By Chris Morris | Plugged In 

By Jeff Schiller 

Finally… Marvel Studios want The Rock in a movie. Fans have begged for pro-wrestlers to get involved in the Marvel superhero movie factory and now the biggest superhero company seems to be on board.

Ken Feige had this to say about The Rock in a Marvel film…

“His name has come up in the past. I’m a gigantic fan of his. I think he`s incredible. I might have met him once a long time ago, but I haven`t really met him. I don`t really know him, but I think he`s an unbelievable personality and an unbelievable sort of force of nature. He`s awesome in `Pain & Gain`. He was great in `G.I. Joe`. He`s really kind of an amazing human being. His Twitter`s always cool and he promotes the hell out of everything he does. I would love him to be part of the Marvel universe somewhere, someday.

There’s an endless list of comic characters that The Rock would be well suited to play on the big screen. Here are our top five choices.

Namor the Submariner
  
Much like The Hulk, Namor has been on both sides of The Avengers. Sometimes he's a babyface, sometimes he's a heel. The Rock could slide right in, and play the villain of 'The Avengers 2', but then return as an ally for the third film.

This is the kind of character who The Rock could inject new life into, and a solo film franchise would be a must.

We're surprised Namor hasn't hit the big screen yet, but perhaps Marvel was waiting for an actor with the mainstream appeal of The Rock. A Marvel film with special effects to look like Atlantis could be monumental.

Goliath
 
You could probably call Goliath a "C" character when it comes to members of The Avengers. His biggest claim to fame was dying during Marvel's Civil War, which pit all the superheroes against one another, lead separately by Iron Man and Captain America.

Goliath's ability to grow huge isn't far off from The Rock's own ability, but it takes far less meals for Goliath to pull of the feat.

We doubt Goliath would be worth a movie franchise of his own, but he could be "The one who dies" in 'The Avengers 2'. The Rock is a bit bigger of a movie name to kill off than Clark Gregg/Agent Coulson.

Hercules
 
 Hercules isn't the most interesting character that Marvel has, but The Rock could easily play the brute in an ensemble superhero film.

Hercules in Marvel comics is exactly the same as Hercules in every other form of literature. The best part about Herc is how he speaks in a wacky old-timey English dialect, and we'd love to see Duane Johnson trying not to do that in a laughable manner.

Rock is already built like the half-son of a Greek God, so it's not much of a stretch that he could fit the role, but I do question Rock's ability to grow a beard. You can't play Hercules without a beard, but perhaps a funny fake beard would compliment the goofy accent.

Black Bolt
 
 Black Bolt's voice is more powerful than all of the other superheros on this list combined. It's so powerful that he can't even speak to his normal friends, and thus, The Rock would have the easiest time collecting a paycheck ever. He probably wouldn't pull an ab or anything.

Instead of an Avengers film, The Rock could play Black Bolt in an Illuminati crossover film. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, The Rock as Black Bolt and Namor (one masked, one obviously not), and then you only have to fill-out a few more roster spots (Dr. Strange, Black Panther).

Black Bolt is one of those characters we've always wanted to see on the big screen, but he's not exactly the most premiere choice for a new Superhero franchise. The Rock could get it over, even without talking, though.

Moon Knight
 
 Moon Knight is a boxer turned Marine turned mercenary turned rich guy turned superhero. The story isn't simple, but it's made for film.

The Moon Knight could easily be Marvel's newest Batman, if The Rock was in the role. It would take some serious range on the part of Duane, as Moon Knight is an insane person.

The best thing about a Moon Knight movie would be that the majority of non-comic book fans are unaware of his origin, unlike Spiderman, which we've seen done numerous times in movies and cartoons.

The Rock could take Moon Knight into a top tier character with his own personal popularity, and a fun story.

What Marvel character should The Rock play? Got some suggestions of your own? Leave them in the comments.

http://guyspeed.com/marvel-the-rock-rumors/?trackback=twitter

By Bruce Horovitz, USA Today

Wendy's is keeping mum about its plans for a pretzel burger, but the item is already becoming the buzz of fast food.

Wendy's has a twist on burgers that's not yet for sale, but it's already getting buzz as one of 2013's most innovative fast food offerings: a pretzel burger.

More specifically, the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger.

