Legendary Championship Belt Designer Reggie Parks Passes Away
The man who designed some of the most iconic wrestling championship belts in history, Reggie Parks, has passed away at the age of 87.
Parks began his career as a professional wrestler back in 1955 and was trained by the legendary patriarch of the Hart Family, Stu Hart. During his three decades in the ring, he wrestled all over the United States and beyond. He captured the NWA World Tag Team Championships twice and also won the NWA International Heavyweight Championship.
After leaving the squared circle behind, Parks began his legendary career in creating championship belts. His most iconic design remains the ‘Winged Eagle’ version of the WWF Championship that was used by the promotion for a decade between 1988 and 1998. It was held by the likes of Randy Savage, Hulk Hogan, and Shawn Michaels, with the last man to capture it being ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. He was also responsible for belts used in promotions ranging from WCW, the NWA, and the AWA to more recent designs for SHIMMER and NJPW.
Wrestling podcaster Conrad Thompson commented on the news on Twitter and shared numerous examples of Parks’ handiwork from over the years.
“The world lost a true icon today. If you grew up loving wrestling in the 80s or 90s, you grew up loving his work. RIP Reggie Parks”
Many more wrestling stars and companies have been paying tribute to Parks since the news broke on October 8th.
My grandfather Stu loved Reggie Parks.
— Nattie (@NatbyNature) October 8, 2021
https://twitter.com/FrankieKazarian/status/1446323061792260098
Sad to hear of the passing of Reggie Parks. He was the man who crafted the SHIMMER Championship and the SHIMMER Tag Team Championship belts, along with many other iconic titles in wrestling history! pic.twitter.com/m3iFsqijR9
— SHIMMER Wrestling (@SHIMMERwomen) October 8, 2021