| AEW TNT Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  Top: The standard TNT Championship belt (2021, 2023–present) Bottom: Reigning champion Mark Briscoe's custom "snow camo" belt | |||||||||||||||||||
| Details | |||||||||||||||||||
| Promotion | All Elite Wrestling | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date established | March 30, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Current champion | Mark Briscoe | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date won | November 22, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
TheAEW TNT Championship is amen's professional wrestling television championship created and promoted by theAmericanpromotionAll Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established on March 30, 2020, it is named after theTNT television network, which airs AEW's weekly programCollision and othertelevision specials. The inaugural champion wasCody Rhodes. The current champion isMark Briscoe, who is in his first reign. He won the title by defeatingKyle Fletcher in ano disqualification match atFull Gear on November 22, 2025; had Briscoe lost the match, he would have been forced to join Fletcher in theDon Callis Family.
In September 2019, a month beforeAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) launched their first weekly television program,Dynamite, then-AEW Executive Vice President and wrestlerCody teased that the promotion would eventually debut atelevision championship, but their focus at that time was on their other recently established titles.[3] In February 2020, wrestling journalistDave Meltzer asked Cody about the possibility of the promotion adding a secondary championship. Although he did not confirm or deny it, Cody did not rule out the possibility of a secondary or "mid-card" title debuting that year.[4] The following month, on March 30, on AEW'sYouTube seriesRoad to Dynamite, a secondary championship was officially announced. AEW play-by-play commentator and senior producerTony Schiavone revealed that there would be an eight-man,single-elimination tournament to crown the first-ever AEW TNT Champion.[5] The tournament began on the April 8 episode ofDynamite, and the final was scheduled forDouble or Nothing on May 23.[6] On the April 29 episode, Cody andLance Archer won their semifinal matches, setting up the inaugural championship match.[7]
At Double or Nothing, Cody defeated Archer to become the inaugural champion. Former professional boxerMike Tyson presented the championship to Cody.[8] His first reign with the title included an 'open challenge' where he would defend the title on a near-weekly televised basis, even to independent wrestlers outside the promotion. These performances notably led to the signings ofRicky Starks andEddie Kingston. In November, during Cody's second reign as TNT Champion, his ring name was lengthened to Cody Rhodes following a legal battle withWWE over the trademark for the name.[9]
During theBrodie Lee Celebration of Life, which aired as the December 30, 2020 episode ofDynamite, AEW announced that they had retired the red strap version of the title belt that had been used up to that point to honor Huber, whose ring name wasMr. Brodie Lee, the second TNT Champion. Lee unexpectedly died on December 26. His final match was on the October 7 episode ofDynamite where he unsuccessfully defended the TNT Championship against Cody Rhodes in aDog Collar match. The retired TNT Championship belt was given to Huber's son, Brodie Lee Jr. (real name Brodie Huber), who was honored as "TNT Champion for life" by AEW President and Chief Executive OfficerTony Khan. AEW commentator Tony Schiavone clarified that only the belt design was retired, not the championship itself;[10][11] a new black strap version of the belt was debuted by championDarby Allin during Night 1 of the specialNew Year's Smash episode ofDynamite on January 6, 2021.[12]
During the specialHoliday Bash episode ofRampage on December 25, 2021, Cody Rhodes defeatedSammy Guevara to become a record three-time TNT Champion.[13] The two were scheduled to have a rematch for the championship atBattle of the Belts I on January 8, 2022;[14] however, Cody was pulled from the event as he had been in contact with family who had tested positive forCOVID-19, thus requiring him to quarantine.[15] Guevara instead faced Cody's brother,Dustin Rhodes, to determine aninterim champion.[16] Guevara defeated Dustin[17] and served as the interim champion until the January 26 episode ofDynamite. In that episode, which was a special episode titledBeach Break, Guevara faced and defeated Cody in aladder match to determine the undisputed TNT Champion.[18]
