WWE News: Serena Williams' fiancé posts picture of her custom WWE Championship belt on Reddit
What’s the story?
It has become customary for WWE to send customised WWE Championship belts to winners of major sporting events, so it was no surprise when the company announced that tennis star Serena Williams would receive one after winning grand slam number 23 last month at the Australian Open.
The belts come with custom side plates and references to the achievement.
Serena’s fiancé, entrepreneur and investor Alexis Ohanian, has since taken to social media site Reddit to post a picture of the title alongside a banana for size reference. The belt is as glorious as one would imagine, and the side-plates mention all four of the grand slam tournaments that Serena has won during her illustrious 22-year career.
In case you didn’t know...
By sending customised WWE Championship belts to successful sports champions, WWE gains itself a huge amount of mainstream media coverage. In the last year alone WWE has sent customised belts to SuperBowl champions the New England Patriots, Stanley Cup winners Pittsburgh Penguins and the World Series winning Chicago Cubs.
Each time WWE sends a belt, the mainstream media inevitably picks up on it and gives the act of respect some valuable coverage.
By defeating her sister Venus in the final of the 2017 Australian Open, Serena Williams passed Steffi Graf as the most successful tennis player in the Open Era, winning her 23rd grand slam in the process. By succeeding in Melbourne, Serena now stands just one win from equalling the all-time record, held by Australian legend Margaret Court.
The heart of the matter
The picture of the Championship belt was posted on Reddit by the user kn0thing, better known to the community as one of the co-founders of the site, Alexis Ohanian. It was Ohanian and Steve Huffman who initially created the site back in 2005, and in the 12 years since, Reddit has grown to be used by over 234 million unique users worldwide.
In 2016, it was announced that Ohanian and Serena were engaged, and whilst the wedding date is yet to be announced, the wedding itself will surely be one of the media events of whichever year it takes place.
What’s next?
The French Open takes places at the end of May this year and will represent a chance for Serena Williams to equal the all-time record for grand slam tennis victories. Serena last won the Roland Garros tournament in 2015 but came up short in the final in 2016 to first-time winner Gabriñe Muguruza.
Sportskeeda’s take
Will Serena receive another title if and when she breaks Margaret Court’s record? Time will tell, but WWE’s decision to send these belts continues to be another genius marketing tactic.
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