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What's the Story?
SmackDown Live superstar Daniel Bryan threw away the WWE Championship at the end of this week's show and debuted a new title made of hemp.
The new title's design marks the first custom WWE Championship since 2011.
In case you didn't know
Bryan came to the ring towards the end of SmackDown and bragged about his victory over AJ Styles and his superiority due to his eco-friendliness, before calling Rowan to the ring.
Rowan grabbed a trash can for Bryan so he could dump the WWE Championship in the trash. Bryan would debut a new championship that was much more environmentally friendly than its predecessor.
The heart of the matter
Bryan said the strap for the new championship was made from "100 percent sustainable hemp" and that the wood came from an oak tree before being interrupted by Styles and other challengers for his title.
The custom WWE logo and side plates are carved into the wood, but the diamonds and jewels that were a part of the old design were replaced by what appears to be earth stones and wood.
The new title was the first custom WWE Championship in nearly a decade and joins many of the past custom designs used in the company's history.
The earliest custom design was worn by Hulk Hogan who had a picture of himself on the tile in 1986 and was followed up by a custom belt for the late Andre the Giant heading into WrestleMania III.
Stone Cold Steve Austin would be the next wrestler to get a custom championship, dubbed the "Smoking Skull" title before it was retired. The Rock also had a custom "Brahma Bull" WWE Championship created, but the belt never debuted on TV.
John Cena's spinner belt was originally supposed to be a custom design, but became the standard title from 2005 to 2013. His rival, Edge, would sport a custom Rated-R WWE Title during their feud in 2006.
The last custom WWE Championship was The Miz's title, which was upside down, representing the superstar's name.
What's next?
Like many of the custom designs, the new WWE Championship will probably be retired when Bryan loses the title, but fans are unsure when that will happen.
WrestleMania seems like the most likely end to his title reign, but plans are always subject to change.