Whether this premium product rolls out this summer -—- or next fall — is anyone's guess. Wendy's won't say — declining to discuss the pretzel burger until its national introduction. "We're not sharing details of this sandwich today," says spokesman Denny Lynch, in an e-mail. "It's not in any of our restaurants."

But new products are the life-blood of fast-food, and Wendy's, formerly the industry leader in product innovation, could regain its claim to that crown with a serious hit. This upcoming burger — made with a soft-pretzel-like roll — has some fast food experts fawning.

"This could be a very, very big deal," says Christopher Muller, professor of hospitality at Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration. "I don't know why, but there's nothing else on the market quite like it." If it's a hit, he says, others are guaranteed to follow.

Pretzels are totally on-trend, notes Mark Brandau, senior editor at Nation's Restaurant News. The trend actually began at some casual dining restaurants and is working its way down to fast food, he says. Several years ago, Blimpies rolled out a line of subs made with pretzel bread. And throughout much of Europe — particularly Germany — pretzel rolls of all kinds are extremely popular, Muller says.

One research analyst, Mark Kalinowski, of Janney Capital Markets, is so hot on the product that in a research note May 24, he upgraded Wendy's stock to "buy" from neutral based on reports that — in test market — it was one of Wendy's top-selling limited-time offerings in decades.

For Wendy's, a return to a leadership role in new product roll-outs would be huge. For decades, Wendy's products — from burgers to salads — were mimicked by the competition before its new product engine seemed to stall under a cascade of new executives.

More recently, Wendy's seems to be focusing on premium bread as a way to separate itself from the competition. Earlier this year, the chain rolled out a Grilled Chicken Flatbread sandwich as a limited time offering. While the pretzel burger may initially be introduced as a limited-time offering, it's not unusual for fast-food chains to add these limited-time items to permanent menus if sales take off.

The pretzel burger, which was previously test marketed in the Miami area, will face one major headwind: value pricing. The burger is expected to be premium priced, but price-conscious fast-food consumers currently seem bent on lower-priced value items. Witness McDonald's recent decision to nix its line of Angus burgers.

Even then, Muller says, a well-made and well-marketed pretzel burger could do for Wendy's this year what the wildly-successful roll-out of the Doritos Locos Tacos did for Taco Bell last year. "Wendy's hasn't had a new product like this forever."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/05/29/wendys-pretzel-bacon-cheeseburger-fast-food/2370301/

By Elise Sole, Shine Staff | Fashion 

Only a year after a stylist who works with Victoria's Secret on its annual fashion show deemed supermodel Kate Upton's look "too obvious" for her to walk the runway, Upton appears in the latest Victoria's Secret catalog, according to a recent Buzzfeed story. 

Although it's the second time Upton has modeled for the catalog (her first shoot was in 2011), stylist Sophia Neophitou, a fashion industry veteran worked who has helped cast past Victoria's Secret fashion shows, told The New York Times in February 2012 that Upton's crossover potential from lad mag model to fashion icon was dubious. She said, "We would never use" Upton for a Victoria's Secret show. "She's like a Page 3 girl," said Neophitou, in reference to the  curvy women often featured inThe Sun, a British tabloid. “She’s like a footballer’s wife, with the too-blond hair and that kind of face that anyone with enough money can go out and buy.”

Soon after, Upton responded to Neophitou's comments by telling "Access Hollywood" in an interview, "I’m doing fine in my career, I don't need to walk down their runway so it's all good. She can think that and I can think whatever I want about her."

However, judging by the latest Victoria's Secret catalog (which, The Cut notes may be a recycled image from Upton's 2011 shoot) in which Upton appears on the back cover wearing a black Body by Victoria bra, it appears the 20-year-old supermodel and the lingerie company have called a truce—and the Internet is buzzing about it. "Victoria's Secret had a change of heart" tweeted The Cut. "Kate Upton models for Victoria's Secret—one year after the VS fashion show casting director majorly bashed her," wrote Fashionista. And Vogue UK tweeted, "Nice to see that Kate Upton doesn't hold a grudge" and "Victoria's Secret succumbs to the Kate Effect."

