London Spitfire hasn’t just won Overwatch League championship, it’s now also in the hallowed halls of WWE champions. 14-time WWE champ (and current executive) Triple H has a custom title belt on the way for Spitfire CEO Jack Etienne, congratulating the team on winning OWL’s first finals.
Etienne will receive a custom version of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship – otherwise known as the ‘one that doesn’t look like a Fruit Roll-Up’ – with unique side plates for the Spitfire. Triple H made the announcement on Twitter, saying “after an exceptional resurgence, history was captured at the Overwatch League’s First Finals.” He also included an appropriate “AcesHigh” hashtag.
Both the Spitfire team and Etienne himself have retweeted the news, with the CEO thanking Triple H and WWE for the honour. Nobody along the line has made an “it’s all about the game reference,” however.
WWE has awarded custom championship belts to a wide variety of sports teams over the years, including UEFA Champions League winners, Premier League champions, MLB World Series champions, Super Bowl winners, NBA champions, NHL Stanley Cup champions, and plenty more besides.
But this is the first time WWE has sent such a title to an esports league. The wrestling company rarely misses an opportunity for publicity, especially when it comes with an opportunity to associate the name with something gaining mainstream popularity – like esports. Yes, it’s several years too late for that to be considered cutting edge, but wrestling fans know the timing is entirely appropriate for WWE.
A huge thank you to @TripleH and @WWE from the entire @Spitfire team. It’s beautiful and we’re thrilled to receive it! https://t.co/CmTkYqtK9P
— Jack Etienne (@JackEtienne) September 13, 2018
WWE has hopped on the gaming train several times before, even outside the context of its own licensed grappling titles. The company held the “WWE x IGN eSports Showdown” last year (forgive their misspelling of esports, please) and though it’s technically independent of the company itself, wrestler Xavier Woods’ gaming channel on YouTube frequently gets official promotion.