The WWE Intercontinental Championship belt that Ricky Steamboat won from Randy Savage at WrestleMania III has sold for a record-breaking $716,750 at auction.
The historic championship, previously owned by Conrad Thompson, was sold during Heritage Auctions’ Fall Sports Catalog Auction on Saturday, October 24. The winning bid reached $587,500, with Heritage’s 22% buyer’s premium bringing the final sale price to $716,750.
The sale reportedly makes it the most expensive wrestling championship belt ever sold at auction, surpassing the previous record held by Hulk Hogan‘s WWE Championship belt from WrestleMania II. That championship sold for $414,800 earlier this summer.
Ricky Steamboat’s WWE Intercontinental Championship Belt Makes Auction History
The Intercontinental Championship belt is best remembered for its appearance at WrestleMania III in 1987, when Ricky Steamboat defeated Randy Savage in one of WWE’s most celebrated matches.
However, its significance extends beyond that legendary encounter. The championship was used between 1985 and 1988, during a period that also saw Tito Santana and The Honky Tonk Man hold the Intercontinental Title.
Its association with several prominent names from WWE’s 1980s era contributed to its historical significance as wrestling memorabilia. Thompson acquired the championship from WWE in 2020 through a trade involving the original Intercontinental Championship belt worn by Pat Patterson, who was recognised as the title’s inaugural champion.
The October 24 sale establishes a new benchmark for wrestling championship belts at auction. While Steamboat’s former championship now holds that distinction, it has not surpassed the overall record for wrestling memorabilia.
That record remains with a pair of boots worn by Hulk Hogan at the inaugural WrestleMania in 1985. Hogan’s boots sold for $1,037,000 in February, becoming the first piece of wrestling memorabilia to sell for more than $1 million at auction.