Not long ago, Kate Upton was best known as a sex symbol, rather than a fashion force to be reckoned with. She first came to fame in a viral video, dancing to Cali Swag District's song "Teach Me How to Dougie" at a Los Angeles Clippers game in 2011. Her YouTube influence was solidified a year later with another video shot by photographer Terry Richardson. Despite Richardson's fashion credibility, the video was largely remembered for Upton's skimpy bikini and dance move called the "Cat Daddy." YouTube banned the video because it violated the website's policy on nudity and sexual content but it had by then, it had amassed close to 750,000 views in the first 24 hours. Cut to Upton appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated's famous swimsuit issue in February of that year— an honor typically reserved for more well-known beauties such as Heidi Klum and Elle Macpherson—a GQ cover on which she sucked seductively on a popsicle, and a second Sport's Illustrated cover this past February wearing only an unzipped parka that revealed her cleavage. Judging by Upton's resume, it seemed unlikely that she could crossover into high fashion. 

But Upton's trajectory has been anything but predictable. Her career has coincided with a magazine industry in flux, and a backlash against stick thin cover girls—both may have been factors in her emergence on the women's fashion scene. 

Upton's debut on the cover of Vogue Italia in November 2012, British Vogue in January, and a U.S. Vogue cover in May, have all solidified her role as high fashion's new heroine. 

"Kate Upton's look is a return to the 90's supermodel when curvier models such as Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banks, and Heidi Klum ruled the runway," Fashionista's editorial director, Leah Chernikoff, tells Yahoo! Shine. "You'll see some models successfully straddle the line between Victoria's Secret and high fashion— Karlie Kloss and Chanel Iman are two examples—but it's rare."

Upton deserves a heaping of the credit. Her Twitter account boasts almost 1 million followers and sparked a nationwide debate about weight and positive body image after a blogger made absurd comments about the supermodel being overweight. 

That was in 2012, the same year Neophitou balked at the idea of Upton walking the Victoria's Secret runway. But in 2013, it doesn't seem that unlikely after all. 

A rep for Victoria's Secret declined to comment, but fashion insiders are already speculating Upton's catalog appearance could lead to a full-fledged deal as a VS Angel. 
 
"Kate Upton seems like a great fit for Victoria's Secret because not only is the company is known for exhibiting a curvier body type, they're a fun, sexy brand that encourages their models to have tons of personality," says Chernikoff. "You'll see the models walk the runway, flirting with the audience and the camera, blowing kisses, and smiling, a rare move in the fashion world. In fact, Upton has potential to be a successful Angel." 

Hobbs, Toretto, and O'Conner better watch their backs in 'Fast 7'! (Photo: Universal)

By Meriah Doty | Movie Talk 

The massively popular "Fast & Furious" series has amassed more than $1.5 billion to date, and shows no sign of slowing down. Lately, the trick to keeping the track roaring has been adding teasers just after the credits start, hinting at the thrills ahead.

In “Fast 6” that tradition continues with one very big reveal.

SPOILER ALERT!

If you follow the series you know the third installment, "Tokyo Drift" takes place after "Fast" 4, 5, and 6. Why do we know this? For one, Han (Sung Kang), who died in the third "Fast," is alive in the latter three installments.


After the credits roll in "Fast 6," we see Han die all over again. Same race in Japan, same car flip. And now we can finally map out the chronology of the series: "Fast" 1, "Fast" 2, skip to "Fast" 4, "Fast" 5, "Fast" 6, back to "Fast" 3 (that pesky "Tokyo Drift"), and then forward to "Fast" 7 (coming out next year).

Han’s killer has never been revealed, but at last all is told.

Han dies after a mysterious Mercedes-Benz sideswipes his car, causing it to flip. And guess who gets out of the stealthy car to check Han's lifeless corpse?

SUPERMASSIVE SPOILER ALERT!!!

Ian Shaw, played by none other than British action star Jason Statham (portraying the brother of the "Fast 6" super-villain known simply as Shaw, played by Luke Evans). Evans's character dies at the hands of the "Fast" crew in the sixth installment, out now. Statham's man is clearly avenging his brother's death.

The series has come full circle. And Han's death is, at last, explained.

Of course, if you check the IMDb page for "Fast & Furious 7," you'll see Statham's name at the top of the credits listing for the character Ian Shaw and that the film is in preproduction. For fans of the series, this is a huge development.

Now we get to ponder a "Fast" installment with yet another huge personality added to the mix, with Statham joining The Rock, Vin Diesel, and Rodriguez.

This isn't the first time the series has showcased a big reveal after the end of a film. The post-credits scene in "Fast & Furious 5" blew everyone's mind when U.S. customs agent Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes) handed Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) a very interesting file. The big reveal: Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) was alive! (She was believed to have been murdered by way of a fiery car crash in the fourth installment.)

