We’ve had many reader pass along this article by Thepostgame.com noting that the original World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) Championship belt was recently discovered in an attic by the widow of Johnny Barend.
“Annie Barend, the widow of former WWWF wrestler Johnny Barend, was cleaning her attic in Avon, N.Y., recently when she found a belt wrapped in a bath towel. After some research, Barend discovered that she had stumbled upon Rogers’ original belt.
How Johnny Barend ended up with the belt is still unclear, although there are some clues. Known as “Handsome Johnny Barend,” he was a tag-team partner of Rogers. In fact, the two even defeated Sammartino in a tag-team match two months after the original title bout.
Barend verified the belt’s authenticity with Dave Millican, a belt maker for the WWE. Millican recognized the belt immediately and was so enamored that he bought it from Barend.”