We need to have a chat about the FTW Championship and if the “unrecognised” gimmick is still the right approach.
Let’s get the awkward part (and explanation that comes with it) out of the way first. I was the reporter that referred to the FTW Championship as a “joke” at the AEW All In London media scrum. However, my question was, in an admittedly clumsily worded and roundabout way, asking about if the FTW Championship was now considered official, or still unrecognised by AEW. I wanted to ask this for two reasons; I’ve loved the idea of the title for over twenty-years, its unofficial status hadn’t been alluded to in a while, and on a personal level, I think it deserves to be an official AEW Championship – which is the case I’m about to make.
The sad part is my clumsy wording especially with the words “joke” and “insult” were initially seen as an attack rather than a question based on years of admiration and a care for the future. In a parallel world where I got to finish my question this would have been clearer. While I did get to clarify, the damage was done and sadly various outlets didn’t report the clarification and a significant portion of wrestling Twitter didn’t see it either. Or just didn’t care, so the tribalism commenced.
Hook faced Chris Jericho the FTW Championship at All In (2024)
Now the purpose of this piece isn’t to relitigate that episode. For the record, Tony Khan, Taz, the current FTW Champion Hook and AEW all know my question came from a good place and wasn’t intended to be disrespectful, which is a comfort. And Tony Khan did answer my question once he heard it in full, however, this now raises more questions about the FTW Championship and its place in AEW.
Let’s go back in time to an episode of ECW in 1998 where the FTW Championship was introduced. At the time, it wasn’t intended to be a proper title. Much like the Million Dollar Championship, or the old TNA belt that Moose paraded around for a time in Impact Wrestling, the FTW Championship was part of a storyline. Essentially, a heel was mad at the company so made his own title and gave it to himself.
I’m not defending my use of the word joke, (as I’ve admitted, it was clumsy), but this was the scenario I was referencing. Taking the Championship’s beloved heritage out of the equation and looking at its origins in a vacuum, even the most die-hard FTW belt fan must admit, it started out as an unserious title. My use of the word insult? Well, Google what FTW stands for if you want to know what I meant. It wasn’t to attack the belt or its heritage, because unserious title or not, this was a damn good storyline back in the day.
Hook regained the FTW Championship.
Here’s where things get difficult, while responding to me at the media scrum, Tony Khan admitted to bringing the title to AEW. Of course he did, we all know that, it’s his company and kayfabe is dead in 2024. But in AEW lore, Taz brought in the belt and gave it Brian Cage for similar reasons to why he created it. In storyline, and in their heel minds, Team Taz were being overlooked by management and it was time for AEW to acknowledge the stable’s hardest hitter. So, Taz gave Cage the belt and the rest is history.
Since All In, and partly due to my question, the AEW community has been split on if the FTW Championship still has value in the company. I’ve received various messages from some fans saying “Hey, you were right, it is a joke” but I’d passionately argue that it isn’t – and that it has lots of value. To be fair, some of these people are well-intentioned and didn’t want to see a reporter get abused online, while others are just tribal “fans” trying to attack AEW for not being their favourite wrestling company. But they too have misunderstood what I meant.
As an AEW and ECW fan, I firmly believe that the FTW Championship feels as genuine as any other belt in the company. For years, it has existed alongside them and been subject to some high-profile defences on marquee pay-per-views. In my own humble opinion, the FTW Championship has earned the right to exist in a legitimate way and should be able to shed its “unrecognised” status. The unrecognised part is kayfabe anyway, the fact is, it’s an AEW belt like all the others.
Taz and Hook’s moment at All In was the most heartwarming thing on the show.
Of course, Tony Khan clarified to me at the media scrum that the belt is still “unrecognised” but if that’s the case, why give it official spots on PPVs, feature it so prominently and treat it with such reverence? Okay, we understand it’s heritage and we respect it, but is it not time to drop the unrecognised gimmick now? I asked my question because it had been so long since AEW reminded us about it being unrecognised that I half expected Khan to confirm it’s a fully legitimate AEW Championship now, like the TBS or TNT.
Perhaps its status as an unofficial belt gives it some edge and is key to what makes it so interesting. Being unrecognised lends the FTW Championship a renegade status, making it a bit more bad-ass. This in turn, makes Hook appear more bad-ass, not that the current champ needs any help in that regard. But that isn’t going to stop me from going to bat for it. The FTW Championship has come a long way since its beginnings, and it is no joke, so let’s give it the respect it deserves and finally recognise it as a true AEW Championship.
Let’s make it the bad-ass belt, the one given to young up-and-comers. Let’s not shy away from its origins and heritage, and let whoever holds it in the future always be someone with a rebellious streak. For now though, send Hook.