While Mendes doesn't appear in "Fast 6" – in which a very much alive-yet-confused Letty emerges – another revealing post-credits scene does.

Director James Wan, known best for his long-running "Saw" horror franchise, has taken over the series from Justin Lin. And he has his work cut out for him when it comes to balancing all these big players, ahem, drivers.

By Bryan Enk | Movie Talk 

Comic book collectors, be prepared to go Hulk-green with envy.

David Gonzalez stumbled across one Super-sized bonus check when he discovered a copy of "Action Comics" #1 in the wall of his house in Elbow Lake, Minnesota, according to UPI.com.

The remodeler -- and now one of the luckiest men alive -- found the extremely rare comic book amongst old newspapers that had been used to insulate the wall of the abandoned home that was built in 1938 (the year Superman made his first appearance in print). Gonzalez bought the house for $10,100; the comic is worth at least ten times that much.

"Action Comics" #1 was published 75 years ago last month and featured the first appearance of several superhero characters, most notably Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. "Action Comics" is today dedicated almost exclusively to Superman stories, but in its early days as a predecessor of DC Comics it was an anthology book -- and is considered the publication that gave birth to the "superhero" genre in general.

The first "Superman" comic book adventure was 13 pages long, detailing the story of baby Superman being sent to Earth by his scientist father from a distant planet that was "destroyed by old age" through the discovery of his super-powers while at an orphanage and finally coming to maturity as a man named "Clark" who uses his abilities to fight criminals.

Siegel & Shuster were paid $10 per page for this story, for a total of $130. Today, a copy of "Action Comics" #1 graded 9 out of 10 recently sold for over $2 million.

Gonzalez said he wasn't quite as careful with the discovery as he should've been and accidentally tore the cover, which downgraded its condition from a 3 to a 1.5 out of 10. Nevertheless, the bid on auction site ComicConnect.com for this particular copy is up to over $113,000 as of Wednesday.

The auction ends on Tuesday, June 11, three days before Superman returns to the big screen in Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel."

Fan trailer by sliverlightsaber.  http://www.youtube.com/user/silverlightsaber

By Doug Farrar | Shutdown Corner 

Before you laugh at the defense of Tim Tebow, NFL Quarterback, that you are about to read, there are a few things you should remember about its author, the one and only Chuck Norris:

Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

Chuck Norris sold his soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and unparalleled martial arts ability. Shortly after the transaction was finalized, Chuck roundhouse kicked the devil in the face and took his soul back. The devil, who appreciates irony, couldn't stay mad and admitted he should have seen it coming. They now play poker every second Wednesday of the month.

Brett Favre can throw a football over 50 yards. Chuck Norris can throw Brett Favre even further.

These things, of course, are all true. Now, as to Chuck Norris' defense of Mr. Tebow, which Mr. Norris wrote on a site called WND.com (which also counts Ann Coulter and Ted Nugent among its contributors). The martial-arts expert and well-known action hero truly believes that the NFL doesn't know what it's doing when it rejects Tebow as a star quarterback.

"America has the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championships) and the UCP (Ultimate Clutch Players)," Norris writes. "One is mixed martial artists, and the other is quarterbacks of the NFL. They all are athletic warriors who are extremely determined to win.

"My favorite in the UFC is Georges St. Pierre. My favorite UCP in the NFL is Tim Tebow."

Norris goes on and on, quite rhapsodically:

I have been following Tim since he became a quarterback for the Florida Gators, and I have never seen a more determined and inspiring athlete play the game of football. And I’m not alone in that sports assessment.

Norris then goes on to quote Akbar Gbajabiamila, Michael Strahan, and Forbes Magazine in his assertion that " Tebow is a player who rises to the occasion and delivers big in critical game moments."

Norris then insists that the Jacksonville Jaguars are the right home for Tebow.

Why? To put it simply, because Tim could help turn the mediocre team into a championship one. Tebow works miracles on the field, and his inclusion would embolden the spirit of the Jaguars among the team and fans.

Plus – and this has no reflection on the current quarterbacks – Tim is from Florida, where he bears a victor legacy and an extensive fan base, to boot, from his days with the Gators. Tim was raised in the Jacksonville area, where he became a high-school football star. Then his young, stellar career shot into the stratosphere when he led the University of Florida in Gainesville to some record-breaking wins. Tim won two national championships with the Gators and became the first sophomore ever to win the coveted Heisman Trophy.

