AEW Battle of the Belts is an American series ofprofessional wrestlingtelevision specials that was produced by the American promotionAll Elite Wrestling (AEW), running from January 8, 2022, to October 19, 2024. The one-hour specials were broadcast onTNT in the United States and aired quarterly throughout the year, with a total of 12 episodes produced. The series was originally broadcast on select Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m.Eastern Time (ET), but was moved to Fridays at 11:00 p.m. ET beginning with the fourth episode before its move back to Saturdays at 10:00 p.m. ET with the seventh episode. Some episodes airedlive, while a select few others aired ontape delay, recorded in conjunction with AEW's other weekly television programs. The series was quietly canceled as it was not included in AEW's media rights deal withWarner Bros. Discovery that took effect on January 1, 2025.
Only three title changes occurred duringBattle of the Belts episodes, two of which involvedSammy Guevara. The first was on the inaugural episode, which saw him defeatDustin Rhodes to determine theinterim TNT Champion, and the other was on the second episode in which he defeatedScorpio Sky to win his record-tying third TNT Championship. The third title change occurred on the 11th episode which saw Dustin Rhodes andThe Von Erichs (Marshall Von Erich andRoss Von Erich) defeatThe Undisputed Kingdom (Roderick Strong,Matt Taven, andMike Bennett) to win the vacant ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship. There had also been fourChampionship Eliminator matches, a stipulation in which if the challenger defeats the champion, they get a future title match, but if they lose, they can no longer challenge that champion for as long as they hold the title. One of these Championship Eliminators featured theWomen's World Championship of AEW's partner Mexican promotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, which happened on the 11th episode. The only match to not have any championship implications occurred on the 12th and final episode, which was a standardtag team match.
AEW PresidentTony Khan confirmed that due to the show's one-hour length, not all of AEW's championships would be defended on the specials, but their goal was to put on great championship matches.[8] On the day of the inaugural event, Khan revealed that matches for the January 11 episode of their formerYouTube show,Dark, were scheduled to betaped before theBattle of the Belts I live broadcast, with all other AEW champions participating in theseDark matches. The inaugural episode itself featured matches for theAEW Women's World Championship, theinterimAEW TNT Championship, and theFTW Championship.[9]
On August 4, 2022,Battle of the Belts IV was announced to be held on Friday, October 7. AsBattle of the Belts was established as a Saturday night television special, it was expected that Battle of the Belts IV would air on tape delay the next day on October 8.[13] However, due to WWE'sExtreme Rules pay-per-view andlivestreaming event airing that night, Battle of the Belts IV was instead scheduled to air live on October 7 at 11:00 p.m. ET right after the live broadcast ofRampage to avoid counter programming against WWE. Due to its Friday scheduling, its tagline was changed to "Friday Fight Night". This was also the firstBattle of the Belts episode to not include matches for either the AEW Women's World Championship or TNT Championship, but it did feature the first defenses of theAEW TBS Championship,AEW All-Atlantic Championship (renamed International in March 2023), andROH World Tag Team Championship on the program.[14]
On November 2, 2022, it was announced that theBattle of the Belts series would continue withBattle of the Belts V, scheduled to air live on Friday, January 6, 2023, which featured the first defense of theAEW World Tag Team Championship on the program.[15] Despite the addition ofSaturday Night Collision to AEW's weekly lineup, which premiered on June 17, 2023, Khan confirmed thatBattle of the Belts would continue, although its future on TNT was uncertain.[16] On July 4, 2023,PWInsider reported that the show would remain on TNT withBattle of the Belts VII scheduled to be held on July 15 at theScotiabank Saddledome inCalgary, Alberta, Canada at 10:00 p.m ET after the live broadcast ofCollision on TNT. This in turn returned the special to Saturday nights and also marked the firstBattle of the Belts to be held outside of the United States.[17]
While the theme ofBattle of the Belts was originally that all matches would be championship matches, in 2024, the show began to feature Championship Eliminator matches. A Championship Eliminator is a variation of aLast Chance match where if the challenger defeats the champion, they earn a future match for that championship, but if they lose, they can no longer challenge for that title for as long as the champion holds that title. This first occurred atBattle of the Belts X on April 13, 2024, in which reigning AEW International ChampionRoderick Strong defeatedRocky Romero. This particular episode also saw no defense of an AEW branded championship, as in addition to the Championship Eliminator, the other two matches were for the FTW Championship and theROH Women's World Championship, which was the first time for the latter to be defended on the program.[19]
