10 Best Looking Wrestling Trophies Ever, Ranked

In sports, teams endure long, grueling seasons in hopes of becoming champions and receiving some type of trophy at the end of the year. In mainstream sports, some trophies have become iconic. Trophies like the Lombardi Super Bowl trophy, the NBA's Larry O'Brien trophy, and the NHL's Stanley Cup have driven many young athletes over the years to strive for and achieve greatness.

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While pro wrestling might not have a trophy on par with any of those, fans have seen several marquee trophies throughout wrestling history across promotions like WWE, AEW, and NJPW to name a few. Some were won by individuals. Others by tag teams. What all these particular trophies have in common though is their esthetically pleasing appearances.

10 "The Owen"

Our first entry is one of the newer trophies in pro wrestling. It has affectionately come to be known as "The Owen." It is awarded every year to the winner of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament in AEW. The tournament was established in 2022 and has both a men's and women's bracket.

Unlike many other wrestling trophies throughout the years, two essentially identical versions of this trophy are awarded to the winners of each respective tournament. They also get awarded a championship belt, but the real prize is the beautiful cup-style trophy.

9 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal Trophy

This trophy is a bit controversial. Some fans like it while others hate it. In 2014, WWE announced a new WrestleMania tradition, the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. It's supposed to be a prestigious Battle Royal but thus far, it hasn't launched or jump-started any careers. It does have a very interesting trophy though.

As an homage to wrestling's greatest giant, WWE decided to add Andre's likeness to the top of what was already a huge trophy. Some fans argue the trophy is way too bulky. Others think a large bulky trophy works when it's dedicated to Andre The Giant. Regardless, it's definitely an attention-getter.

8 King Of The Ring 2001 Trophy

In 1993, WWE took their King Of The Ring tournament and turned it into a pay-per-view. They put a renewed emphasis on the title of King Of The Ring and used the tournament to help launch several Hall Of Fame Careers, including "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Triple H. Typically, the prize for winning the tournament was a crown, a scepter, a robe, and a throne.

In 2001 though, WWE went a different route with their King Of The Ring prize. For the first and only time ever, WWE awarded the winner of the prestigious tournament a trophy. Edge would be the recipient of the stunning platinum cup-style trophy. Sadly the trophy wouldn't be used for too long on WWE programming.

7 Cruiserweight Classic Trophy

Ever since WCW introduced the wrestling world to smaller, faster-paced performers through their Cruiserweight division, fans have had a soft spot for them. Unfortunately though, WWE never really had a knack for booking their Cruiserweight division. In 2007, the company retired the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.

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In 2016 however, WWE announced a new tournament, The Cruiserweight Classic. TJ Perkins would win the inaugural tournament and be crowned the WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Perkins was also awarded a pretty sweet trophy with a silver globe sitting atop four pillars. Sadly, in 2022, WWE once again retired their Cruiserweight Championship.

6 NXT Heritage Cup

This trophy is another relatively new one, but it's hard to deny its stunning elegance. In 2018, WWE introduced NXT UK. The brand would feature the WWE United Kingdom Championship as its top prize. Then in 2020, the NXT UK Heritage Cup was introduced to serve as the brand's secondary championship.

The cup itself is a thing of beauty. It is silver and gold and features two lions holding up a shield that says "NXT." When NXT UK went away in 2023, the Heritage Cup was transferred over to NXT where it is still an active championship.

5 Crockett Cup

In 1986, Jim Crockett Promotions introduced its marquee tournament, The Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament. I know, that name just rolls right off the tongue, right? Anyway, the tournament would feature the company's top tag teams and become a yearly tradition until the promotion was sold in 1989.

In total, three tag teams got to hold the original Crockett Cup. The beautiful trophy is a big silver cup with deep etchings and engravings. It's simple but elegant. In 2019, the NWA revived the tournament but shortened the name of it to simply "The Crockett Cup." The updated trophy is nice too but not as nice as the original.

4 "The Dusty Cup"

What some casual wrestling fans might not know is that Dusty Rhodes was the driving creative force behind Jim Crockett Promotions. He's the one who thought of coming up with the Jim Crockett Memorial Tournament. In 2015, WWE and NXT paid homage to the late great Dusty Rhodes when they introduced the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

The winners of the prestigious tournament get to etch their names on and hold the prestigious trophy affectionately known as "The Dusty Cup." The trophy is a massive three-tiered thing of beauty. The middle tier features the likeness of Rhodes' famous cowboy boots. It's easily one of the best trophies in modern-day pro wrestling. If not the best.

3 New Japan Cup

The next two entries are trophies that the average American wrestling fan likely isn't familiar with. However, that doesn't change their importance or their beauty. The first is NJPW's New Japan Cup. The tournament was introduced in 2006 and much like New Japan's other prestigious yearly tournament, the winner is awarded an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship opportunity.

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Some of the biggest names in Japanese wrestling history have hoisted the coveted cup. The trophy itself is massive and breathtaking. It's gold with numerous jewels throughout it. The top resembles a crown. It truly is an impressive sight to behold. It's a shame more American wrestling fans aren't aware of it.

2 G1 Climax Trophy

This next trophy also comes from NJPW. While some American wrestling fans might not be too familiar with the trophy's appearance, they've likely heard of the tournament it's associated with, the G1 Climax. The G1 is hands down the most prestigious tournament in pro wrestling history. It's the longest-running and has featured the biggest names in pro wrestling in the past.

The winner of the G1 receives an automatic IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match, typically at the January 4th Tokyo Dome show, today known as Wrestle Kingdom. The trophy is gold with a wrestler standing atop it with flames behind him. It's not as big as the New Japan Cup, but it doesn't need to be. This trophy has history and importance on its side.

1 Slammy Award

Some readers might not agree with this entry but there truly is a strong argument to be made for the WWE Slammy as the best-looking wrestling trophy ever. For starters, this trophy has history on its side. It's the oldest major wrestling trophy in America. Second, it's had the same, timeless design since the late 80s.

The Slammy Award was originally just a knock-off Grammy Award but since its inception, it's become beloved. Most of the credit for getting this trophy over so much has to go to Owen Hart. When Hart got his hands on a couple of Slammys in the mid-90s, he made the trophy feel like the ultimate prize in sports entertainment. It has a beautiful design of one wrestler Gorilla Pressing another and is jam-packed with nostalgia. That's hard to beat.