NWA National Tag Team Championship
The NWA National Tag Team Championship was the major tag team title in the NWA-affiliated Georgia Championship Wrestling from 1980 until 1986.
The championship was introduced in November 1980 when Georgia Tag Team Champions The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Buddy Roberts, and Terry Gordy) won a tournament to determine the first champions, defeating Stan Frazier and Robert Fuller in the final. They were introduced as the Georgia and National Tag Team Champions and carried a trophy to the ring representing the National title as they wore belts which represented the Georgia title.
The National Tag Team Championship continued to be represented by a trophy until Thanksgiving Night in 1981, when the promotion awarded newly made belts (modeled after the old Georgia tag team belts, which the National title replaced) to the winners of its annual turkey night tag team tournament. The father and son duo of Bob and Brad Armstrong defeated Mr. Fuji and Mr. Saito in the final to win the vacant NWA National Tag Team Championship.
When Vince McMahon bought Georgia Championship Wrestling, Inc., the champions at that time were Ron Garvin & Jerry Oates. Since Oates and Garvin did not sign with McMahon's WWF, and McMahon chose not to continue recognizing the National Tag Team Championship, that version of the title basically ended on the day known as Black Saturday.
However, a new startup group called Championship Wrestling from Georgia decided to recognize the NWA National Tag Team Championship. They put the belts on Garvin and Oates, carrying on the lineage started with Georgia Championship Wrestling.
When Jim Crockett Promotions bought the TBS slot from the WWF in 1985, it essentially merged with Championship Wrestling from Georgia (getting CWG's Saturday morning timeslot as well) and continued on with CWG's National Tag Team Championship. The National Tag Team Championships were stripped from the Andersons and renamed the United States Tag Team Championship and re-established in a tournament. [1]
Title history
| Wrestler: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy) |
1 | November 27, 1980 | Atlanta, GA | Defeat Stan Frazier & Robert Fuller in tournament final. |
| Ted DiBiase & Stan Frazier | 1 | January 26, 1981 | Augusta, GA | |
| Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Terry Gordy) |
2 | January 31, 1981 | Atlanta, GA | |
| Ted DiBiase (2) & Steve Olsonoski | 1 | June 10, 1981 | Marietta, GA | |
| Terry Gordy (3) & Jimmy Snuka | 1 | July 6, 1981 | Augusta, GA | Tommy Rich & Ted DiBiase defeat Gordy & Snuka but the belts are returned after the NWA finds out that Michael Hayes counted the pinfall. |
| Michael Hayes (3) & Otis Sistrunk | 1 | September 27, 1981 | Atlanta, GA | |
| Vacant | October 10, 1981 | Sistrunk quits, date showing is first TV taping without Sistrunk. | ||
| The Armstrong Brothers (Bob & Brad Armstrong) |
1 | November 26, 1981 | Atlanta, GA | Defeat Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito in tournament final and won a $30,000 cash prize. |
| Super Destroyer & Masked Superstar | 1 | January 22, 1982 | Columbus, GA | |
| Super Destroyer (2) & Big John Studd | 1 | March 8, 1982 | Masked Superstar gives his half of title to Studd. | |
| Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes (4) & Terry Gordy (4)) |
3 | July 2, 1982 | Chattanooga, TN | |
| The Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika) |
1 | August 29, 1982 | Atlanta, GA | |
| Vacant | January 1, 1983 | Samoans refuse to wrestle Tommy Rich and Paul Orndorff in a match and leave GCW for the WWF. | ||
| The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk) |
1 | June 11, 1983 | Atlanta, GA | Win tournament. |
| The Sawyers (Buzz & Brett Sawyer) |
1 | December 4, 1983 | Cincinnati, OH | |
| The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk) |
2 | January 28, 1984 | Athens, GA | Awarded titles when Buzz Sawyer is fired. |
| King Kong Bundy & Masked Superstar (2) | 1 | May 6, 1984 | Atlanta, GA | |
| Vacant | May 10, 1984 | Superstar is "injured" (went to Japan) | ||
| The Road Warriors (Animal & Hawk) |
3 | May 20, 1984 | Atlanta, GA | Defeat Junkyard Dog & Sweet Brown Sugar in tournament final. |
| Ron Garvin & Jerry Oates | 1 | July 4, 1984 | Columbus, GA | |
| The Hollywood Blonds (Rip Rogers & Ted Oates) |
1 | September 21, 1984 | Atlanta, GA | |
| The Lightning Express (Brad Armstrong (2) & Tim Horner) |
1 | November 4, 1984 | ? | |
| Vacant | November 10, 1984 | Horner is injured | ||
| The Long Riders (Bill Irwin & Scott Irwin) |
1 | November 18, 1984 | Atlanta, GA | Defeats Brad Armstrong and Jacques Rougeau, Jr. tournament final, along with a $100,000 cash prize. |
| Ole Anderson & Thunderbolt Patterson | 1 | January 11, 1985 | Cleveland, OH | |
| Held Up | March 30, 1985 | When Ole Anderson turns on Thunderbolt Patterson. | ||
| The Andersons (Ole Anderson (2) & Arn Anderson) |
1 | April 28, 1985 | Charlotte, NC | Defeats Patterson & Manny Fernandez in a match where both Ole and Patterson's half of the titles were at stake, with Arn becoming the new title holder. |
| Abandoned | January 1, 1986 | Atlanta, Georgia | Ole is injured by the Road Warriors & Dusty Rhodes in a match; replaced with the NWA United States Tag Team Championship. | |
| Title revived in 1997 | ||||
| Death & Destruction (Frank Parker & Roger Anderson) |
1 | May 17, 1997 | ? | |
| Title inactive on December 31, 1997 | ||||
See also
References
- ↑ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.