CS Knowledge Base

The AEW National Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Established on November 5, 2025, the championship is not exclusive to AEW, as it can also be defended in other promotions across the United States, such as Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro-Wrestling's (NJPW) American branch, NJPW Strong. The current champion is Ricochet, who became the inaugural champion by pinning Kevin Knight in a 12-man Casino Gauntlet match at Full Gear on November 22, 2025.

The championship was established by the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on November 5, 2025. Prior to that night's episode of AEW's weekly television program Dynamite on TBS, the company's president Tony Khan and commentator Tony Schiavone went live on X to announce the creation of the AEW National Championship. Similar to the AEW International Championship, it was revealed that it could be defended in other promotions.^[1] To determine the inaugural AEW National Champion, a Casino Gauntlet match was scheduled for AEW's Full Gear pay-per-view event on November 22, 2025.^[2] The 12-man match was won by Ricochet, who pinned Kevin Knight to win.^[3]

The championship is inspired by the NWA National Heavyweight Championship, which originally served as the top title of Georgia Championship Wrestling under the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The NWA National Heavyweight Championship last appeared on TBS in 1986, when it was unified with the Mid-Atlantic version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (now the WWE United States Championship) with Wahoo McDaniel recognized as the final titleholder—NWA later reactivated the National title in 1997.^[4][5]

The AEW National Championship belt has a nearly identical design to the 1984–2013 version of the NWA National Heavyweight Championship belt. On the center plate, like with the old NWA belt, there is an eagle at the top, an outline of the United States at the bottom (including Alaska and Hawaii), two lions facing inwards on the sides, a blue globe at the center between the first and second banners, and filigree in the space on the bottom left and right of the center plate. The notable differences with AEW's belt is that above the eagle has AEW's logo on a red background and the three banners, which are also red, say "National", "Wrestling", "Champion" in gold, respectively (with three gold stars on either side of the word "Wrestling"), instead of the second banner saying "Heavyweight Wrestling" like on the NWA's older belt. Additionally, the two inner side plates have AEW's logo on a red background with a gold star in each corner of the plate, instead of showing wrestlers grappling. The two outer side plates are identical to the NWA's old design with a wrestler holding up a title belt with an outline of the contingent United States behind them.^[6]

The championship's unveiling drew criticism from figures associated with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA),^[7] including then-reigning NWA National Heavyweight Champion Mike Mondo and the title's inaugural holder, Austin Idol. The dispute centered on All Elite Wrestling's (AEW) promotional claim that the National Championship had been defunct since 1986, which omitted the NWA's reintroduction of the title in 1997. Critics also questioned AEW's assertion that its title would continue the NWA championship's legacy despite a lack of formal affiliation between the two promotions.^[8] In response, AEW President Tony Khan consulted with NWA President Billy Corgan. While Khan did not retract the initial promotional statements, he officially acknowledged the existence of the NWA's championship and clarified that the AEW title would maintain a separate lineage. Khan also publicly commended Corgan's efforts in maintaining NWA traditions.^[9]

The inaugural and current champion is Ricochet. He won the title by pinning Kevin Knight in a 12-man Casino Gauntlet match at Full Gear on November 22, 2025, in Newark, New Jersey.^[10]

• Official AEW National Championship History