The latest World Heavyweight Championship replica from the WWE Shop is considered by many to be the most accurate replica of the big gold, originally manufactured by Crumrine Jewelers.
The first version of this replica debuted at WrestleMania 39 in LA, but many quickly pointed out the offset letters at the top of the main plate. The second version came months later, but had a horrible smell to it that caused many to return their belts. This third version has the corrected font, shiny plates, and a non-smelly strap.
The World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion letters at the top of the main plate are now all the same size. They could fill the silver area a bit better, as the letters are vertically smaller when compared to the real belt, but the rest of the design is accurate.
The crown and globe pieces at the center of the main plate are fantastic in design, but I feel they are too pronounced compared to the real big gold. Also, this V3 shoprine has a shinier crown and globe than the V2, as that version had a dull look to the crown and globe while the rest of the plates were shiny.
The wrestler pieces appear four times on the three plates. The design is highly accurate, but I’m not entirely sure how far they should be sticking out from the plates. Based on images I have seen, I do know the wrestlers should be sticking out further than the crown and globe on the main plate.
The “chonchos” which house the faux rubies around the three plates should be separate pieces like the older Figures Toy Company replicas and like the real big gold belt, but they are etched onto the plates giving them a flatter appearance. With that said, the conchos have great detail and are dual colored like the swirls throughout the rest of the plates.
The silver colored metal behind the gold swirls do not seem any shinier than they previously did. The texturing looks decent for a replica, but it’s just not the same when compared to the real, handmade big gold belt.
The strap itself is a dark brown similar to the original big gold. It is very stiff as all other replica belts given that it is made of polyurethane, but it does well at keeping the plates upright for display. The back of the strap covers all the screws to the three plates but leaves the screws for the nameplate uncovered. The nameplate is removable, but the WWE Shop does not sell any sort of nameplates separately
Once again, the Big Gold World Heavyweight Championship from the WWE Shop is the best big gold replica you can get your hands on. The price starts at $450, but often goes on sale. If buying used, try to see which version it is: Version 1 has a duller appearance on the plates and misaligned font on the main plate. Version 2 corrected the font on the main plate and gave a shinier appearance to the plates, but the crown and globe still looked dull like the version 1. A new strap gave it a softer feel but had a horrible chemical smell. This version 3 seems to be the best and probably the final version of the shoprine.