So, Mr. Shad Khan – the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, David Caldwell – their general manager and coach Gus Bradley, I would give the preceding some serious thought. Whatever you would pay Tebow would be recouped tenfold by the increase in attendance and fan base. With Tim as the quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, they would add thousands (if not tens of thousands) of additional fans to the stadium, including me – even though I don’t live in Florida!

After quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, Norris then blames Tebow's current employment status on the media, and the fear NFL teams have of public scrutiny. He ends his argument with a simple plea: Won't some visionary team take a shot on this American hero?

All that is needed now is an owner, manager and coach of a football team who have the vision and faith to watch Tebow turn around their team. I guarantee that they will see positive results. I have been an athlete all of my life, being a six-time undefeated world middle weight champion in the martial arts, and I know a winner when I see one.

Tim Tebow is a winner – plain and simple!

Chuck Norris is NOT kidding about Tim Tebow. (AP)

Well, there are winners, and there are winners. And all kidding aside, while Norris' martial arts qualifications are above reproach, his insistence that Tebow could lap the field as an NFL quarterback reminds me of a scene Norris did with Bruce Lee in one of my favorite kung-fu movies, "Way of the Dragon."

Yes, it's staged, and yes, Bruce Lee is supposed to win because it's his movie. But Lee was faster, had a more expansive technique base, and brought a power to his attack that Norris simply didn't possess -- at least, in the movie. In this case, and since Norris brought himself up as an athletic example, I would compare Norris in this role to Tebow in the NFL -- good enough to stay in the fight, but with enough obvious weaknesses to get his butt kicked (or worse) against a superior opponent.

In this movie, Lee is the equivalent of Tom Brady, or Peyton Manning, or Aaron Rodgers. He's simply the superior athlete in every way, and when it comes right down to it, that's what the NFL wants.

I'd also respectfully ask Mr Norris to take a good look at Cam Newton, Robert Griffin, Colin Kaepernick, and Russell Wilson. Like Tebow, they've all been winners, and they're all mobile quarterbacks. But unlike Tebow, they can all throw the ball consistently at the NFL level without a large number of schematic setups to offset their weaknesses. To put it in terms that Mr. Norris could clearly understand at the root of his athletic soul, those guys are the black belts, and Tim Tebow is not. Not at this level, and there are some things that can't be hidden with all the rhetoric in the world.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/chuck-norris-writes-1-500-word-manifesto-defense-054946523.html

By Bryan Enk | Movie Talk 

"Metallica Through the Never" is an upcoming IMAX 3D extravaganza that offers a fresh spin on the whole tried-and-true "concert film" format. More than a just a "spin," actually -- it adds an additional parallel narrative to concert footage of the longtime band proving that nobody rocks quite as hard as guys who traditionally might have retired about two decades ago.

Watch the exclusive trailer premiere for 'Metallica Through the Never':

The trailer certainly doesn't open like a concert film. In fact, this could be a trailer for "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" for all we know, as we see young Dane DeHaan (who's playing Harry Osborn in next summer's "Amazing Spider-Man" sequel) behind the wheel of a van, traversing the kind of foreboding nocturnal Los Angeles that was on display so effectively in Michael Mann's "Collateral." DeHaan's distracted by a road map, which causes him to run a red light and get smashed into by a right-of-way vehicle.

DeHaan crawls from the wreckage of the van as Metallica's rather ominous "Master of Puppets" kicks in, and from there we see footage of the band in some massive concert hall mixed with images of DeHaan trapped in some dystopian L.A. nightmare landscape, complete with rampaging gangs that set cars on fire as police in riot gear ride horses through the chaos. DeHaan is seen carrying some sort of briefcase, which no doubt contains some item of importance that must be delivered to some unidentified party by some unidentified time or all is lost (or something thereof).

"Through the Never" (named after a track from the 1991 record often referred to as "The Black Album") has actually been a long time coming, though making an IMAX 3D concert film was certainly a much more difficult endeavor back in the day.

"15 years ago we were actually in negotiations with IMAX to do kind of an old-school IMAX film, back when they were just doing mountain-climbing films and dinosaur films," said Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich in an interview with STV Entertainment at the Cannes Film Festival. "But the cameras and practicalities of doing an IMAX film in the '90s for us as a rock band were ... it just wasn't doable. So it's kind of fun how it's come back around again."

