NWA Seemingly Fires Back at AEW Over National Title Drama

AEW’s attempt to revive the “National Championship” just got hit with a powerbomb from the NWA—and it came straight from the top.

One day after NWA promoter Bryan Idol went scorched earth on Tony Khan over what he called a blatant attempt to hijack the company’s legacy, the official NWA Twitter account made it loud and clear: they’re not backing down.

On November 6, 2025, NWA took to social media to announce a new National Champion in emphatic fashion—crowning Mike Mondo and doubling down on the belt’s legendary lineage.

“𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗡𝗘𝗪!!
It’s Time! Mondo defeated ‘Big Strong’ Mims this week on 𝙉𝙒𝘼 𝙋𝙊𝙒𝙀𝙍𝙍𝙍 on 𝙍𝙤𝙠𝙪 to capture the prestigious 𝑵𝑾𝑨 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒚𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑻𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆. Mondo continues the iconic strap’s lineage, which extends back to its inception Jan. 12, 1980.”

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That’s not all—they reminded fans just how elite the belt’s history is, dropping names like Dusty Rhodes, Tully Blanchard, Ted DiBiase, and Nikita Koloff. Mondo’s win over Mims, who held the belt for 350 days, was called by none other than Austin Idol—the original National Champion.

“Through the years, the 𝑵𝑾𝑨 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒚𝒘𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑻𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆 has been won by legends like Dusty Rhodes, Tully Blanchard, “Wildfire” Tommy Rich, Ted DiBiase, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, Wahoo McDaniels and Nikita Koloff among others. Current NWA stars including Thom Latimer, Trevor Murdoch, Aron Stevens, EC3, “The Thrillbilly” Silas Mason and Jax Dane won the gold during the company’s Lightning One Era.

“Big Strong” Mims held the belt for 350 days before losing it to Mondo at NWA 77. “The Universal Heartthrob” Austin Idol, the very 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 NWA National Champion, called the action for Mondo’s historic achievement.

Watch 𝙉𝙒𝘼 𝙋𝙊𝙒𝙀𝙍𝙍𝙍 𝙤𝙣 𝙍𝙤𝙠𝙪, where history lives & legends are forged, 24/7 on demand. New episodes air every Tuesday, 8PM ET on Roku Sports.”

The update didn’t come out of nowhere. It follows after Tony Khan introduced AEW’s own “National Championship,” which NWA brass—including Idol—slammed as a cheap ripoff and possible retaliation after AEW was forced to scrap its planned “Shockwave” show following a lawsuit from NWA.

Mike Mondo had already issued a bold statement earlier today, making sure fans knew which title really mattered.

“Let me be CLEAR. There is only ONE NWA & there is only one PRESTIGIOUS National Championship that holds legit lineage & has for decades. So to Tony Khan or anyone else confused… here’s the legit title, with the company it belongs to & the legit National Champion! MY NAME IS MIKE MONDO.”

So while AEW preps its Casino Gauntlet for Full Gear, NWA isn’t just flexing history—they’re reminding the wrestling world who still holds the real gold. NWA didn’t just respond—they stomped the canvas and lit the scoreboard. With Mondo now reigning as the face of the original National Title, the heat between AEW and NWA might just be getting started.

Do you think AEW’s version of the National Title stands a chance against the NWA’s legacy belt? Drop your thoughts and let the wrestling world know where you stand.