AEW National Championship

The professional wrestling championship was established by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on November 5, 2025. Prior to that night's episode of AEW's weekly television program Dynamite on TBS, the company's president Tony Khan and commentator Tony Schiavone went live on X to announce the creation of the AEW National Championship. Similar to the AEW International Championship, it was revealed that it could be defended in other promotions. To determine the inaugural AEW National Champion, a Casino Gauntlet match was scheduled for AEW's Full Gear pay-per-view event on November 22, 2025. The 12-man match was won by Ricochet, who pinned Kevin Knight to win. The championship was inspired by the NWA National Heavyweight Championship, which originally served as the top title of Georgia Championship Wrestling under the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The NWA National Heavyweight Championship last appeared on TBS in 1986, when it was unified with the Mid-Atlantic version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship—that title subsequently became a World Championship Wrestling title in 1991 before becoming the WWE United States Championship in 2003. Wahoo McDaniel was recognized as the final NWA National Heavyweight Champion until the title was reactivated in 1997. ==Belt design==

The AEW National Championship belt has a nearly identical design to the 1984–2013 version of the NWA National Heavyweight Championship belt. On the center plate, like with the old NWA belt, there is an eagle at the top, an outline of the United States at the bottom (including Alaska and Hawaii), two lions facing inwards on the sides, a blue globe at the center between the first and second banners, and filigree in the space on the bottom left and right of the center plate. The notable differences with AEW's belt is that above the eagle has AEW's logo on a red background and the three banners, which are also red, say "National", "Wrestling", "Champion" in gold, respectively (with three gold stars on either side of the word "Wrestling"), instead of the second banner saying "Heavyweight Wrestling" like on the NWA's older belt. Additionally, the two inner side plates have AEW's logo on a red background with a gold star in each corner of the plate, instead of showing wrestlers grappling. The two outer side plates are identical to the NWA's old design with a wrestler holding up a title belt with an outline of the contingent United States behind them. == Reception ==

The championship's unveiling drew criticism from figures associated with the NWA, including then-NWA National Heavyweight Champion Mike Mondo and the title's inaugural holder, Austin Idol. The dispute centered on AEW's promotional claim that the National Championship had been defunct since 1986, which omitted the NWA's reintroduction of the title in 1997. Critics also questioned AEW's assertion that its title would continue the NWA championship's legacy despite a lack of formal affiliation between the two promotions. In response, AEW President Tony Khan consulted with NWA President Billy Corgan. While Khan did not retract the initial promotional statements, he officially acknowledged the existence of the NWA's championship and clarified that AEW's would be a separate lineage. Khan also publicly commended Corgan's efforts in maintaining NWA traditions. == Reigns ==

As of , , there have been two reigns between two champions. Ricochet was the inaugural champion, who has the longest reign at 113 days. Ricochet is also the oldest champion at 37 while Jack Perry is the youngest at 28. The current champion is Jack Perry. He won the title by last eliminating Ricochet in a 21-man Blackjack Battle Royal at Revolution on March 15, 2026, in Los Angeles, California; the match began during the Zero Hour pre-show but concluded after the start of the pay-per-view.