WrestleMania III Intercontinental Championship Belt Sells for Record $716,750
The WWF Intercontinental Championship belt won by Ricky Steamboat from Randy Savage at WrestleMania III sold for $716,750 at Heritage Auctions on Saturday, October 24, setting a record for any wrestling championship belt ever sold at auction.
The final price included Heritage’s 22 percent buyer’s premium on a winning bid of $587,500. Former owner Conrad Thompson posted on social media following the sale, writing, “We set a record! Thank you!”
WWF Red Letter Intercontinental Belt Sets New Auction Record
The $716,750 sale surpasses the previous record for a wrestling belt, which was set on August 21 when Hulk Hogan’s WWF Championship belt photo-matched to WrestleMania 2 sold for $414,800 at Heritage. The overall record for wrestling memorabilia remains Hogan’s boots from the first WrestleMania, which fetched $1,037,000 earlier in the year as the first wrestling item to cross the million-dollar threshold.
The item is known as the WWF Red Letter Intercontinental Championship belt. According to Heritage Auctions’ listing, the belt measures 48.5 inches end to end and 9 7/8 inches from top to bottom. It features visible signs of wear from years of travel, including a 6.5-inch piece of black tape on the reverse side that is peeling slightly.
History of the 1980s Championship Belt
The Reggie Parks-inspired belt was used from 1985 to 1988 and passed through the hands of four WWE Hall of Famers during the boom period of 1980s professional wrestling. Tito Santana held the prize before Randy “Macho Man” Savage won it in February 1986 and held it for more than a year. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat defeated Savage on March 29, 1987, at WrestleMania III at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, before losing it to The Honky Tonk Man in June 1987.
Thompson acquired the belt from WWE in 2020. Thompson traded the original Intercontinental Championship belt worn by Pat Patterson—who was the first Intercontinental Champion—after McMahon expressed a desire to acquire Patterson’s belt following his death that year.
We set a record! Thank you!To learn more about the belt, be sure to visit the site! 🔗 ⬇️ To be the first to know what’s coming to market next, before it’s even listed, sign up for emails at the site! 🔗 ⬇️ And if you’re curious about what your item may be worth or would… pic.twitter.com/4TznpO8mPh