and did not allow him to use). On July 16, 2001, Vega defeated Jesus Castillo, his former Los Boricuas stablemate and now a member of a stable called "Los Intocables" with Miguel Pérez, for the IWA Hardcore Championship. He was forced to vacate the title after being unable to wrestle. Eventually, he turned on his former allies and became general manager, forming
15015-497: The finals, losing after Mabel hit a splash off the ropes to win the tournament. The next night on Raw , Vega defeated the Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett by disqualification. Vega and Ramon would then feud with Men on a Mission (Mabel and Mo ), losing to them at In Your House 2 . On the July 31 episode of Raw , Vega and Ramon wrestled Owen Hart and Yokozuna for the WWF Tag Team Championship to
15158-509: The first time since Histeria Boricua 2011, turning on a heel Pérez and seizing control by regaining the office of general manager and joining the still-undefeated Angel and Phillip Davian to form a stable known as "La Academia Gerencial". The group stayed away from action for the remainder of the year due to him working the RKK project for TNA in OVW and India and he named an interim general manager who performed
15301-448: The general manager office acting on behalf of the IWA's CEO, Thomas Wreckler. Víctor "The Bodyguard" Rodríguez emerged as the self-proclaimed leader of La Compañia during his absence. In June 2004, a storyline to bring Rivera back was run, in which the CEO, Thomas Wreckler, brought him in to stop La Familia and La Compañia. However, this storyline was interrupted by the death of Rodríguez due to
15444-399: The initial feud in a match at Golpe de Estado 2003, Fénix revealed his true identity, Ray González , and abandoned La Compañia. Now joined by a heel Figueroa and Slash Venom , Vega feuded with González and his stable, La Familia del Milenio. This new faction had several matches against Figueroa & Kindred and Pérez & Castillo. At Golpe de Estado 2003, Rivera wrestled Huertas González to
15587-516: The injured Shawn Michaels in the eight-man tag main event, teaming with Triple H and the New Age Outlaws in a losing effort. On the March 9 Raw , he wrestled Triple H to a no contest. At WrestleMania 14 , Vega wrestled in a battle royal, won by Legion of Doom 2000. A week later, Los Boricuas lost to LOD 2000. The Gang Wars continued with matches against The Disciples in April. On May 4, Rivera lost to
15730-496: 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
15873-460: The main event of W*ING's first show, by teaming with Mr. Pogo and Steve Collins in a loss to Akitoshi Saito , Koichiro Kimura and Mitsuteru Tokuda. W*ING specialized in deathmatch wrestling style and TNT competed in various matches under the stipulation. On August 17, TNT lost a lumberjack deathmatch to Akitoshi Saito. TNT would then return to CSP to successfully defend the Television Championship against Samu on August 31. TNT would then make
16016-480: The masked villainous wrestler "El Corsario" by defeating Mark Ragin. His debut match aired on the August 17 episode of Mid-South TV . As a member of Akbar's Army, he frequently teamed with Akbar's other clients. He also received a few title shots in Mid-South. The first title shot occurred against Butch Reed for the promotion's Television Championship on the October 19 episode of Mid-South TV , but failed to win. On
16159-556: 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
16302-432: 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
16445-548: 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
16588-413: 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
16731-465: 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
16874-410: The producer of Aniversario, the WWC's main annual event. While still in negotiation, Rivera appeared in a talk show along Carlos Colón. Promotion of the angle began here by staging a spot where he criticized Carly Colón 's supposed addiction to painkillers, prompting Colón to leave the stage. This marked the first time that both performed together in over a decade, following the lawsuit filled by WWC over
17017-526: The programming by stepping into the camera while wearing an IWA shirt. At the actual event, he led a large group of IWA wrestlers, including incumbent Undisputed World Champion Hiram Tua , who promptly invaded the WWC ring, beating down the WWC Tag Team Champions, Wilfredo "Lynx" Rivera and Alejandro "Niche" Marrero. This event became known as "El Bombazo", referencing his original gimmick and the explosive nature of actual TNT . Rivera himself addressed
