Title Belt FAQ

If you've somehow stumbled onto this site, you're probably wondering what all this is. Heck, even the friends I shared the site's URL to asked a lot of questions. So I'll try to answer as many of those questions as I can in this page. If you have a question that isn't answered here, shoot me an email and I'll do my best to reply.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Who are you?

A: My real name is Sonny Abello. I'm a software engineer with nearly 20 years experience in the industry. Until recently, I worked in this capacity at Excite@Home, where I developed network diagnostic tools for our call centers. For further information about my work experience, you can view my resume online by clicking here.

In my personal time, I like to listen to music (all types, except rap), play with my dogs, write parody lyrics, play video games, watch movies, follow pro wrestling and write computer programs. And, as you can see from this site, I recently added title belt design and making to this eclectic mix.

Q: Why do you make title belts?

A: Mostly as a hobby, but also because I wanted to have awards/trophies for the video games I like to play with my family and friends. The Soul Calibur Master title belt was the first and got the ball rolling. Whenever the family would get together on weekends, Soul Calibur was the game that lit our competitive fires and we really got into it. Since it was hard to keep track of who was "The Man" from one week to the next, I thought it would be a good idea to have a title belt that would designate the "champion."

If you want a more comical take on why I do this, you can view "Why Title Belts?" by clicking here.

Q: How do you make the title belts?

A: In an nutshell, I work on the plate designs on my computer, print the designs on an inkjet printer, cut them out and paste them onto the metal plates of a toy ECW title belt. Obviously, it's a lot more involved, but this is the process in a nutshell.

If you want to see a more detailed step-by-step description, you can view my "Belt Making Process" online by clicking here. Please be aware that this is a very long page with a lot of images on it (it's over nine printed pages long), and it may take some time to load if you have a slower dial-up connection.

Q: Are your title belts real?

A: This question can be interpreted in several ways, but most of the answers will be "no."

  • No, these title belts are not representative of any known sanctioning body in the world, nor are the current title holders recognized as "true champions."
  • No, they are not affiliated in any way, shape or form with the publishers/manufacturers of the video games or subjects they purport to represent, nor are they authorized products.
  • No, they do not look or feel like the "real" title belts held by "real" boxing or prowrestling "champions."
But if your question is whether or not these belts "physically exist" in the real world and are not just computer created images that only exist in the cyberspace, then the answer is "yes, they are real!"

Q: How do you decide what title belts to make?

A: The obvious answer is that I make belts for the video games that I like to play with friends and family, but that's not entirely true. The title belts for Soul Calibur, Ready 2 Rumble, WWF SmackDown and AeroWings were easy choices because these are games we play regularly during our weekend get togethers. But Tekken 3 isn't a game any of us are particularly fond of. As I mentioned in the Tekken 3 information in the Title Belt Gallery, this was a belt that I've wanted since 1998, so making it was more of a way to satisfy that desire than anything else. The Tools Engineering SuperStar belt was made along similar reasoning.

I guess when it boils right down to it, if I have the time and the inclination, I'll make a title belt for the sheer fun of making it!

Q: Where do you get the ideas/concepts for your title belt designs?

A: Usually from the video game or whatever subject matter the title belt is designed for. It's always a good idea to have familiar elements in the design. In the case of the Soul Calibur Master title belt, I took elements from the video game itself (the Soul Calibur logo, Edge Master's sword, Sophitia's shield, images of Taki and Nightmare) and just moved them around the template until I found a design that I liked. Most of the other designs followed this same pattern.

Sometimes I get so engrossed with a concept that I overlook the obvious. In the case of the Tools Engineering SuperStar belt, I wanted to play on the "SuperStar" angle, so there are stars all over the belt. I even snuck in a couple of Christmas parols (Filipino star lanterns) into the design. So if you look at the design, you see the stars but nothing to suggest what "Tools Engineering" was all about (we developed network diagnostic tools).

Q: How long does it take you to make a title belt?

A: Assuming that I have all the materials prepared and onhand, the actual assembly of a title belt can be done in less than four hours. But that's just the amount of time it takes to assemble a title belt. The longest step in the process is working on the plate designs, and I've spent anywhere from one day to two weeks working on plate designs.

Q: Do you make title belts for a living?

A: Nope. This is just a hobby. Besides, I don't consider these belts commercial quality, so I'd be reluctant to do this as a profession.

