Who was the first guy to carry the belt down to the ring?
 

One of the cool things I remember about Stone Cold Steve Austin was that he always carried the WWF Championship with his hand whenever he went down to the ring. He did that with every title he held, he never wore it around his waste.

So I ask you, who was the first guy to do this? Was it in fact Colda Stonea Steve Austin? Or maybe nWo Hogan, with his crazy air guitar antics? Or was it someone way back when who I am forgetting?

Anyways, lets find out!

I didn't like how Austin handled the championship belt. Not only just by carrying it but he basically threw it like it was a piece of trash. The Rock did it and so does John Cena. If you don't have enough respect to wear the title around your waist then maybe you shouldn't be the champion.

Bubba Ray Dudley used to wear the tag title around his neck. :shifty:

lol

Thats true, it is not around his waist lol

Big Show wore the Hardcore title around his arm.

It's still real to you damnit.

Well they were not the first by any means. And thats technically still on their waste.

LOSE ON BOTH FRONTS!!

i would say first would have to be yokozuna as it did not fit. i would say that austin tho started this unattractive trend of not wearing the title around your waist. although in some guys defenses if i was given that spinner belt id throw it around like a toy too

Morrison looked real cool back then. What the hell happened

They realized he KIND OF looked like Jim Morrison so they feathered his hair and changed his name.

...he opened his mouth and actually spoke, and everyone noticed how lame he is.

That picture does nothing but solidify the swinger theory, and my addendum that THAT'S why Mercury was around as long as he was. Plus, on topic, the way they carried the belts was part of the gimmick in how "disrespectful" they were of the titles. They looked better on Melina anyway. Stacy did them justice too.

Slicky has a point about Austin slinging it around like it's more worthless than Jeff Hardy's purple mess from TNA. I mean, to be what he "wanted more than anything in the world", he sure publicly treated the belt like shit... with that said, however, a lot has to do with it being part of the gimmick.

Austin didn't care. He "owned" the belt, and could do whatever the hell he wanted with it. It's not like every champion since treated it the same way. Edge didn't always wear the belt. At one point in one of his reigns, he always clutched it like someone was going to steal it. Miz only wears it when he does his entrance in ring attire for a match, and that's because he kind of incorporated taking it off and slinging it on his shoulder as part of it. HHH almost always wore it around his waste*, even in street clothes. At one point, I think Shawn wore his like a bandolier.

Part of how you wear, or don't wear, the title can just be a factor of a guy's in-ring persona.

*I know it's wrong. I just wanted to be like everyone else.

I'm going to come right out and say that the aura Titles had ENDED with Stone Cold Steve Austin...

...the way he just threw the Title around, made it into a "Skull Belt", etc...all the aura and mystique titles had, Austin killed.

Undertaker carried the belt to the ring in Tuesday in Texas......i don't know if anyone did it before him.

The Dudley Boys used to wear their belts around their necks

I am pretty sure that nobody has ever wore their respective belt around their "waste" :)

lol

Duke Droese would have done if he'd ever won a championship.

This guy doesn't have enough waist for all of his belts to be worn:

http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/a...on10titles.jpg

Depends on if the shit Sid took smeared up his back or not.

I remember back in the day HBK would carry the IC title. Instead of flopping it over his shoulder he'd fold it up and carry it.

Don't know if he ever did it on RAW, but I seem to recall in Undertaker's entrance in HCTP season mode, when he's WWE Champion he would always come out on his motorcycle with the belt around his neck like a huge gold necklace or something.

Read that last bit as "like a huge douchebag".

Yeah, he started that when he won the Hardcore title from Rob Van Dam after his post-invasion heel turn. Yeah that's right the Undertaker was the WWF Hardcore Champion. It was weird he would throw the title in the ring like he didn't care about it, but it was just for an excuse to go back in the ring and kick his opponent's ass more.

Texas/Booger Red Undertaker was a complex guy.

If the wrestler is too heavy that the belt can't fit around his waist, then it's understandable that they carry the belt to the ring.

Thank you Captain Obvious.

Damnit I said "waste"


Curse you, Steve Blackman.

Hmm, now could you explain to me why certain wrestlers step over the top rope?

Yokozuna must of been one of the first...

I know DDP, had the belt turned backwards, atleast while WCW Champion.

That's so he could see the belt buckles as he was putting the belt on.

To be fair, they've remedied this by giving the belts extensions. They did it for Big Show when he was tag champion a year or so ago.

And the ridiculously large straps on the ECW belt they made for Mark Henry that looked giant for everyone else.

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Diesel damn near draged the belt on the floor. Come to think of it.. I think it was Nash that started that trend.

I bet Bobby Heenan carried the belt to the ring for some of his Family members - especially Andre or Flair.