AEW Announces National Championship Amid NWA Dispute

All Elite Wrestling announced a new men's singles championship on its November 5, 2025, episode of Dynamite, setting the stage for a Casino Gauntlet match at the Full Gear pay-per-view event on November 22, 2025, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The match will determine the inaugural AEW National Champion, with confirmed participants including Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and Ricochet.

The title, designed by veteran belt maker Dave Millican in a throwback style, is positioned as a midcard prize intended for defenses across AEW programming as well as in partner promotions such as Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. Officials described it as a nod to wrestling's territorial era, emphasizing global travel and inter-promotional bouts to elevate its prestige. This comes after AEW unified its International and Continental titles earlier in 2025 into a single championship held by Kazuchika Okada, leaving room in the roster for additional accolades amid a crowded lineup that includes world, tag team, and women's divisions.

The introduction has drawn sharp criticism from the National Wrestling Alliance, which maintains its own...