Q: If I want a title belt but don't want to make one myself, can you suggest a place where I can have one made?

A: If money isn't an issue, J-MAR Championship Belts, Legacy Championship Belts and Reggie Parks are said to be the best in the business. These folks make title belts for the major prowrestling and boxing organizations. As you can imagine, they are pricey. I believe the least expensive belt you can get from these guys will be around $400 for a belt built using one of their generic cast designs and more than $1000 for a truly customized belt.

A much more economical option is TABC Belts Inc., which makes "alternative" title belts for independent wrestling promotions and backyard feds ("TABC" stands for "The Alternative Belt Choice"). They make custom title belts for as little as $40 and offer several "extra" options to enhance the belt design (additional charges apply, of course). These belts are described as "constructed with strong industrial plastic and plated with mirror reflective [gold] film, giving [them] that true highly polished metal look." The TABC Belts site has a gallery showcasing some of their finished products if you wanna see what the belts look like.

Another option is IAA International Awards & Apparel, who make title belts for kickboxing championships. The prices for their belts range from $130 to $280. Their belt designs are very different from the styles we see in wrestling and boxing, though, and there's not much mention on their site as to the level of customization they offer.

These are the establishments that I'm aware of, but you could probably find more if you searched the Net.

Q: How do your title belts compare to theirs?

A: Comparing my title belts to theirs would be like comparing a water pistol to .44 Magnum. My title belts are built with toy ECW belts as their foundations. Therefore, my belts are also toys, and I've always considered them such. They only weigh about a pound and are made mostly of plastic.

Ric Flair used to refer to the NWA Heavyweight title belt as his "10 pounds of gold," but my title belts come nowhere near that glamorous distinction. They're just toys.

Q: Are your title belts sturdy?

A: I really don't know yet. Certainly they hold up well when I strap them on or fling them over my shoulder, but I've never tried to take them out into the rain or wash them or run them over with a car, nor do I have any plans to do so.

I imagine a belt would survive if you hit someone over the head with it. And, as light as the belts are, I don't suppose any serious damage would occur to your victim, if at all. But you'll probably piss him off, so run like hell!

Q: How do the belts hold up in extreme weather conditions?

A: Obviously, I don't recommend submerging the belts in water, or leaving it out in the rain. I also don't recommend exposing the belt to direct sunlight for an extended period of time. Not that I've actually tried doing either of these to any of my belts, but it just makes sense that these should be things that you should avoid.

Recently, I took two of my belts with me on a trip to So. Lake Tahoe, and I did notice a couple of things:

  • Before leaving for Tahoe, the belts were sitting in the trunk of the car for most of the early part of the day (about 7 hours). It was pretty warm that day, so the temperature in the trunk may very well have been over 100°F. Still, none of the plastic or ink on either belt showed signs of damage caused by exposure to this heat.
  • When we arrived in Tahoe, I looked at the belts and saw that some of the plates had "bubbled up," very similar to what happens to a vacuum packed bag of chips when brought up to high altitudes (the elevation of So. Lake Tahoe is about 5,500ft). The plates remained this way the entire time I was in Tahoe. I thought that I was going to have to repair them when I got back home, but the plates returned to their "normal" state when I got back home to San Carlos (elevation 37ft).

Q: Why do you use mylar film instead of plain paper?

A: The inkjet compatible mylar film has an almost mirror like finish, which means that when used properly you can make plates that look like chromed metal or shiny gold. I could have used plain paper, of course, but I really wanted the shiny metal look. And mylar is very shiny.

How shiny is it? Get a load of this image:

I took this image of the main plate of the AeroWings Top Gun title belt to show just how shiny the mylar film was, and I purposely held my finger in front of the plate. I got more than I bargained for, though, as you can not only see the reflection of my finger, but also the camera, the other fingers of my right hand and even some of the hair on top of my head!

Q: Why do you laminate the plates?

A: The primary reason for laminating the mylar film is to make the plates water and scuff resistant, but there are other reasons. The ink surface of the mylar film is very susceptible to finger prints, and laminating it makes it a heck of a lot easier to work with. Laminating also makes cutting the mylar cleaner, as the unlaminated mylar has a tendency to "crack" along the edges.

Aside from the self laminating sheets, I also experimented with Crystal Glaze spray, but this didn't work out too well. While it created a very nice glass-like layer, the Crystal Glaze didn't adhere to the mylar film too well and peeled off within a couple of days.