A lot of stuff happened on Dynamite this week, some good and some bad. Tucked in between all of that was a pretty good match between Pac and Buddy Murphy, two of AEW’s more disconcertingly jacked flippybois. When announced, things were pretty straight: another Death Triangle/House of Black clash. Before the match, however, the stakes were raised: this was a first round match in a tournament to crown the first AEW All-Atlantic Champion.
Now, every possible critique of the AEW All-Atlantic Championship blazed through my mind. AEW fans have been asking for a Trios Championship and a Women’s Tag Team Championship for awhile now. The title is called “All-Atlantic” but has a fair number of folks from the Pacific vying for it. How will this title function with two other men’s singles titles in a promotion that, at least in kayfabe, are at the same level of importance. Another tournament?
These feelings flowed past me like water in a stream, one by one until they were gone and all I had to contemplate was the AEW All-Atlantic Championship itself.
Friends, this is a very pretty championship.
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I’m not entirely surprised. With the exception of the two championships that bear the logos of networks who endlessly run The Last Jedi and Young Sheldon, AEW has basically knocked it out of the park with their belt designs. In 2022, where their competition’s titles are just the same title on different colored leather, the bar is exceptionally low so far as a “good” championship goes.
Rather than chase WWE’s Orange County Choppers home plate nonsense, Tony Khan has consistently looked to place his championships among the most distinct in the history of professional wrestling.
The AEW All-Atlantic Championship accomplishes that, cutting a figure that is simultaneously classic and modern. Its faceplate and sideplates, separated from the leather itself, fit together like puzzle pieces, suggesting the sort of global unity dorks like myself are always going on about, a symbolic peace through wrestling. I’m not much of a person for flags and such, their gathering here fits that theme and serves as a reminder of AEW’s dabbling in a still nascent Chinese wrestling scene through their partnership with OWE.
I love how the sideplates slope gradually slope into the faceplate. I love how the faceplate’s corners are adorned with sunbursts. It’s the one men’s singles championship whose color palate is dominated by gold — Cody Rhodes, had he not disappeared into Parts Unknown would probably call it something weird, like “Graceful Goldie.”
Oh man, imagine what the NXT faithful would tweet if some weirdo called it “Goldie.” 10/10 bait, no notes.