World tag team championship
The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championships in professional wrestling promotions.
Nomenclature
The name of the promotion is often preceded to the term "world tag team championship" as the complete name of the title. Examples of this included the ECW World Tag Team, WCW World Tag Team, and WWF World Tag Team Championship. However, some are also correctly known simply as the "World Tag Team Championship" without bearing the name of an organization. In some cases, this occurs in organizations where other world tag team championships are also competed for, as was the case in WCW in the early 1990s and WWE in the 2000s. The term "world tag team championship" can apply to any world tag team championship in general or to a specific one in particular, though this often creates confusion over which tag team championship is being referenced when the term is used.
Due to the variations of tag team wrestling other World Tag Team Championships may exclude the "tag team" portion of the name and use a more suitable term like "trios" or "six-man tag" to indicate a championship for tag teams with three members.
Promotions can also recognize subordinate titles to World Tag Team Championships that are often designated as regional, national, or international championships. Examples of these subordinate titles include the NWA Canadian Tag Team Championship and WWF International Tag Team Championship, which are national and international subordinates respectively.
A professional wrestling championship is not won or lost competitively, but instead the championship is scripted by the decision of the bookers of a wrestling promotion. The title is awarded after the chosen champion "wins" a match to maintain the illusion that professional wrestling is a competitive sport.[1]
Examples of active world tag team championships
| Championship | Promotion | Date Est. | Current champions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWA World Tag Team Championship | NWA  |
April 11, 1995 | The Iron Empire (Matt Riviera and Rob Conway) (September 10, 2016) |
Numerous affiliates of the NWA referred to their tag team championships by this name between 1950 and the early 1980s. In July 1992, a tournament to establish an "officially sanctioned" NWA World Tag Team Championship was promoted jointly with WCW, whose own world tag team title by that time held the only existing legitimate claim within the NWA and which had the most widely available television broadcasting. The tournament was won by Terry Gordy & Steve Williams, who were also the WCW World Tag Team Champions. The two sets of titles remained united until September 1993, when WCW withdrew from the NWA, effectively vacating the NWA World Tag Team Championship. Another tournament was held by the NWA in 1995 to crown the first officially recognized NWA World Tag Team Champions, as all other champions during their partnership with WCW were stripped of recognition. |
| ROH World Tag Team Championship | ROH |
September 21, 2002 | The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (September 30, 2016) |
Established with the development of the promotion and has been defended in England, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan and Ireland. The promotion is currently considered the third prominent promotion in the United States. |
| TNA World Tag Team Championship | TNA |
May 17, 2007 | The Broken Hardys ("Broken" Matt Hardy and Brother Nero) (October 2, 2016) |
The title was introduced by TNA after the NWA regained control of the NWA World Tag Team Championship from the promotion and stripped TNA's champions of the NWA titles. |
| WWE Raw Tag Team Championship | WWE |
October 20, 2002 | The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods) (August 23, 2015) |
The title was established as the WWE Tag Team Championship when it was introduced for the SmackDown brand after the World Tag Team Championship became exclusive to the Raw brand; it has also been a part of the ECW brand. The WWE Tag Team Championship and World Tag Team Championship were unified and defended simultaneously as the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship from April 2009 to August 2010, when the World Tag Team Championship was eventually retired. After the reintroduction of the WWE brand extension in July 2016, the championship became exclusive to the Raw brand and it was subsequently renamed to reflect its exclusivity. |
| WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship | WWE |
August 23, 2016 | The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton) (December 4, 2016) |
After the reintroduction of the WWE brand extension in July 2016, the title was established when it was introduced for the SmackDown brand after the WWE Tag Team Championship (now Raw Tag Team Championship) became exclusive to the Raw brand. |
| IWGP Tag Team Championship | NJPW  |
December 12, 1985 | Bullet Club (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) (July 5, 2015) |
The title has also been defended in the U.S. as part of talent exchange agreements with TNA and ROH. |
| World Tag Team Championship (AJPW) | AJPW |
June 10, 1988 | Xceed (Go Shiozaki and Kento Miyahara) (May 6, 2015) |
Title is a unification of the PWF Tag Team Championship and the NWA International Tag Team Championship. |
| GHC Tag Team Championship | Noah |
October 19, 2001 | K.E.S. (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance Archer) (February 11, 2015) |
|
| AAA World Tag Team Championship | AAA  |
March 18, 2007 | Los Perros del Mal (Joe Líder and Pentagón Jr.) (December 7, 2014) |
|
| CMLL World Tag Team Championship | CMLL |
March 3, 1993 | Negro Casas and Shocker (June 13, 2014) |
Examples of inactive world tag team championships
| Championship | Promotion | Date Est. | Date retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWA World Tag Team Championship | AWA |
August 1960 | January 1991 | The title was established in 1960 when the American Wrestling Association was formed from former National Wrestling Alliance territories. Murder, Inc. (Stan Kowalski and Tiny Mills) were recognized as the first champions when the AWA withdrew from the NWA. The title was officially decommissioned in 1991 with D.J. Peterson and The Trooper as champions. |
| ECW World Tag Team Championship | ECW |
August 27, 1994 | April 4, 2001 | The title was introduced on June 23, 1992 in Eastern Championship Wrestling, a member promotion of the NWA. In 1994, Eastern Championship Wrestling seceded from the NWA and became Extreme Championship Wrestling. The title was then established as a world tag team championship and continued to be defended until the promotion closed down in 2001 with Danny Doring and Roadkill as champions. |
| WCW World Tag Team Championship | NWA WCW WWE |
January 29, 1975 | November 18, 2001 | Established as the NWA World Tag Team Championship of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling run by NWA affiliate Jim Crockett Promotions. It was renamed the WCW World Tag Team Championship in 1991 when Ted Turner bought Jim Crockett Promotions, which then became World Championship Wrestling. In March 2001, the WWF purchased WCW, and the title continued to be defended until Survivor Series 2001, when it was absorbed into the WWF Tag Team Championship with the Dudley Boyz as champions. |
| World Tag Team Championship | WWE |
June 3, 1971 | August 16, 2010 | The title was originally known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) World Tag Team Championship. In 1979, the promotion was renamed the World Wrestling Federation, and the title name was shortened to the WWF Tag Team Championship in the mid 1990s. After the WWF/WWE name change and Brand Extension in 2002, it became exclusive to the Raw brand and renamed the World Tag Team Championship, while a new WWE Tag Team Championship was commissioned for the SmackDown brand. Both titles were then unified and defended simultaneously as the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship from April 2009 to August 2010, when the World Tag Team Championship was eventually retired with David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd as champions. |
See also
- Professional wrestling championship
- World heavyweight championship (professional wrestling)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated's list of professional wrestling world tag team championships
- Tag team
References
- ↑ Ed Grabianowski. "How Pro Wrestling Works". How Stuff Works. Retrieved 2009-04-05.