"Metallica Through the Never," which follows DeHaan as one of the band's crew members who's given a very special -- and obviously very dangerous -- mission, was designed from the start to be something of a game-changer for concert films.

"We just wanted to try and do something that wasn't the sort of standard fare concert film," said Ulrich. "It's been done, and it's been done very well by many bands. But we wanted to challenge ourselves a little bit and try and do something different ... and try to bring a little more of I guess a film element into it, a cinematic element into it and I think we've done that."

"Metallica Through the Never," written and directed by Nimrod Antal ("Vacancy," "Predators"), will hit traditional theaters on October 4 with the IMAX 3D version being released earlier on September 27.

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/exclusive-metallica-never-trailer-mixes-concert-footage-mob-225846097.html

BY ZACH LINDER

Dave Millican has been crafting championships all of his life. Long before he became the man responsible for many of the WWE titles you see today, the “Ace of Belts” was dreaming up his own designs in the front of the family television.

“When I became a fan as a kid in the ’70s, we didn’t have everything kids have today like video games and replica titles,” Millican told WWEClassics.com. “So I had to make my own.”

Starting out with makeshift titles built out of cardboard and aluminum, the young Tennessee native later graduated to heavier metal and better materials. When Millican wanted the real deal, he looked up Reggie Parks, the man who was making the championships used on television. Parks was a Canadian grappler who had a brief stint as a WWE referee before settling in Tuscon, Ariz., to establish his title manufacturing business in the 1980s. Over the following decades, Parks created the titles well-known to many wrestling fans and influenced Millican, who was eager to learn.


“He once said to me, ‘I’m not going to be around forever. There needs to be somebody that’s honest and going to put out quality work,’ ” Millican said. “He held my hand through the process. I’m where I’m at thanks to Reggie.”


Today, Parks and Millican have a business partnership, but Reggie’s last titles for WWE were created during WWE’s New Generation heyday of 1996. More than a decade later, Millican became WWE’s go-to craftsman after asserting himself in the business by creating titles for organizations like Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

“I’ve made championships for companies all over the world, and when WWE came to me a few years ago, that’s when it all came full circle,” Millican said.

Since 2008, the “Ace of Belts” has been responsible for the redesigned copper WWE Tag Team Championships, the World Heavyweight Championship, the relaunched “classic” Intercontinental Title and the dynamic NXT Championship. In addition, his workshop collaborated with Orange County Choppers to create the brand spanking new WWE Championship.

Millican is a walking encyclopedia of wrestling title knowledge, and his expertise as a craftsman makes him the current foremost authority on championships. WWEClassics.com recently asked him to select the 10 most beautiful championship belts in the history of wrestling — in no particular order, of course.

As Millican said, “It’s like asking me to choose my favorite child.”

“Winged Eagle” WWE Championship

“It’s hard to beat that classic ‘Winged Eagle,’ ” Millican declared. “It’s endured since it debuted in 1988.”

Created by Reggie Parks and held by every WWE Champion from “Macho Man” Randy Savage to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, the design remains a favorite with WWE fans.
“When there was buzz that there was going to be a new title, I was getting emails from fans saying, ‘Please tell me it’s at least a revamped ‘Winged Eagle,’ ” Millican said. “I personally love the belt. It’s an iconic design and people are still asking about it today.”

Although the title has become iconic, WWE’s original design requests were as simple as could be.

“The belt came about because [former WWE producer] Chief Jay Strongbow called Reggie and said, ‘We want a new title where the eagle consumes the main plate,’ ” Millican explained. “Reggie and the engraving company took it from there.”

NWA World Heavyweight Championship

At one time considered to be the symbol of excellence in professional wrestling, the NWA World Heavyweight Title was held by legendary WWE Hall of Famers like Dusty Rhodes, Terry Funk and, of course, Ric Flair.

“It was originally made by a jeweler in Mexico in 1973 with a red velvet strap,” Millican said. “But the strap didn’t hold up, and they changed it over to the black lace leather while Jack Brisco was champion.”

While the same design remains with the National Wrestling Alliance and is still defended to this day, the original belt is now located in WWE’s Stamford, Conn., headquarters. According to WWE archivist Ben Brown, it’s definitely the genuine article because of a dent in the dome, courtesy of Harley Race’s skull.

