Get ready to fight. Bray Wyatt’s new custom WWE Universal Championship belt has gotten people talking — and commenter Corey Graves is one of them.
On the December 4 episode of his podcast “After the Bell,” Graves, 35, didn’t hold back regarding his opinion about the the hauntingly creepy belt — which prominently features Wyatt’s face across the front plate.
“The championship is very cool visually but I have a problem with these customized championships. I always have. I hated when Stone Cold [Steve Austin] had the smoking skull belt. Yeah it was cool, but all of a sudden the WWE Championship with all its history now is customized to one guy,” Graves says.’
To clear things up, the former pro wrestler says he’s OK with the Championship now being blue (the new look debuted in November after the title moved from Raw to SmackDown) — and he was even OK with The Ultimate Warrior changing the strap on his Championship during his reign. But to reimagine the entire thing? That’s just wrong.
“I think it devalues the Championship as a whole,” Graves explains. “In our business everything is fluid, it’s constantly evolving.” The one thing they have, he argues, is the Championship.
Wyatt, 32, a.k.a. The Fiend, won the Universal Champion title in November and the customized belt was designed and hand crafted by Tom Savini Studios (dubbed the “Godfather of Gore.”) Despite fans’ divided opinions, the belt can be purchased for $6,499.99 at the WWE shop.
New episodes of Graves’ podcast “After the Bell” are released every Wednesday.
