On the first 2026 episode of The Jim Cornette Experience, wrestling historian and manager Jim Cornette expressed profound confusion and frustration regarding the state of championships in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) following the Worlds End pay-per-view. The discussion was sparked by the tournament final between Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley, which had been heavily promoted as crowning a “Triple Crown” champion—a unification of the AEW Continental, Ring of Honor (ROH) World, and NJPW Strong Openweight titles. However, the “unification” aspect seemed to dissolve immediately after the tournament concluded, leaving fans and pundits alike scratching their heads.
“I don’t even understand what you just said, and you pretty much summarized it,” Cornette told co-host Brian Last regarding the convoluted status of the three distinct titles comprising the “Crown.” “Nobody understands with these belts… everybody’s got a belt, everybody’s got a title.”
Cornette pointed to the booking of then-AEW World Champion Samoa Joe as a prime example of visual clutter devaluing the top prize. Despite holding the company’s most prestigious championship, Joe continued to carry the Ring of Honor Six-Man Tag Team belt to the ring—a tertiary title from a secondary brand.
“Like that didn’t just confuse the goddamn issue… why they didn’t immediately… clear the six man thing for Ring of Honor vacant,” Cornette questioned. He argued that seeing the world champion weigh himself down with lower-card hardware diminished his standing rather than enhancing it.
The host further argued that this abundance of titles devalues the entire hierarchy of the card. He referred to Mercedes Mone as “Josephine Camel,” joking about the visual of wrestlers struggling to carry their collection of straps. “Carrying 14 belts out… now she can’t whip cream with an outboard motor,” he quipped.
While Cornette’s ire was directed specifically at AEW’s handling of the “Triple Crown” and the intermingling of ROH titles, a broader look at the wrestling landscape in 2026 reveals that championship saturation is an industry-wide phenomenon. Both major promotions now feature rosters where a significant percentage of talent holds some form of championship gold, creating a “participation trophy” effect that critics argue lowers the stakes for everyone.
Between AEW, its sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), and WWE’s three brands (Raw, SmackDown, and NXT), there are currently over 40 active championships being defended on national television. This massive number does not even include the titles from partner promotions like New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), CMLL, or TNA Wrestling, which also frequently appear on US broadcasts.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Championship Roll Call
As of January 2026, AEW features a mix of traditional titles and newer secondary championships. The introduction of titles like the “Continental” and “International” championships has created a crowded mid-card where the distinction between belts is often blurry.
- AEW World Champion: MJF
- AEW TNT Champion: Mark Briscoe
- AEW International Champion: Kazuchika Okada
- AEW Continental Champion: Jon Moxley
- AEW National Champion: Ricochet (A newer addition to the lineup)
- AEW World Tag Team Champions: FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood)
- AEW World Trios Champions: The Opps (Samoa Joe, Katsuyori Shibata, Powerhouse Hobbs)
- AEW Women’s World Champion: Kris Statlander
- AEW TBS Champion: Willow Nightingale
- AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions: Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron
Ring of Honor (ROH) Championship Roll Call
Despite being a separate brand, ROH champions frequently appear on AEW television, contributing to the “belt collector” visual that Cornette criticized. For casual viewers, distinguishing between an AEW title and an ROH title can be difficult when they are presented with equal weight on the same program.
- ROH World Champion: Bandido
- ROH World Television Champion: Nick Wayne
- ROH Pure Champion: Lee Moriarty
- ROH World Tag Team Champions: La Facción Ingobernable (The Beast Mortos & Sammy Guevara)
- ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions: Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor, Carlie Bravo, Shawn Dean)
- ROH Women’s World Champion: Athena
- ROH Women’s World TV Champion: Red Velvet
- ROH Women’s Pure Champion: Deonna Purrazzo
WWE’s Championship Expansion
Across the aisle, WWE has also aggressively expanded its title offerings by 2026. The company has moved away from the “unified” title picture that dominated the early 2020s, re-splitting the tag team titles and introducing new mid-card championships for the women’s division. Furthermore, the introduction of “Speed” championships— mostly promoted as an exclusive to social media matches—has added another layer of hardware to the mix.
WWE Main Roster Championship Roll Call
On the main roster, the split between Raw and SmackDown has necessitated a duplication of titles, ensuring that each show has a world, mid-card, and tag team champion. The recent addition of Women’s Intercontinental and United States titles mirrors the men’s division structure, effectively doubling the number of singles titles available.
- Undisputed WWE Champion: Drew McIntyre (SmackDown)
- World Heavyweight Champion: CM Punk (Raw)
- WWE Women’s Champion: Jade Cargill (SmackDown)
- Women’s World Champion: Stephanie Vaquer (Raw)
- Intercontinental Champion: Dominik Mysterio (Raw)
- United States Champion: Carmelo Hayes (SmackDown)
- Women’s Intercontinental Champion: Becky Lynch (Raw)
- Women’s United States Champion: Giulia (SmackDown)
- World Tag Team Champions: Jey & Jimmy Uso (Raw)
- WWE Tag Team Champions: The Wyatt Sicks (Joe Gacy & Dexter Lumis) (SmackDown)
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions: Iyo Sky & Rhea Ripley (Float between brands)
- WWE Speed Champion: Jasper Troy (Cross-Brand)
- WWE Women’s Speed Champion: Fallon Henley (Cross-Brand)
NXT & Developmental Titles
The “developmental” brand is not immune to the gold rush. NXT features its own full suite of titles that mirror the main roster structure, treating the brand as a third touring entity rather than just a school. Additionally, the introduction of the “Evolve” and “WWE ID” brands has brought even more titles into the ecosystem for trainees.
- NXT Championship: Vacant (Previously held by Oba Femi)
- NXT Women’s Championship: Jacy Jayne
- NXT North American Champion: Ethan Page
- NXT Women’s North American Champion: Izzi Dame
- NXT Tag Team Champions: Osiris Griffin & Saquon Shugars
- NXT Heritage Cup: Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo
- Evolve Men’s Champion: Jackson Drake
- Evolve Women’s Champion: Kendal Grey
- WWE ID Champion: Cappuccino Jones
- WWE Women’s ID Champion: Laynie Luck
The “Everyone Gets a Trophy” Problem
With roughly 45 active championships between the two major companies, the criticism labeled by Cornette carries significant weight. In the territory days, a “World Champion” was a singular entity who traveled between territories. Today, a wrestling fan tuning into a week of television might see ten different “World” champions across various brands.
Cornette placed the blame for AEW’s specific issues on owner Tony Khan, suggesting that Khan overthinks his booking to the point of incoherence, creating tournaments and titles to service short-term match ideas rather than long-term prestige.
“Tony intricately overthinks this and writes this s**t down, and somehow this all makes sense to him,” Cornette surmised regarding the overlapping title pictures. “But for him to immerse himself in this night and day and it still don’t make a lick of goddamn sense, that’s troubling to me.”
Whether it is AEW’s “Continental Crown” confusion or WWE introducing secondary women’s titles and “Speed” belts, the industry seems determined to ensure that “everybody’s got a belt.” While this provides more opportunities for talent to be highlighted and marketed as champions, critics like Cornette argue it risks sacrificing the prestige of the top prizes. When everyone is a champion, the title “champion” ceases to mean “the best”—it simply becomes a prop.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Jim Cornette and Brian Last with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