“Classic” Intercontinental Championship

The first title the “Ace of Belts” was commissioned to create for WWE was the Intercontinental Championship introduced in 2008. At that time, the title had a sleeker oval look, but it was disposed of by Cody Rhodes at WWE Hell in a Cell 2011. With his eye on wrestling history, Cody reinstated the same design held by legendary grapplers like Ricky Steamboat, Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect. It has remained with a white strap since.

“For a fairly simple design, it’s enduring,” Millican said of the title currently held by Wade Barrett. “I think the white looks great, but it’s just not practical It gets all kind of scuff marks on it.”

While the white leather makes the title unique, it truly stood out in the late ’80s when Ultimate Warrior changed the color scheme.

“The yellow one that Warrior had is still very popular among collectors,” Millican said. “It makes it look like a whole different belt.”

“Inmate Belt” AWA World Heavyweight Championship

Nicknamed the “Inmate Belt” by collectors because it was created in a state prison in Wisconsin, the AWA World Heavyweight Championship was one of the most desired titles in wrestling throughout the 1970s.

“Nick [Bockwinkel] always called it his ‘diamond studded license plate,’ ” Millican told WWEClassics.com. “You’d never know it [was made in a prison] from looking at it. The craftsmanship is remarkable.”

The title was so elite, it was only held by six competitors: Bockwinkel, Verne Gagne, Otto Wanz, Jumbo Tsuruta, Rick Martel and, finally, Stan Hansen, who ran off with it to Japan. When the AWA demanded it be returned, “The Lariat” ran it over with his truck and mailed it back complete with mud tracks.

1986 AWA World Heavyweight Championship

After Stan Hansen destroyed the original version of the AWA Championship, Verne Gagne’s organization was forced to replace it. But instead of switching their iconic title with a clone, the AWA opted for a complete redesign.

This championship was held by even fewer competitors than the previous version, a total of five before the organization shuttered for good: Nick Bockwinkel (who was awarded the title after Hansen’s departure), Curt Hennig, Larry Zbyszko, Mr. Saito and the man most closely associated with the design, Jerry Lawler.


“Being in Memphis, it’s against the law to not be a Jerry Lawler fan,” Millican said with a laugh. “I told him I always wanted him to win the big ‘Inmate Belt’ from Nick. And Jerry said, ‘Oh, I hated that belt. It was so gaudy looking. A belt should be like a piece of jewelry. And that’s what I got, the piece of jewelry.’ ”

“Classic” WWE World Tag Team Championship

Active for several decades, these World Tag Team Championships are immediately recognizable to long time WWE fans who remember seeing them in the hands of The Hart Foundation, Demolition and The New Age Outlaws.

“The main plate was a lot bigger than a lot of other tag titles, and it really stood out because of that,” Millican said. “It evolved in a great way. The original versions Reggie made were silver, then he went to silver and gold and then, finally, they were all gold by the late ’80s or early ’90s.”


The titles boast one of the longest tenures of any championship in WWE, having debuted in the mid-’80s and sticking around until the early 2000s.

“Collectors still seek them out,” Millican explained. “You know a design is a classic, not only because it’s been around for a long time, but because it still gets so much attention.”

WCWA World Heavyweight Championship

The signature championship of the Dallas-based World Class Championship Wrestling organization (the WCWA initials stood for the governing body – the World Class Wrestling Association), this title made its debut in 1986 when Chris Adams was champion and was used until World Class shuttered in 1990.

“It was a big, impressive title with a lot of hidden details in the side plates,” admired Millican. “For instance, the side plates have continent maps on them. At a glance, it looks like they’re just a bunch of gold nuggets, but there are tons of details in these maps.”

The man most closely associated with this title is Kerry Von Erich, who was the World Class Champion nine times and held this version on four occasions. In 1988, AWA Champion Jerry Lawler defeated The Texas Tornado to unify the titles. Following a series of controversies, “King” became the final man to hold the championship.

“For its time, it was a very big belt and made a striking appearance,” Millican said. “It was a great representation of what a champion should wear.”

NWA World Television Championship

One of the most unique titles ever defended in a major organization, the NWA Television Title had a striking red appearance and featured network logos on the side plates. Held by a “who’s who” of WWE Hall of Famers and ring icons, including Dusty Rhodes, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Sting, The Great Muta and Steve Austin, the title remains a sought-after design by collectors.

