Short take: Último Dragón’s decade-defining run in 1996–97 — carrying the J-Crown’s eight unified junior-weight belts plus two additional singles championships — was an era-defining, promotional-cooperation spectacle built on unification and prestige. Mercedes Moné’s 2025 “belt-collector” run (now reported at 12 simultaneous titles) breaks that numeric mark and does something different: it leverages cross-promotion appearances, modern global media, and character work to convert many disparate championships into a single, high-profile storyline. Both achievements matter — but for different reasons. Here’s a deep, sourced look at each collection, what each belt meant then and now, and whether every strap should “count” the same way.

Quick history: what Último Dragón actually held (the 1996–97 J-Crown era)

In 1996 New Japan Pro-Wrestling organized the J-Crown, an octuple championship formed by unifying eight lower-weight belts from multiple promotions (Japan, Mexico, the U.K., the U.S.). The J-Crown idea was to create one traveling, defended titled artifact that physically carried the component belts. When Último Dragón won the J-Crown in October 1996, he held the eight component titles together; by December 1996 he also held the WCW Cruiserweight Championship (after winning in WCW) and the NWA World Middleweight Championship, meaning that for a short window (officially documented as December 29, 1996 → January 4, 1997) he was concurrently the recognized holder of ten different championships. That ten-belt period is the canonical record he set and which stood for decades. 

The eight J-Crown component belts (the unified octuple): IWGP Junior Heavyweight, the British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight (Michinoku Pro), the NWA World Junior Heavyweight, the NWA World Welterweight (CMLL), the UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight, the WAR International Junior Heavyweight, the WWA World Junior Light Heavyweight, and the WWF Light Heavyweight (which at the time was defended in Japan/Mexico contexts and later returned to WWF). Those eight plus WCW’s Cruiserweight and the NWA Middleweight created the ten-belt period. The J-Crown itself functioned as a single recognized championship composed of component belts — it was a unification, not simply a wrestler carrying many unrelated titles. 

Why Ultimo’s run mattered (historical + structural reasons):

• Promotional cooperation and prestige: The J-Crown was a rare example of multiple promotions agreeing to a single, defended, traveling set of belts — that gave the unified title intrinsic historical significance beyond any single promotion. It was a symbol of junior-heavyweight supremacy across promotions.  
• Weight-class prestige: Many of the component belts were the top junior/cruiser prizes in their home promotions (IWGP Jr., UWA Jr., NWA Jr.), so the J-Crown collected meaningful championships that already carried lineage.  
• Visually unique: The image of one wrestler wearing a literal wall of belts created an iconic visual shorthand for “king of the juniors.” That cultural resonance is part of why Ultimo’s run is still referenced today.  

Mercedes Moné’s 12 belts (what she holds and what it means)

Multiple outlets tracking the story (AEW coverage and independent trackers) report that Mercedes Moné’s “belt collector” run reached 12 simultaneous championships in October 2025 after victories across several promotions and countries — a run that includes AEW’s prominent midcard title and a mix of international and indie championships. Published trackers and mainstream wrestling outlets list a collection that includes, among others: the AEW TBS Championship, CMLL World Women’s Championship, RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship, Interim ROH Women’s World Television Championship, and regional/indie straps such as Winnipeg Pro Wrestling Women’s title, Discovery/BestYA/Prime Time/Scottish/BodySlam/other national/regional belts. (Public lists are updated rapidly — see trackers for the live list.) Reporters also noted that Mercedes used a title-vs-title stipulation at WrestleDream and followed with additional cross-border wins to push her simultaneous count past Ultimo’s 10. 