On March 5, 2023, atRevolution,Wardlow defeatedSamoa Joe to win the championship for a second time. Three days later, and initially not as part of a storyline, Wardlow's rental car was broken into; his gear and the championship belt were stolen as a result.[19] This was turned into a storyline for his title defense againstPowerhouse Hobbs on the March 8 episode ofDynamite, as the week prior, Hobbs had won the Face of the Revolution ladder match to earn a title shot against Wardlow.Q.T. Marshall and his QTV crew took credit for the crime with Wardlow requesting his title defense against Hobbs to be aFalls Count Anywhere match, which Hobbs won bytechnical knockout thanks to an assist by Marshall.[20]
Although viewed as a secondary title to theAEW World Championship by fans and media of the professional wrestling industry, Tony Khan stated he takes exception to calling it a secondary or mid-card title. He said he does not book the championship as a mid-card title, saying, "I'm looking at it as a top championship that stars hold".[21] Despite this, Samoa Joe called himself the "King of Television" for his TNT Championship reigns when he simultaneously held it with theROH World Television Championship.[22] Between 2022 and 2023, the championship had several title changes with short reigns, with journalists subsequently calling it a "hot potato" championship.[23][24][25][26]
The championship is named after theTNT television network, which originally aired AEW's then-two weekly programs,Dynamite andRampage, the latter of which premiered in August 2021. TNT's parent company at the time,WarnerMedia, requested AEW to create the title and have it named the TNT Championship.[27]
In January 2022,Dynamite moved to TNT's sister channel,TBS, which was also owned by WarnerMedia (later becomingWarner Bros. Discovery), whileRampage remained on TNT.[28][29] In addition toRampage remaining on the channel, AEW agreed to produce quarterly television specials on TNT (Battle of the Belts), with the championship defended on these specials.[30] Another weekly program on TNT calledCollision also premiered in June 2023.[31] While it had been speculated that the title would be renamed to the TBS Championship, Cody Rhodes confirmed that it would not be renamed,[32] and instead, a separateAEW TBS Championship was established for the women's division.[33]
The first half of the TNT Championship Tournament bracket was announced on the March 31, 2020, episode ofDark,[34] with the second half revealed on the following night'sDynamite.[35] The tournament began on the April 8 episode ofDynamite and concluded at Double or Nothing on May 23.[6]
| Quarterfinals Dynamite (April 8, 15, 22, 2020) | Semifinals Dynamite (April 29, 2020) | Final Double or Nothing (May 23, 2020) | ||||||||||||
| Cody | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Shawn Spears | 21:38[36] | |||||||||||||
| Cody | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Darby Allin | 20:10[7] | |||||||||||||
| Sammy Guevara | 10:50[37] | |||||||||||||
| Darby Allin | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Cody | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Lance Archer | 22:00[8] | |||||||||||||
| Dustin Rhodes | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Kip Sabian | 14:10[37] | |||||||||||||
| Dustin Rhodes | 22:45[7] | |||||||||||||
| Lance Archer | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Colt Cabana | 12:42[38] | |||||||||||||
| Lance Archer | Pin | |||||||||||||
The TNT Championship belt consists of six plates, which were originally on a red leather strap. The central plate prominently features the TNT network logo, with AEW's logo above and a red banner below saying "CHAMPION". The two inner side plates feature "Tara on Techwood", 1050 Techwood Drive inAtlanta, the original home of TNT. The two outer side plates feature AEW's logo, while a third smaller side plate on the far right also features the promotion's logo. Initially unveiled at Double or Nothing on May 23, the belt had noplating due to production delays caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic. It was revealed that the final version would have gold plating and be unveiled at a later date.[8][39][40] The belt was produced by AEW's then-primary belt maker, Ron Edwardsen of Red Leather. He mentioned that the final version of the TNT Championship would have both gold and nickel plating, as well as arelief TNT logo.[41] The completed version of the belt was shown on AEW'sTwitter just a few hours before the August 12 episode ofDynamite, where the finished design debuted for Cody's match againstScorpio Sky, where Cody retained.[42][43]