In October 2024, AEW announced a new media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, which took effect on January 1, 2025; however,Battle of the Belts was not included in the new deal. While there was no confirmation on the future of the series, theWrestling Observer Newsletter reported that AEW could potentially shop it to other networks, but as of January 1, 2025[update], the series has not been renewed.[22]
Battle of the Belts I took place on Saturday, January 8, 2022, at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event aired live at 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT. In the main event,Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. defeatedRiho to retain the AEW Women's World Championship. On the undercard,Ricky Starks defeatedMatt Sydal to retain the FTW Championship, and in the opening bout,Sammy Guevara defeatedDustin Rhodes to become the interim AEW TNT Champion; Guevara was originally scheduled to facelineal champion Cody Rhodes for the title, however, Cody was pulled due toCOVID-19-related issues.[23]
Battle of the Belts II was taped on Friday, April 15, 2022, at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.[10] It aired on tape delay the next day on Saturday, April 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT.[11] In the main event,Thunder Rosa retained the AEW Women's World Championship againstNyla Rose. On the undercard,Jonathan Gresham defeatedDalton Castle to retain the ROH World Championship, which was the first time that an ROH championship was defended atBattle of the Belts, and in the opening bout, Sammy Guevara defeatedScorpio Sky to win the AEW TNT Championship for a record-tying third time.[35]
Battle of the Belts III was taped on Friday, August 5, 2022, at theVan Andel Arena inGrand Rapids, Michigan.[24] It aired on tape delay the next day on Saturday, August 6 at 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT.[37][38] In the main event,Claudio Castagnoli retained the ROH World Championship againstKonosuke Takeshita. On the undercard, Thunder Rosa defeatedJamie Hayter to retain the AEW Women's World Championship, and in the opening bout,Wardlow defeatedJay Lethal to retain the AEW TNT Championship.[39]
Battle of the Belts IV took place on Friday, October 7, 2022, at theEntertainment and Sports Arena inWashington, D.C. AsBattle of the Belts was established as a Saturday night television special, it was expected that Battle of the Belts IV would air on tape delay the next day on October 8; however, to avoid counter programming against WWE's Extreme Rules pay-per-view and livestreaming event that night, Battle of the Belts IV was scheduled to air live on October 7 at 11:00 p.m. ET on TNT immediately after the live broadcast of AEW's regular Friday program,Rampage.[13][41][42] In the main event,FTR (Cash Wheeler andDax Harwood) defeatedGates of Agony (Toa Liona andKaun) to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship. On the undercard,Jade Cargill defeated Willow Nightingale to retain the AEW TBS Championship, and in the opening bout,Pac defeatedTrent Beretta to retain the AEW All-Atlantic Championship. This was the first time that these championships were defended on aBattle of the Belts special.[25]
Battle of the Belts V took place on Friday, January 6, 2023, at theVeterans Memorial Coliseum inPortland, Oregon. The show aired live at 11:00 p.m. ET on TNT immediately following the live broadcast of AEW's regular Friday program,Rampage.[43] In the main event,Orange Cassidy defeatedKip Sabian to retain the AEW All-Atlantic Championship. On the undercard, Jade Cargill defeatedSkye Blue to retain the AEW TBS Championship, and in the opening bout,The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens andMax Caster) defeatedJeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal in aNo Holds Barredtag team match to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship, which was the first time for the title to be defended atBattle of the Belts.[44]
Battle of the Belts VI took place on Friday, April 7, 2023, at theRyan Center inKingston, Rhode Island. The show aired live at 11:00 p.m. ET on TNT immediately following the live broadcast of AEW's regular Friday program,Rampage.[26] In the main event,The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo andRey Fénix) defeatedQ. T. Marshall andPowerhouse Hobbs to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship. On the undercard, Jade Cargill defeated Billie Starkz to retain the AEW TBS Championship, and in the opening bout, Orange Cassidy defeatedDralístico to retain the AEW International Championship (formerly All-Atlantic Championship).[46]
Battle of the Belts VII took place on Saturday, July 15, 2023, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, marking the firstBattle of the Belts to be held outside of the United States. This episode returned the special to Saturday nights and aired live at 10:00 p.m. ET on TNT immediately after the live broadcast of AEW's regular Saturday program,Collision.[17] In the main event,Luchasaurus defeatedShawn Spears to retain the AEW TNT Championship. On the undercard,Toni Storm defeatedTaya Valkyrie to retain the AEW Women's World Championship, and in the opening bout, Orange Cassidy defeatedLance Archer to retain the AEW International Championship. Due to inclement weather that caused satellite issues in Calgary, the conclusion of the Women's World Championship match was not broadcast. After the signal was restored, the announcers informed the television audience of the result, and showed a replay of the finish.[47]
