The Figures Toy Company made two different versions of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Let’s see how they compare to each other.
The WWE’s version of the World Heavyweight Championship debuted in 2002, about one year after the WWF had purchased the WCW. It lasted until 2013 when it was unified with the WWE Championship, and the belt was carried on TV until mid-2014.
The Figures Toy Company manufactured and released one version of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship that had standard, deluxe, and ultra deluxe models. The deluxe model had an upgraded faux leather strap while the ultra deluxe model had 4mm thick plates and an upgraded faux leather strap. A few years later, the Figures Toy Company began releasing upgraded “Next Generation” replicas with darker gold coloring and deeper etching to show more detail, similar to the current WWE Shop replica title belts. The World Heavyweight Championship was no exception, and the next gen Big Gold has been considered by some to be better than the ultra deluxe.
Click here to see a review of the Ultra Deluxe World Heavyweight Championship.
Click here to see a review of the Next Generation World Heavyweight Championship.
Looking at the specs, the Next Gen Big Gold and Ultra Deluxe Big Gold are the same shape and size. The Ultra Deluxe Big Gold is heavier due to the plates being solid and the strap being upgraded faux leather. On the back of the straps, the Next Gen Big Gold has a faux red croc backing while the Ultra Deluxe Big Gold has a plain black strap.
The Next Gen Big Gold has deeper etching which shows more of the filagree on the plates. The Ultra Deluxe Big Gold and older versions of the Figs Toy Co belts also have a rainbow shine on the plates, which change the overall look if the light is bright enough. The gold coloring on the Ultra Deluxe Big Gold is more of a white-gold while the Next Gen Big Gold is a darker orange-gold.
The relief pieces are also different from one replica version to the other. The wrestler pieces on the three plates have been slightly altered, with the Next Gen version being a bit taller and less detail.
The crown on the main plate has been changed from a textured design behind the white gems on the Ultra Deluxe Big Gold to a flat design on the Next Gen Big Gold.
The globe on the main plate has also been modified. The Ultra Deluxe Big Gold appears to have more bumps in the topography of the continents. The Next Gen Big Gold is a bit more flat on the continents, with a noticeable dip in South America.
Choosing the best WWE World Heavyweight Championship from the Figures Toy Company is up to personal preference. In my opinion, the Ultra Deluxe version is superior because the plates are solid, the strap has been upgraded, and I prefer the relief pieces on the Ultra Deluxe to the Next Gen. The globe, crown, and all wrestlers seem to have more detail on the Ultra Deluxe, but the Next Gen Big Gold does have more detail in the filagree with the deeper etching.
Neither of these versions can be purchased brand new. There is a retro WWE World Heavyweight Championship replica title belt on the WWE Shop at the moment, but it looks like a cross between the older and next gen big golds from Figs Toy Co with only 2mm plates. I have already written an article on the false advertising from the WWE Shop because they use pictures of the Next Gen Big Gold and sell a completely different version.
Click here to see the difference between the Next Gen Big Gold and current WWE Shop Retro Big Gold.