Representative titles frequently cited in Moné’s count (examples from reporting):

• AEW TBS Championship (major AEW TV title) — top mainstream belt in her collection and arguably the single most visible strap she holds inside the U.S. AEW spotlight.  
• CMLL World Women’s Championship — major, historic Mexican world title with continental prestige and deep lucha-libre lineage. Holding a CMLL world belt gives cross-cultural legitimacy.  
• RevPro (RevPro/Undisputed British) Women’s Championship — top U.K. women’s crown; carries prestige in the European/UK scene and adds international weight to the collection.  
• Interim ROH Women’s World Television Championship — an ROH-branded title with global exposure through AEW/ROH booking linkups; “interim” status complicates counting slightly but it was a belt she won in-ring.  
• Multiple indie/regional straps (Winnipeg Pro Women’s, Discovery Wrestling Scottish Women’s, Prime Time/BestYA/BODYSLAM/EWA etc.) — smaller promotions’ top belts that are meaningful locally and pad the belt count.  

Why Moné’s run matters (modern context):

• Global media amplification: Unlike in the 1990s, social media, AEW cross-promotion, and streaming let one wrestler broadcast title conquests globally in real time. Moné’s run becomes a press narrative as much as a booking one.  
• Storytelling as spectacle: AEW is using the run as a character beat — Moné leaning into “belt collector” heel swagger, wearing multiple title belts, staging celebratory segments — turning titles into a long-running narrative arc rather than just isolated honors.  
• Cross-promotional attention: When a top star takes smaller promotions’ belts, it brings publicity and paydays to those indies — and conversely raises questions about whether those belts’ lineage is being enhanced or devalued. This duality is central to the debate about counting legitimacy.  

Side-by-side: Ultimo’s J-Crown model vs. Moné’s belt-collector model

Similarity: Both achievements are promotions-spanning and visually arresting — a wrestler with many belts on camera is an immediate headline generator. Both rely on cross-promotion cooperation (J-Crown required the promotions to agree; Moné’s run requires indie promoters saying “yes” to putting the belt on her, or AEW staking a storyline claim).

Key differences:

• Structural vs. opportunistic: The J-Crown was designed as a single unified championship composed of specific component belts; it had a defined identity (junior-weight unification). Ultimo’s ten-belt period was essentially the J-Crown (8) plus two major singles titles he legitimately held at the same time — a coherent, weight-class focused spectacle. Moné’s run is an accumulation of many independent belts across different weight classes, regions, and prestige levels — a deliberate storyline accumulation rather than a single sanctioned unification.  
• Prestige concentration: Many of Ultimo’s component belts were already high-profile within the junior-heavyweight ecosystem; they were not “regional crumbs.” Moné’s collection mixes heavyweight/major-promotion belts (TBS, CMLL) with smaller indies; that diversity increases publicity but also raises questions about prestige parity.  
• Longevity and defense model: The J-Crown was defended as one physical prize (the octuple belt), whereas Moné’s model has her defending (or at least appearing with) many separate belts — some will be defended in their home promotions; some are nominal or symbolic until defense is scheduled. That makes Ultimo’s unification a formal championship construct while Moné’s is a serial conquest storyline.  

Should certain belts “count”? The Owen Hart question and other legitimacy arguments

A live debate among fans and writers has sprung up around whether every strap should be weighted equally in “record” terms — some objections include:

• Tournament trophies vs. championships: Some tournaments (e.g., the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament) historically award trophies or one-off prizes rather than permanent championship titles. If Moné’s collection includes a tournament trophy (or a tournament victory that isn’t formally a “championship belt”), purists argue it shouldn’t be counted as a title reign. Others say the modern Owen Hart women’s event actually awarded an official championship in 2025 — check the specific promotion’s language. Media trackers differ in how they list it.  
• Interim status: Interim titles (like an interim ROH TV Women’s title) are real belts but are often qualified; some would count the interim reign while others say only undisputed world titles should matter for “record” relevance.  
• Unification and dual belts: When a promotion unifies titles (e.g., RevPro’s “Undisputed” British belt or the historical J-Crown itself), does each physical belt count or does the unified championship count as one? Ultimo’s J-Crown was explicitly component belts forming one named unified championship; that model is cleaner than Moné’s accumulation of unrelated belts.  