Battle of the Belts VIII took place on Saturday, October 21, 2023, at theFedExForum inMemphis, Tennessee. The show aired live at 10:00 p.m. ET on TNT immediately after the live broadcast of AEW's regular Saturday program,Collision.[27] While all pastBattle of the Belts episodes featured three matches per card, Battle of the Belts VIII had four matches. In the main event, The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) andBilly Gunn defeatedMatt Menard,Angelo Parker, andDaniel Garcia to retain the AEW World Trios Championship. On the undercard,Kris Statlander defeated Willow Nightingale to retain the AEW TBS Championship,Samoa Joe defeatedTony Nese to retain the ROH World Television Championship, and in the opening bout, Orange Cassidy defeatedJohn Silver to retain the AEW International Championship. This was the first time that the AEW World Trios Championship and ROH World Television Championship were defended atBattle of the Belts.[18]
Battle of the Belts IX took place on Saturday, January 13, 2024, at theChartway Arena inNorfolk, Virginia. The show aired live at 10:00 p.m. ET on TNT immediately after the live broadcast of AEW's regular Saturday program,Collision.[28] In the main event, Orange Cassidy defeatedPreston Vance to retain the AEW International Championship. On the undercard,Julia Hart defeatedAnna Jay to retain the AEW TBS Championship, and in the opening bout, Ricky Starks andBig Bill defeatedLe Sex Gods (Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara) in aStreet Fight to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship.[52]
Battle of the Belts X took place on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at theTruist Arena inHighland Heights, Kentucky. The show aired live at 10:00 p.m. ET on TNT immediately after the live broadcast of AEW's regular Saturday program,Collision.[29] In the main event,Athena defeatedRed Velvet to retain the ROH Women's World Championship. On the undercard, AEW International Champion Roderick Strong defeated Rocky Romero in a Championship Eliminator match, thus Romero could not challenge Strong for the title for as long as Strong was champion, while in the opening bout,Hook defeatedShane Taylor in anFTW Rules match to retain the FTW Championship. This was the first time that the ROH Women's World Championship was defended atBattle of the Belts. It was also the first time that a Championship Eliminator match was contested atBattle of the Belts, subsequently being the first non-title match on the show.[56]
AEW International ChampionshipEliminator match[58] Since Romero lost, he could no longer challenge Strong for as long as Strong was champion. Had Romero won, he would have received a future match for the title.
Battle of the Belts XI took place on Saturday, July 27, 2024, at theEsports Stadium Arlington inArlington, Texas. The show aired live at 10:00 p.m. ET on TNT immediately after the live broadcast of AEW's regular Saturday program,Collision.[61] In the main event, Dustin Rhodes andThe Von Erichs (Marshall Von Erich andRoss Von Erich) defeatedThe Undisputed Kingdom (Roderick Strong,Matt Taven, andMike Bennett) to win the vacant ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship, which was the first time for the title to be contested atBattle of the Belts. On the undercard, CMLL Women's World Champion Willow Nightingale defeated Deonna Purrazzo in a Championship Eliminator match, while in the opening bout, AEW Women's World Champion "Timeless" Toni Storm defeated Taya Valkyrie, also in a Championship Eliminator; as a result of both Championship Eliminators, Purrazzo and Valkyrie could not challenge for those respective titles for as long as Nightingale and Storm held their respective championships. This was subsequently the first time that a CMLL title was featured atBattle of the Belts.[20]
AEW Women's World ChampionshipEliminator match Since Valkyrie lost, she could no longer challenge Storm for as long as Storm was champion. Had Valkyrie won, she would have received a future match for the title.[62]
CMLL Women's World ChampionshipEliminator match Since Purrazzo lost, she could no longer challenge Nightingale for as long as Nightingale was champion. Had Purrazzo won, she would have received a future match for the title.[63]
Battle of the Belts XII was taped on Thursday, October 17, 2024, at theAdventist Health Arena inStockton, California. AEW's regular Saturday program,Collision, was also taped that night with both subsequently airing on tape delay on Saturday, October 19; Battle of the Belts XII aired at 10:00 p.m. ET on TNT immediately afterCollision's broadcast.[65] In the main event, Anna Jay defeated AEW Women's World ChampionMariah May in a Championship Eliminator match, thus Jay received a title match on the November 2 episode ofCollision; had Jay lost, she would have not been able to challenge for the title for as long as May was champion. On the undercard, The Don Callis Family (Brian Cage and Lance Archer) defeated Jack Cartwheel and Jon Cruz in what was the first match inBattle of the Belts history to be a non-title bout, and in the opening bout,Kazuchika Okada defeatedKyle O'Reilly to retain the AEW Continental Championship, which was the first time for that title to be defended atBattle of the Belts.[21][66] This would be the finalBattle of the Belts special as the program was not included in AEW's media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery that took effect on January 1, 2025.[22]
AEW Women's World ChampionshipEliminator match Since Jay won, she received a title match on the November 2 episode ofCollision. Had Jay lost, she would have not been able to challenge for the title for as long as May was champion.
