In pro wrestling, it’s not uncommon to see a wrestler start carrying around an unsanctioned vanity championship, a belt that they’ve usually awarded to themselves that their given promotion refuses to acknowledge. Modern examples include AEW’s FTW Championship (originally introduced in ECW) and that time Moose started carrying around an old TNA World Championship in 2020. But the source of this practice is commonly attributed to Ted DiBiase, who in WWE’s Golden Era introduced his own vanity championship, the Million Dollar Championship.

RELATED: The FTW Championship & 9 More Belts That Were Props

Introduced in the 1980s, the belt has a long history, going dormant and resurfacing over the years all the way to the 2020s. Let’s take a look at the entire history of the Million Dollar Championship, including the various wrestlers who held it.

10/10 The Result Of Ted DiBiase Failing To Win The WWE Championship

Nicknamed “The Million Dollar Man,” Ted DiBiase was one of those gifted wrestlers who was never able to officially capture the WWE Championship, coming up short whenever he challenged for the belt. He even once got his associate Andre the Giant to sell him the belt upon winning it, but that only caused WWE to vacate the belt, with DiBiase failing to win the vacant title at WrestleMania 4.

In 1989, DiBiase finally pulled the trigger and just awarded himself the Million Dollar Championship, an extravagant, bejeweled belt that he bought for himself.

9/10 Jake Roberts Stole The Belt

Anytime anyone has a prop in wrestling, it’s inevitable that someone else is going to steal it. Given its kayfabe value of $1,000,000 (see below), the Million Dollar Championship was definitely going to be stolen at some point, and the thief in this case would be Jake “The Snake” Roberts.

The saga of DiBiase trying to retrieve it involved stealing back the belt as well as Roberts’ snake, Big Boss Man turning babyface and returning both items to Roberts, and DiBiase finally getting it back at WrestleMania 6 thanks to Ted’s bodyguard/servant, Virgil.

8/10 Virgil Was The First To Win It

Another inevitably in pro wrestling is a flunkie gradually hitting a breaking point and turning babyface against their heel boss, and Virgil’s babyface turn happened to involve the Million Dollar Championship. Virgil and DiBiase’s big showdown would happen at SummerSlam 1991, with Virgil not only getting the win over his old boss, but also winning the Million Dollar Championship in the process.

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However, Virgil would only hold the belt for 77 days, losing it back to DiBiase at the TV special Survivor Series Showdown due to interference from, appropriately, the Repo Man.

7/10 Revived For Steve Austin

After a few months of holding the Million Dollar Championship, Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Schyster would capture an actual title in the Tag Team Championship, resulting in DiBiase retiring his vanity belt.

However, The Million Dollar Man would bring it back in 1995 once he became the manager of a newly debuted Steve Austin, who was packaged as “The Ringmaster.” However, the title would disappear again after Savio Vega beat Austin in a match that forced DiBiase out of the company.

6/10 Not Actually Worth A Million Dollars

In kayfabe, the Million Dollar Championship is presumably worth a million dollars — hence the name — and certainly looks that way given how bright and shiny it is. In reality, however, it’s actually far less than a million — closer to $40,000 or $50,000 depending on who one asks.

While the plating on the belt is indeed gold, the supposed diamonds are actually cubic zirconia, though there are a trio of diamonds on the back of the belt. To create the belt, WWE utilized a jeweler in Greenwich, Connecticut.

5/10 Held By Ted DiBiase Jr.

Ted DiBiase had several sons follow in his footsteps into the wrestling business, but only one, Ted Jr., made it to WWE’s main roster. Ted DiBiase Jr.’s relationship to his father was no secret in WWE continuity, and the elder DiBiase even awarded his son the Million Dollar Championship in 2010.

However, the bequeathing happened off-screen — DiBiase Sr. was inducted into the Hall of Fame, DiBiase Jr. had his big break-up match with his stable Legacy the next day at WrestleMania 26, and then DiBiase Jr. began appearing on television with the belt.

4/10 Goldust Stole The Belt From DiBiase Jr.

Ted DiBiase Jr. didn’t just follow in his father’s footsteps by becoming a pro wrestler, but he also did it by getting the Million Dollar Championship stolen. The thief in this case was Goldust, who took it from DiBiase Jr. in the fall of 2010. The feud, which involved Aksana getting involved for some reason, resulted in Goldust eventually regaining the belt and giving it to Ted DiBiase Sr.

RELATED: Everybody’s Got A Price: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase

The elder DiBiase tried to give the belt back to his son, but DiBiase Jr. refused, committing to chase a legitimate title in WWE. From there, the younger DiBiase unsuccessfully challenged Daniel Bryan for the United States Championship at Survivor Series 2010.

3/10 Revived In NXT In 2021

Save for whenever DiBiase Sr. would appear for nostalgic segments on WWE television, the Million Dollar Championship remained dormant for over a decade until 2021. Over in WWE’s developmental territory, NXT, loud bumpkin Cameron Grimes was working a gimmick where he made a ton of money off of GameStop stock situation.

As part of this gimmick, Grimes shot segments where he’d try to throw his money around, only to be outdone by Ted DiBiase, setting the stage for the return of the signature belt.

2/10 First Won By LA Knight In NXT

The result of these segments between Cameron Grimes and Ted DiBiase was an in-ring encounter called “the Million Dollar Face-Off”, the result of which was not only the return of the Million Dollar Championship, but also the incorporation of LA Knight (later known as Max Dupri and later LA Knight again on the main roster) as DiBiase’s surrogate in an in-ring feud with Grimes.

Knight and Grimes had a Ladder match for the Million Dollar Championship at TakeOver: In Your House in August 2021, which LA Knight won.

1/10 Cameron Grimes Is The Final Champion To Date

However, LA Knight was a heel and DiBiase a beloved veteran, so Knight ultimately betrayed and attacked the legend, prompting Cameron Grimes to continue his feud with Knight. At NXT TakeOver 36, Grimes challenged Knight for the Million Dollar Championship, with Grimes dethroning Knight to win the belt.

However, Grimes, upon trying to return the belt to DiBiase, found out that the Million Dollar Man had actually given Grimes a replica to begin with, and still held the actual belt. From there, the Million Dollar Championship once again disappeared from WWE television.