17160-749: 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
17303-442: The shortest reign at 1 day (2 days as recognized by WWE due to tape delay ) and was the final champion. Virgil was the oldest champion, winning the title at 40 years old, while Ted DiBiase Jr. was the youngest at 27 years, 147 days old. Professional wrestling championship Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s A championship or title in professional wrestling
17446-407: The stocks at Golpe de Estado with the winner taking full control of both halves of the promotion, which was accepted. On October 14, 2004, with the score tied between "Capitol" and IWA, he defeated González ending the name change angle. At Christmas in PR 2004, González dropped the title to Sewell in a match ordered by him. On the other hand, Rivera himself teamed with Huertas González to challenge for
17589-555: 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
17732-425: The support of Banderas, granting him a title match against Figueroa on January 6, 2003, in which he turned heel and joined La Compañia, who feuded with Figueroa, Vega bringing in foreign wrestlers to incapacitate him. Banderas led La Compañia for several months, until Rey Fénix joined, triggering a power struggle in which Vega supported Fénix. Vega and Fénix defeated Banderas and Rodríguez in tag matches. After winning
17875-553: The title and instead gave Grimes a replica. In September 2021, the championship was quietly removed from WWE.com with Grimes being referred to as a former champion, thus deactivating the title with Grimes recognized as the final champion. The Million Dollar Championship belt was designed by Terry Betteridge of Betteridge Jewelers in Greenwich, Connecticut . The center plate features three large dollar signs that are entirely filled with cubic zirconia , and there are three small diamonds on
18018-555: The title by defeating Sierra in a rematch on October 26, winning his fifth and final WWC Television Championship. TNT lost the title, a month later to Dick Murdoch on November 23. Shortly after, TNT left CSP. On November 22, 1987, TNT debuted in the Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) by teaming with Abdullah the Butcher to participate in the 1987 Real World Tag League , losing to Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu in their AJPW debut. Abdullah and TNT scored twelve points in
18161-506: 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
18304-405: The title from Landel in a rematch at Aniversario , TNT defeated Landel to win his second Caribbean Heavyweight Championship on September 17. TNT held the title for another two months before dropping it to Jason the Terrible . On February 4, 1989, he defeated Sika to win the vacant Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship , holding it for 21 days before losing it to Abbuda Dein . He defeated Jason
18447-419: The title to King Kong . On June 1, TNT defeated Kong to win his fourth Television Championship. At Aniversario , TNT teamed with The Giant Warrior to defeat Demolition ( Crush and Smash ). TNT would then embark on a tour of Japan for the upstart promotion Wrestling International New Generations (W*ING) in August, as part of a talent exchange partnership between CSP and W*ING. On August 7, TNT competed in
18590-413: The title, DiBiase decided that if he could not win or buy the WWF Championship, he would purchase his own belt. In 1989, DiBiase unveiled a new championship belt, which he called the Million Dollar Championship. This championship was not officially sanctioned by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and DiBiase would rarely put his "championship" on the line in matches. In early 1990, Jake Roberts stole
18733-402: The unsanctioned championship under DiBiase Jr.'s profile. On the October 4 episode, Goldust attacked DiBiase Jr. and gained possession of the belt. On the November 8 episode, Aksana stole the Million Dollar Championship belt from him. Goldust stole the belt back the following week and returned it to "The Million Dollar Man", who then offered to return it to his son, who rejected the offer, thus
18876-613: 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
19019-481: Was DiBiase's last appearance on WWF television until 2005. Vega then feuded with Justin Bradshaw , winning their first match on July 8. On July 21, he lost a rematch at In Your House 9: International Incident . On August 12, 1996, Vega lost his first match by submission to Crush . At SummerSlam , he lost a match to Owen Hart, and was then assaulted by Bradshaw. At In Your House 10: Mind Games , he defeated Bradshaw in
