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| image_size =
| caption =
| currentholder =
| won =
| aired =
| retired = September 25, 2024
| promotion = [[Extreme Championship Wrestling]]<br>(1998–1999)<br>[[All Elite Wrestling]]<br>(2020–2024)
| brand =
| created = May 14, 1998
| firstchamp = [[Taz (wrestler)|Taz]]
| finalchamp = [[Hook (wrestler)|Hook]]
| mostreigns =
[[Hook (wrestler)|Hook]]<br>(3 reigns)
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*FTW Heavyweight Championship<br>(1998–1999)
*FTW Championship<br>(2020–2024)
|heaviest = [[Brian Cage]]<br>({{convert|268|lb|kg|abbr=on}})
|lightest = [[Jungle Boy (wrestler)|Jack Perry]]<br>({{convert|167|lb|kg|abbr=on}})
}}
The '''FTW
It was originally unified into the [[ECW World Heavyweight Championship]] when then ECW World Heavyweight Champion Taz won the title from [[Sabu (wrestler)|Sabu]] at [[Living Dangerously 1999]]. It remained inactive for 21 years
▲It was originally unified into the [[ECW World Heavyweight Championship]] when then ECW World Heavyweight Champion Taz won the title from [[Sabu (wrestler)|Sabu]] at [[Living Dangerously 1999]]. It remained inactive for 21 years, but, as it was never actually property of ECW but of Taz himself, it was not included as the intellectual property sold to [[WWE]] during the sale of ECW in 2001, allowing Taz to reintroduce the title in AEW in 2020, this time awarding it to his client, [[Brian Cage]]. It was introduced in a similar matter to how it was introduced in ECW; the world champion of the promotion was inactive at the time, and unable to defend it, thus the FTW Championship was awarded to the would-be challenger.
== History ==
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The FTW Heavyweight Championship was designed, created, and conceived by [[Taz (wrestler)|Taz]], who also owns the rights to the title.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Johnson|first1=Mike|title=HOW TAZ WAS ABLE TO RESURRECT THE FTW CHAMPIONSHIP IN ALL ELITE WRESTLING|url=https://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=137793|work=PWInsider|access-date=July 9, 2020}}</ref> The title was used to compensate for storylines that had to be dropped due to injuries. [[ECW World Heavyweight Championship|ECW World Heavyweight Champion]] [[Shane Douglas]] had a serious sinus infection and an elbow injury. Taz and [[Al Snow]] also missed their matches at [[Wrestlepalooza 1998]] due to health problems.<ref name=ropes>{{cite book|page=99|title=Between the Ropes: Wrestling's Greatest Triumphs and Failures|first=Brian|last=Fritz|publisher=[[ECW Press]]|year=2006|isbn=1554902681}}</ref> ECW Owner [[Paul Heyman]] said the title suited Taz's "bad-ass, no-nonsense" attitude."<ref name=ropes/>
Taz announced the creation of the FTW Heavyweight Championship (also referred to as the [[Brooklyn]] World Championship) on May 14, 1998, at [[It Ain't Seinfeld|It Ain't ''Seinfeld'']]. In the storyline, he was frustrated by his inability to challenge for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship due to Champion Shane Douglas' injury and refusal to face him. Taz created and defended his own world title, billing himself as the "real" World Champion. He stated that fans appreciated the message conveyed by the title, which represented contempt for bosses and society, and said that he believed it was more appreciated than the company's top title.<ref name=rise/> The championship was billed as "unrecognized" by ECW.<ref name=rise/><ref>{{cite web
Taz lost the title only once, in a singles match against [[Sabu (wrestler)|Sabu]]. This was an intentional loss, when he pulled an unconscious Sabu over himself on December 19, 1998 (he was confident that he would defeat Shane Douglas in an upcoming title bout, and thus no longer needed the FTW Heavyweight Championship).<ref name=dayhist/> Taz regained the title at [[Living Dangerously]] on March 21, 1999, where he [[Championship unification|unified]] the FTW Heavyweight Championship with the ECW World Heavyweight Championship (which he then held) by defeating Sabu in a [[Winner Takes All match|title versus title match]].<ref name=delivers>{{cite web|title=ECW delivers at Living Dangerously|url=http://slam.canoe.com/SlamWrestlingArchive/livingdangerously_mar22.html|first=Mike|last=Whaley|work=SLAM! Wrestling|publisher=Canadian Online Explorer
===All Elite Wrestling (2020–2024)===
Taz began appearing in [[All Elite Wrestling]] (AEW) in late 2019 and officially signed with the company in January 2020 as a commentator. He then began managing [[Brian Cage]]. On Night 2 of [[Fyter Fest (2020)|''Dynamite'': Fyter Fest]] on July 2 that year ([[Broadcast delay|aired]] on July 8), Cage was scheduled to face [[Jon Moxley]] for the [[AEW World Championship]]; however, the match was postponed as Moxley had to self-quarantine after his wife [[Renee Paquette]] had tested positive for [[COVID-19]]. In turn, Taz reinstated the title (as the FTW Championship) that night and awarded it to Cage, mirroring the circumstances behind the title's original inception in ECW. Just like in ECW, the FTW Championship
After winning the title at [[AEW Dynasty|Dynasty]] in April 2024, due to the negative connotation of the
==Belt designs==
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When the title was first created, the FTW belt was a custom ECW Television Championship belt with a leather strap painted orange, stickers partially covering the belt,<ref name=rise>{{cite book|page=223|title=The Rise & Fall of ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling|first=Thom|last=Loverro|isbn=978-1416513124|year=2007|publisher=Simon and Schuster}}</ref> and a "TAZ" logo at the top. "FTW" stickers were strategically placed over the word "Television" in the middle of the belt as well as the United States and United Kingdom flags on the side plates. A few months later, in an attempt to persuade Taz to team with Sabu and Rob Van Dam against Shane Douglas and The Triple Threat, Bill Alfonso presented Taz with an original FTW belt featuring a black leather strap and orange-accented bronze plates, with a "TAZ" logo engraved in the belt's centerplate. This second design would also be used for the belt after its reintroduction in AEW. Taz stated that the concept and attitude have been replicated by other companies.<ref name=rise/>
According to Taz on ''[[The Rise and Fall of ECW]]'' DVD documentary, when Sabu won the title, he was legitimately upset backstage over Taz's name being permanently displayed on the belt. From then on, whenever Sabu had the belt with him, he would cover the Taz logo with athletic tape and write "SABU" on it in magic marker.<ref>{{cite AV media|title=The Rise and Fall of ECW|medium=DVD|publisher=WWE Home Video|date=2004}}</ref> A similar instance occurred with the current champion Chris Jericho, as after winning the title, he appeared on the April 24, 2024,
==Reigns==
[[File:Hook, 2022 (headshot).jpg|thumb|right|Record three-time and final champion [[Hook (wrestler)|Hook]], who also had the longest combined days as champion at 626 days.]]
There were a total of 10 reigns between seven champions and one vacancy. Taz was the inaugural champion. His son Hook was the final champion and also had the most reigns at three, as well as the longest combined reign at 626 days. [[Ricky Starks]] had the longest singular reign at 378 days while Taz's second reign was the shortest at less than a day as he abandoned the title upon winning the ECW World Heavyweight Championship in a championship unification match.
=== Names ===
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|May 14, 1998 – March 21, 1999
|-
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|July 2, 2020 –
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==Combined reigns==
[[File:WMC AEWSTARKS-CHAMP.jpg|thumb|[[Ricky Starks]], who has the longest singular reign at 378 days]]
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|[[Hook (wrestler)|Hook]] || 3 ||
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!2
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