After the unexpected passing of Mr. Brodie Lee, the championship's second title holder, in December 2020, AEW retired the red strap version of the championship belt that had been used up to that point to honor Lee, similar to how sports teamsretire a number.[10] During night one of the special New Year's Smash episode ofDynamite on January 6, 2021, a new belt was unveiled by Darby Allin. The new belt features the same design as the previous one, but on a black leather strap instead of red.[44]
After Sammy Guevara defeatedMiro to win the title on the September 29, 2021, episode ofDynamite, Guevara was presented with an updated design of the standard championship belt to replace Miro's custom belt. This new belt returned to the design of the standard black strap version introduced by Darby Allin, but with rhinestones added in the circular area behind the relief TNT logo.[45] The original designer of the TNT Championship, Ron Edwardsen, also created the updated belt, which featured 1,577 rhinestones. Edwardsen nicknamed it the "TNT Bling" belt.[46] Although initially a custom version for Guevara, other champions held this version until January 2023. After Allin defeated Samoa Joe to win his second TNT Championship, the title's design changed back to the mirror-finish nickel plating behind the TNT logo.[47]
.jpg)
.jpg)
AtFyter Fest on July 14, 2021, Miro unveiled a custom championship belt in the colors of theBulgarian flag, along with his new persona, "The Redeemer". The plates were on a white leather strap, and the center plate was the same; however, the red banner was changed to green. The two inner side plates were modified to display the Coat of Arms of his hometown,Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Below the arms, the text "Древен и Вечен" (Bulgarian:Dreven i Vechen), which means "Ancient and Eternal", was added. Miro's custom belt was made by Belts By Dan.[48]
During the May 20, 2022, episode ofRampage, Sammy Guevara,Tay Conti, andFrankie Kazarian destroyed the standard belt they stole from reigning champion Scorpio Sky. The following week, on the May 27 episode, Dan Lambert andEthan Page presented Sky with a custom version of the championship belt in the colors of Sky's hometown and favoriteNational Basketball Association team, theLos Angeles Lakers. The "Lakers belt" had a gold strap and the word "Champion" on a purple banner. Emblazoned on the end of the strap between the snap buttons was "8-24", referring to the numbers worn by late Lakers starKobe Bryant. The title's original designer, Ron Edwardsen, also designed the "Lakers belt".[49]
Following reigning championJack Perry's match on the August 17, 2024, episode ofCollision in the build to his defense against Darby Allin in aCoffin match atAll In on August 25, Perry put his opponent Danny Orion in a body bag with Allin's name on it, along with the standard TNT Championship belt, which he spat on. Perry then unveiled his custom championship belt to accompany his "Scapegoat" persona, featuring the same design but completely spray-painted black with red paint splattered on the main plate (mimicking blood) and a warped and tattered leather strap.[50] Perry himself changed the championship viablacksmithing, altering the metal, warping the leather strap, and then painting it.[51]
After winning the title atFull Gear on November 22, 2025,Mark Briscoe was presented a custom belt by Orange Cassidy on behalf of their Conglomeration stable, which features the same design as the standard belt, but with a snow camo strap, as snow camo ring gear is a trademark of both Mark and his late brotherJay. The red banner was also changed to white. This belt was made by Belts By Dan.[52][53]
.jpg)
As of November 25, 2025, there have been 29 reigns between 18 champions and two vacancies.Cody Rhodes, then known simply as Cody, was the inaugural champion. Rhodes,Sammy Guevara, andWardlow are tied for the most reigns at three.Darby Allin's first reign is the longest at 186 days, and the longest combined reign at 214 days, whileAdam Copeland's first reign is the shortest at 3 minutes and 30 seconds.Daniel Garcia is the youngest champion at 26 years, 67 days old,[b] whileDustin Rhodes is the oldest, winning the title at 56 years.
The reigning champion isMark Briscoe, who is in his first reign. He won the title by defeatingKyle Fletcher in ano disqualification match atFull Gear on November 22, 2025 inNewark, New Jersey; had Briscoe lost the match, he would have been forced to join Fletcher in theDon Callis Family.[54]
Media related toAEW TNT Championship at Wikimedia Commons| Programming |
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championships |
| ||||||||
| Accomplishments | |||||||||
| Personnel | |||||||||
| Affiliates/partnerships |
| ||||||||
| See also | |||||||||
