The TNT Championship was an incomplete belt when it was first revealed on AEW television during the pandemic era in 2020. It grew to be one of the most important belts in the company thanks to the champions who carried the title, making it feel prestigious.
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Since then, it has been relegated back down to a clear mid-card attraction, which can be traced back to some champions not exactly continuing its great start. AEW’s booking of the title should be criticized, as it now feels so much less important just a few years after it debuted.
10 Sammy Guevara
The initial fall of the TNT Championship can be traced back to Sammy Guevara, who held the title three times within the space of about eight months. The title started getting hot-shotted around, hiding the fact that Sammy was not a worthy champion and could not be trusted with the responsibility yet.
This was despite having some great matches against the likes of Cody Rhodes and Scorpio Sky, which should have helped Sammy feel like a better champion. The way he won the belt was fantastic too, targeting Miro’s injured neck to take down the colossus in a shocking victory.
9 Scorpio Sky
Another victim of the hot-shotting was Scorpio Sky, who held the belt twice in early 2022 without having anything memorable happen at all except the title changes. Sky had grown to be quite a good singles competitor in the wake of his SCU split, with his new sidekick Ethan Page helping to form an interesting act in the Men of the Year.
Sky could have been a good champion were he not made expendable to the Wardlow push. His initial feud for the title with Sammy Guevara was so bad as well that he will likely not be remembered fondly as a TNT Champion.
8 Powerhouse Hobbs
Fans had been waiting for some time to see the AEW homegrown talent Powerhouse Hobbs win gold in AEW. However, when he finally won the TNT Championship there was once again no commitment from the company to make him look like someone who could be great with the belt.
RELATED: 10 Early Matches Predictions For AEW WrestleDream 2023He had become embroiled in a three-way feud over the belt with Samoa Joe and champion Wardlow, finally defeating the latter by joining up with Q.T. Marshall. The partnership was so bad, and it ruined what could have been a great breakout title reign for Hobbs, who was left damaged by losing the belt again to Wardlow soon after.
7 Wardlow
Speaking of Wardlow, it is actually quite a shame that his multiple TNT Championship reign simply didn’t work. He was massively over in 2022 after his feud with MJF, but for whatever reason his solo run just tapered off once he won the title from Scorpio Sky.
He was a serviceable first-time champion but again AEW insisted on hot-shotting the belt around Samoa Joe, Hobbs, and himself. Wardlow’s early promise must not be wasted when he returns, as he has clearly got what it takes to be a bigger deal in the company.
6 Samoa Joe
Whilst his two title reigns did come amidst all the rapid changes, Samoa Joe did manage to make himself feel memorable as a champion. His short but incredibly effective feud at the start of this year against Darby Allin was a great version of hot-shotting, which was a refreshing change from it being poorly done so much around that time.
Joe’s ‘King of Television’ gimmick was stopped too soon and could easily be brought back if he were to win the TNT Championship once more.
5 Luchasaurus
The current TNT Champion may have problems with his gimmick in that he is a sinister wrestling dinosaur, but his association with Christian Cage makes the act work. Luchasaurus is incredibly dynamic in the ring, which naturally makes him a better face character, but he has made it work somewhat as a monster heel.
RELATED: 10 Things Christian Cage Never Accomplished In WrestlingMore importantly, his reign has felt like the first significant one with the title in almost two years, as he has been given time to develop his character with the belt. It will be interesting to where his reign and association with Christian Cage end up.
4 Miro
‘The Redeemer’ was a great television character that made Miro a perfect TNT Champion, with the only downside about his reign being it was too short. The former Rusev transformed himself after leaving Kip Sabian’s side, with the much more serious version of his character taking him straight to the title.
He destroyed his smaller opponents and had beefy matches against his bigger ones, all while telling the story of his declining neck health. His final match as a champion against Sammy Guevara was great as it culminated his reign whilst putting his opponent over.
3 Darby Allin
The two-time TNT Champion had very different reigns with the belt, but both were among the most memorable of any holder. On both occasions, Darby proved to be a worthy champion, winning and defending the belt in great matches.
His first title reign involved finally overcoming his rival Cody Rhodes, which led to a remarkable title reign concluding with a humbling at the hands of Miro. His second was amidst the aforementioned short feud with Samoa Joe, where he shocked his larger opponent before dropping the title back to him a month later.
2 Cody Rhodes
The first-ever TNT Champion worked the hardest to make sure the belt was legitimized with his first reign with the belt, with his open challenge being one of the best things AEW has booked. If introduced the likes of Eddie Kingston and Ricky Starks the company, with Cody’s fulfilling his promise of being a fighting champion.
His second reign was also great as it serviced his rivalry with Darby Allin perfectly, eventually putting his younger opponent over. The third and final reign of Cody’s was less memorable as it was a clear attempt to try and get Sammy Guevara over before he jumped ship to WWE.
1 Brodie Lee
The ‘Exalted One’ was a revelation in AEW as the former Luke Harper proved he could be more than just another member of a stable, and instead lead one in the Dark Order. His monstrous presence made him an instant player in AEW where he shocked the world by squashing the inaugural TNT Champion Cody Rhodes for his belt.
The whole feud between Brodie and Cody was something special, setting both men up for great things in the company. Tragically, Brodie was not able to, but he will forever be remembered as one of AEW’s best champions.
