Plenty of lip service gets paid to Big Gold in our community, and rightfully so. Not only has the title been worn well by competitors spanning Ric Flair to Triple H to the Rock to Triple H again, it's served as the inspiration for championship designs including the UFC belts, Aztec Gold and arguably the IWGP title.
There's a reason championships with that profile have stood the test of time...they scream "I am the ******* champion, fight me."
The current belts are...okay, I guess...a pretty clear statement of branding over prestige, especially now that it's become a template, which I think cheapens the unique nature of each belt.
We do have John Cena to blame for all of this...sort of like when the Sixers switched to black and gold in the AI era, it's an indelible stamp left by a franchise player that management eventually realized had passed its time.
Although pretty much anything is a step up from the spinner, I think "prop" covers it well...although competitors have gone through hell to hold it, it just doesn't look like something people not involved in rap beefs or diamond smuggling would bleed for.
Hopefully one day the E will come to the same realization.