Folks, it’s true. The FTW Championship—one of the most rebellious, fight-me-in-the-parking-lot titles of all time—has officially retired, and it went out in style, just like HOOK’s hair. On AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam in the loud-and-proud city of Queens, New York, HOOK stood tall, having just tapped out Roderick Strong faster than you can say “Red Rum.”
Strong, probably realizing that resistance was futile, gave HOOK a firm handshake, because that’s just how you handle getting folded like laundry on live TV. But then the real shocker came when HOOK, the FTW champ for the third time, declared that the belt was about to be put out to pasture. And not just any pasture—the pasture where legends go to sip iced tea and reminisce about the glory days.
HOOK, in a move that had both grown men and casual viewers wiping away a single tear, hugged his dad, none other than AEW broadcaster and FTW belt creator, Taz. That’s right, folks—a heartwarming father-son moment in a sport where chair shots to the head are as common as handshake deals.
The FTW Championship was first dug up from its rebellious grave in 2020, with Team Taz’s Brian Cage as its lucky recipient. But since then, it’s been HOOK’s world. The man’s held it three times, battling big names like Jack Perry (no relation to Friends) and Chris Jericho. His most recent reign started on August 25, when he took down Jericho at Wembley Stadium. Of course, Papa Taz played a role there, because what’s better than winning a belt? Winning it with your dad’s help. The belt was originally born in the 1990s, during Taz’s ECW days when he and Sabu were too busy breaking each other’s bones over it to even notice how cool the belt actually looked.
And now, with a final goodbye, the FTW Championship is walking off into the sunset, with HOOK and Taz sharing a hug that’ll go down in wrestling history—right up there with steel cage matches, surprise returns, and mid-ring marriage proposals.