Since I have been involved in the wrestling industry, I have gotten some pretty cool gifts. At the WWF’s Wrestlemania XI press conference, I received a WWF Wrestlemania XI prize pack containing two hats, two shirts, a towel and a program. At the height of the nWo’s popularity, the WCW sent me 10 really-impossible-to-get nWo shirts. And when I went to Titan Towers, home of the executive offices of the WWF, I couldn’t even carry all of the stuff that they gave me.

Of all the free stuff I got from being in the wrestling business, I never had a favorite. I never had that one item that stood out among the others as a true acquisition, something that made you step back and say, “I can’t believe that’s mine” – until now.

A few nights ago, I went to my friend Hawk’s house to help him develop his federation. (On a side note – I find it amazing that I used to be a fan of wrestling and now people in the business are coming to me for advice – you have no idea how good that feels.) Anyway, he offered to give me a piece of the federation as an incentive for helping him – I declined. I told him that I am helping him because he is my friend – and because I believe, as I always say, that God has always blessed me, so helping others is my way of thanking God for His blessings. So as a token of Hawk’s thanks, since I declined his financial offer, he gave me a present – the ECW World Heavyweight Championship title.

At first, I thought he was just showing it to me – because ask any wrestling fan if they would like to hold a wrestling title and watch how fast they grab it out of your hands. So I take it and check it out, because I have rarely seen the ECW title up close. As I am examining the belt, he says, “It’s yours.” I thought he was kidding, so I handed it back to him – but he was serious. I did the whole, “Oh, no, I couldn’t” bit on the outside – but the truth is that on the inside I was like the kid in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory that found the golden ticket. He finally insisted – and considering the fact that he is a big, strong pro wrestler – I accepted.

As for the belt itself – it’s the real deal. They sell replicas of all championship titles for $150 a piece – but this is no replica. The beautiful black leather belt is a true masterpiece to look at. With gold-plated steel medallions depicting the ECW logo with “World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion” sprawled across its center – its clear why it costs $1,200 to make one of these. The story Hawk gave me was that someone he knows “borrowed” it from the ECW locker room and “forgot” to return it – personally, I don’t care how the belt made its way out of the ECW locker room – all I care about is that it made its way to me.

So now I have my very own wrestling title. I can’t tell you how cool that is – because ask that same wrestling fan who you let hold the belt if they would like to keep it – and watch them run home holding the belt you offered them faster then you can say, “you’re welcome.” Needless to say – its been hard to put it down. I even took it to work with me, because a lot of people in my office are big wrestling fans and know about my show – so I wanted them to experience holding their first title – because I remember how cool it was when I held my first title.

So a big thanks to Hawk for giving me the one piece of wrestling memorabilia I always wanted.

Oh, and I promise to be a fighting champion.