Inaugural and longest-reigning champion Jade Cargill, who held the title for 508 days, the longest reign for any AEW championship
In March 2020, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) established the AEW TNT Championship as a television championship for the men's division, named after the TNT television network, owned by WarnerMedia.[1] In May 2021, it was announced that AEW's flagship program, Dynamite, would be moving from TNT to the network's sister channel, TBS, also owned by WarnerMedia, in January 2022, while AEW's other core program, Rampage, would remain on TNT.[2][3] Despite Dynamite moving to TBS, wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer reported that the TNT Championship would not be renamed.[4] Then-AEW executive and wrestler Cody Rhodes also affirmed that there were no plans to rename the championship and that there were no plans for a separate TBS Championship for male wrestlers.[5] It was later reported that the promotion would introduce a secondary women's championship and it would instead be called the TBS Championship.[6]
Prior to the October 6, 2021, second anniversary episode of Dynamite, AEW President and Chief Executive OfficerTony Khan said there would be a major announcement made on the show.[7] During the episode, AEW commentator Tony Schiavone and referee Aubrey Edwards officially unveiled the AEW TBS Championship as a television championship for the women's division.[8] AEW announced that the inaugural champion would be determined by a single-elimination tournament.[9] The tournament bracket was revealed on the October 22 episode of Rampage with a 12-woman field. The tournament itself began on the October 23 episode of Dynamite and concluded on the January 5, 2022, episode, the show's debut broadcast on TBS.[10][9] In the tournament final, Jade Cargill defeated Ruby Soho to become the inaugural TBS Champion.[11]
TBS Championship Tournament
On the October 22, 2021, episode of Rampage, the participants of the inaugural TBS Championship Tournament were revealed.[12] Tony Khan announced on Busted Open Radio that the tournament would have a 12-woman field with four of them receiving a first round bye.[13]
The TBS Championship belt design is nearly identical to the men's TNT Championship, with a couple of notable differences. The belt has six plates on a black leather strap. The center plate prominently features a relief TBS network logo at the center. Above the TBS logo is AEW's logo, while below the TBS logo is a blue banner that says "CHAMPION" (countering the red banner on the TNT title). The two inner side plates are the same as the TNT Championship, featuring "Tara on Techwood", 1050 Techwood Drive in Atlanta, the building that was the original home of both TNT and TBS. Also like the TNT title, the two outer side plates feature AEW's logo, while a third smaller side plate on the far right side also features the promotion's logo.[8] This and the original TNT belt it was based on were originally commissioned by AEW and designed by Red Leather, and the actual construction of the belt was completed by Rey Rey Championship Belts.[14]
As of November 28, 2024, there have been five reigns between five champions. Jade Cargill was the inaugural champion and has the longest reign at 508 days, which is also the longest reign of any AEW championship. Willow Nightingale has the shortest reign at 35 days. Mercedes Moné is the oldest champion, winning the title at 32, while Hart is the youngest at 22, also making her the youngest female champion in AEW's history.
Mercedes Moné is the current champion in her first reign. She defeated previous champion Willow Nightingale at Double or Nothing on May 26, 2024, in Paradise, Nevada.[15]
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