“The leather started red, then it went to black with a red backing that really stood out,” Millican explained.

The design was abandoned by WCW in the early ’90s when the Turner-owned organization split from the National Wrestling Alliance. The championship remained, but was represented by a new, more generic design.

Eventually, the title lost its luster and Scott Hall threw it in the trash. Perhaps the once-revered Television Championship wouldn’t have had the same fate if it had kept the quirky red design.

AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship

“It’s the belt that made me a fan of belts in the first place,” Millican said of the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship. “I had been a fan for years and had never paid that much attention to belts until I saw that one. There was just something about the design.”

Known by many names, the Memphis-based title boasts a lineage that dates back to 1939. This design, though, was most closely associated with Jerry Lawler and his various rivals in Tennessee throughout the 1980s.


“Aesthetically, it’s a very simple belt, especially compared to today’s belts,” the “Ace of Belts” admitted. “I think all those flashes of chrome when the TV lights would hit it just did the trick for me. I was hooked into belts from that point on.”

Although the exact design has been retired, the title’s lineage lives on in The River City’s Memphis Wrestling organization.

The “Big Gold Belt”

Perhaps the most iconic belt design in wrestling history, the “Big Gold Belt” maintains a legacy that is represented today by the World Heavyweight Championship. But for such a recognizable title, the design has some seriously obscure beginnings.

“Nelson Royal was a wrestler who had ties with both the Jim Crockett Promotions office and the NWA,” Millican explained. “In addition to being a well-known wrestler in his own right, he was heavily involved in rodeos.”

When Jim Crockett was looking to redesign the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in the mid-’80s, Royal led Crockett to Crumline Silversmiths in Reno, Nev., a business that dates back to 1948 and specializes in western-style rodeo belt buckles to this day.

“That [original] belt was made from real silver,” Millican revealed. “It was not all gold-plated like we do them today.”

As far as its well-known nickname, the exact origins are unclear.

“Somebody credited Gordon Solie with it,” Millican said, but he prefered to consider another theory. “Ric Flair once opened up his robe standing in the ring and said, ‘There it is. There’s the big gold.’ And the name stuck.”

Since its debut around the waist of The Nature Boy on Valentine’s Day in 1986, the design has undergone several small changes, but remains a revered championship. It has represented the NWA Championship, WCW Championship, WCW’s International Championship and today’s World Heavyweight Championship, which Millican has the privilege of making.

By MMA Weekly 

Roy Nelson scored his latest knockout without setting foot in the Octagon.

Nelson knocked Sao Palelei out of his scheduled fight with Stipe Miocic at UFC 161 on June 15 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, according to UFC officials.

Palelei (18-3), riding an eight-fight winning streak, had lobbied long and hard to get a return shot in the UFC. He finally had it with the fight against Miocic (9-1), but that was before UFC interim bantamweight champ Renan Barão on Tuesday dropped off the card due to injury. Barão was supposed to defend his belt against Eddie Wineland.


With the main event blown apart, UFC officials quickly elevated the co-main event between Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson to headlining status. Evans vs. Henderson will remain a three-round bout. The new co-main event is a fight between Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

After that, however, the name value on the fight card took a significant drop.

Enter “Big Country.”

Roy Nelson has become a fan favorite with his brash, blue-collar style. He’s the everyman of the Octagon.

Exit “The Hulk.”

Palelei will still make his UFC return, but it will be delayed. He’ll likely return later in the summer.

“Good things come to those who wait,” the ever-positive Palelei tweeted on Tuesday night.

Nelson (19-7) is on a three-fight winning streak, knocking out Dave Herman, Matt Mitrione, and Cheick Kongo. With the rest of the top-end of the heavyweight division already occupied, Nelson had been in waiting mode, but now makes the quick turn from his win over Kongo on April 27 to fight Miocic.

Nelson gives the revamped UFC 161 fight card – the promotion’s first stop in Winnipeg – a much-needed boost in name value.

Miocic is coming off of a UFC on Fuel TV 5 main event loss to Stefan Struve. It was the first blemish on his otherwise spotless record.

It’s a tall order for Miocic, who has far less experience than Nelson, and has been on the sidelines since the September 2012 loss to Struve. Two of Nelson’s three latest knockout victories have come since Miocic last fought.

Nelson vs. Miocic will be one of the featured bouts on the UFC 161 pay-per-view main card.