19162-571: Was a loss to Owen Hart . The next week, Vega and Pérez defeated Taka Michinoku and Scott Taylor . He was the 26th entrant in the 1998 Royal Rumble , and, like the year before, was eliminated by Steve Austin. In the Royal Rumble's main event, Vega and Los Boricuas attacked the Undertaker alongside the New Age Outlaws to aid Shawn Michaels in defeating him in a casket match. Vega headlined No Way Out of Texas: In Your House on February, when he replaced
19305-448: Was again abandoned later that same year when DiBiase Jr. returned the title to his father. The third revival came in 2021 for the NXT brand division for a storyline between DiBiase, Cameron Grimes , and LA Knight . During this time, the title was officially recognized by WWE; however, it was deactivated in August of that year when Grimes, who won the title, gave it back to DiBiase. The title
19448-484: Was an Indian wrestler called Jwala. None of the wrestlers were given a definitive heel or face role, but the local crowd supported his compatriot Jwala, who earned the pinfall by avoiding a maneuver by Rivera and applying his own finisher. He returned under the same guise on the March 24, 2012, RKK episode joining Nick Dinsmore in an eight-man tag team contest joining the Sheiks against the teams of Barood & Romeo Rapta and
19591-454: Was at ringside when Howard Finkel won a Tuxedo match against Wippleman, who then abandoned his role as Kwang's manager. After an appearance in the 1995 Royal Rumble , where he would eliminate Doink the Clown , Kwang gradually faded from WWF programming, losing his final match to Hakushi on the April 29, 1995, episode of Superstars . On May 14, 1995, Rivera appeared in street clothes and grew
19734-514: Was created during the storyline where Ted DiBiase , known as "The Million Dollar Man", was unable to win the WWF Championship (now WWE Championship), having lost the final match of the WWF Championship tournament at WrestleMania IV to Randy Savage . During the Summer of 1988, DiBiase teamed with André the Giant , in a team known as " The Mega Bucks ", while chasing the WWF Championship. Still unable to win
19877-471: Was held between Pérez and him, which Rivera won but was nullified due to him lacking a contract, making way to a new villainous president in Toledo. Upon being "reinstated", Rivera went on to feud with González and Sewell, forming a loose cooperation with Toledo. He went on to form a tag team along Huertas González known as "Los Inhumanos", when the former turned heel. Their union eventually dissolved and evolved into
20020-439: Was nothing but a fluke. Regardless of this, Angel won the rematch and eventually went on to become an undefeated world champion. Upon exiting the ring following the loss, Pérez confronted Rivera and told him not to return until he had "returned to his roots". In July 2008, Rivera began working as a road agent for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . In January 2009, he became head agent for the promotion's women's division, known as
20163-498: Was released again from his WWF contract in September 1999. On December 15, 1999, Rivera defeated Prince Albert at an International Wrestling Association house show in Puerto Rico. The IWA was a new promotion founded by Víctor Quiñones , which was one of WWF's developmental territories. Rivera joined the now independent IWA, upon returning to Puerto Rico. He wrestled as Savio Vega, though often ended feuds by wearing war paint in
20306-588: Was subsequently revealed that the culprit was "Lighting" acting on González behalf, just when Huertas González was about to join the "Capitol" faction. On October 9, 2004, González announced that "Capitol" had formed an alliance with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling -NWA for Golpe de Estado and that this move would bring in NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett , Robert Roode , Konnan and Shawn Hernandez . Immediately after completing this announcement, Rivera proposed that they bet
20449-431: Was the twelfth entrant in the 1996 Royal Rumble , eliminating Dory Funk, Jr. before being eliminated by Vader . The following night on Raw , he lost to Vader. On the March 11 Raw , he wrestled Stone Cold Steve Austin for the first time, resulting in a double countout. This led to a feud, and a series of matches. The first of these happened at WrestleMania XII , both men's WrestleMania debut, which Austin won. On
#330669