The Owen Hart specific point: At different times wrestling has used the “Owen Hart” brand for tournaments (and in some cases a prize belt or trophy). If a reported “Owen Hart Women’s Championship” included in Moné’s list is actually a tournament trophy rather than a persistent promotion championship, scholars of title legitimacy could reasonably argue it should not be counted as a separate championship reign. However, if AEW (or the administering promotion) sanctioned an official belt tied to the Owen Hart name and presented it as a championship at the time Moné won it, then it is fair to include. Journalistic and historical rigor demands checking primary sources (promotion announcements and the belt’s contractual/definitional language). Current trackers differ — some lists include the Owen Hart item as a title; others list it as a tournament honor. 

So who “wins” historically: Ultimo Dragon or Mercedes Moné?

Short answer: Mercedes Moné broke the numeric record — as tracked by multiple contemporary outlets she has more simultaneous belts (12) than the ten Último Dragón held — but the historical contexts differ, and both feats are historically significant for different reasons.

Why Ultimo’s run still carries unique historical weight:

• It was a formal unification (the J-Crown), with component titles that were themselves historically significant in junior-heavyweight wrestling. The J-Crown’s premise and administrative coordination made it a landmark promotional cooperation project. In other words: Ultimo’s 10-belt era felt like one single, grand championship statement.  

Why Moné’s run is historically notable in its own right:

• It’s a modern era illustration of global wrestling connectivity: an AEW headliner traveling to Japan, Mexico, the UK, and indies, and collecting multiple promotions’ top belts while using social media to amplify the moment. That level of cross-promotional, cross-media visibility is unprecedented. Her 12-belt total is an objectively larger number and demonstrates how modern talent mobility can create new kinds of records.  

What each title 

means

 to the industry and to the record

• AEW TBS Championship (Moné): Major U.S. TV title with broad exposure — it’s the headline holder in Moné’s collection, and it anchors the legitimacy of her run domestically. Holding this belt means consistent television storyline presence.  
• CMLL World Women’s Championship (Moné): Historic Mexican world title — carries continental prestige and legacy. It’s a statement of cultural and stylistic legitimacy in lucha circles.  
• RevPro/British Women’s (Moné): Marks European/UK approval and ties Moné to that strong British women’s scene.  
• Interim ROH Women’s TV (Moné): Signals intra-AEW/ROH political storyline leverage; it’s an AEW-adjacent belt that can be defended on larger stages.  
• J-Crown component belts (Ultimo): These were the recognized top junior belts in their home promotions — collecting them into a single artifact gave singular meaning: “the best junior wrestler on the planet.” That concentrated prestige is different from Moné’s distributed prestige.  

Practical verdicts and the takeaway

• Counting rule: If your counting rule is “any belt a wrestler is formally recognized as champion for at the same moment counts,” then Moné’s 12 is a higher tally than Ultimo’s 10. That is the approach most contemporary news trackers have taken.  
• If your counting rule is “equivalent prestige and structural role,” then Ultimo’s J-Crown era remains arguably the more coherent, single-statement accomplishment because it was a designed unity of multiple already-prestigious belts rather than an opportunistic accumulation of mixed prestige.  
• Does the Owen Hart thing count? It depends on whether the “Owen Hart” item in Moné’s tally is an official championship (belt) or a tournament honor/trophy. Check the specific promotion’s wording. If it’s a trophy only, purists would exclude it; if it’s a sanctioned belt, inclusion is reasonable. Current trackers vary — so the prudent historian marks the item and flags it for definition.  

Final thoughts — two records, two eras, both important

Último Dragón’s ten-belt period is a vintage wrestling landmark: a cooperative, weight-class focused unification that produced an indelible image and a tidy historical narrative. Mercedes Moné’s 12-belt streak is the definitive modern variant of the same instinct — use belts as storytelling currency — but with the added power of global travel, social amplification, and modern booking flexibility. Moné’s run will bring eyes, money, and debate to the smaller promotions that lent their titles to her — and that publicity alone can be argued as a net positive for the industry.

Both records deserve to be remembered, but they should be remembered with context: Ultimo’s is a structural unification with concentrated prestige; Moné’s is a modern publicity and character-driven accumulation whose legacy will be judged on whether AEW and the involved promotions build meaningful defenses and long-term narratives from the moment — not just the headline. 

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