NWA/WCW United States Tag Team Championship

Last updated

NWA United States Tag Team Championship
Details
Promotion National Wrestling Alliance
(1986–1990)
World Championship Wrestling
(1991–1992)
Date establishedSeptember 28, 1986
Date retiredJuly 31, 1992
Other name(s)
  • WCW United States Tag Team Championship
Statistics
First champion(s) Ivan Koloff and Krusher Khruschev
Final champion(s) The Barbarian and Dick Slater
Most reigns The Midnight Express
Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane
(3 reigns)
Longest reign The Midnight Express
(Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)
(1st reign, 346 days)
Shortest reign The Fantastics
(Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers)
(2nd reign, 19 days)

The NWA United States Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship contested for previously in the United States-based Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) promotions, with the title now in current use by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The title is only contestable by male tag teams and in tag team matches. In 1986, NWA President and JCP owner Jim Crockett, Jr. [1] introduced the championship to replace and consolidate the old NWA Mid-Atlantic and Georgia National titles, under the name "NWA United States Tag Team Championship", by announcing a tournament for the newly created title, which was won by Krusher Khruschev and Ivan Koloff on September 28, 1986.

Contents

In 1988, Crockett sold JCP to Ted Turner, who established WCW as its successor; [1] however, the title continued to be defended under the NWA name until January 1991, when the WCW owned and controlled titles were rebranded. The final champions under the NWA name were The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott). Following the rebranding, the title was referred to as the "WCW United States Tag Team Championship", though the belts retained the design with the NWA initials (and WCW itself would not leave the NWA permanently until September 1993). On July 31, 1992, WCW stripped the final champions, The Barbarian and Dick Slater, of their titles and retired the championship in order to put the focus on the WCW World Tag Team Championship.

NWA/WCW United States Tag Team Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries. These narratives create feuds between the various competitors, which cast them as villains and heroes. Overall, there are 19 reigns among 15 tag teams, all of which have occurred in the United States. [Note 1] From the information known, The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)'s first reign is the longest in the title's history at 346 days, while The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers)' second reign is the shortest, at 19 days. The Midnight Express also holds the most reigns overall as a tag team and individually, with three.

Reigns

Over the championship's five-year history, there have been 19 reigns between 15 teams composed of 28 individual champions and three vacancies. Ivan Koloff and Krusher Khruschev were the inaugural champions, while The Barbarian and Dick Slater were the last ones. The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) held the record for most reigns, both as a team and individually, at three. The Midnight Express' first reign is the longest at 346 days, while The Fantastics (Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers)'s second reign was the shortest at 19 days.

Names

NameYears
NWA United States Tag Team ChampionshipSeptember 28, 1986 – January 1991
WCW United States Tag Team ChampionshipJanuary 1991 – July 31, 1992
Key
No.Overall reign number
ReignReign number for the specific team—reign numbers for the individuals are in parentheses, if different
DaysNumber of days held
No.ChampionChampionship changeReign statisticsNotesRef.
DateEventLocationReignDays
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) / Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP)
1 Ivan Koloff and Krusher Khruschev September 28, 1986 House show Atlanta, GA 172Defeated Kansas Jayhawks (Bobby Jaggers and Dutch Mantel) in a tournament final to become the inaugural champions.
2 Barry Windham and Ron Garvin December 9, 1986 NWA Pro Wrestling Spartanburg, SC 195Aired on tape delay on December 13, 1986
3 Dick Murdoch and Ivan Koloff (2)March 14, 1987 World Championship Wrestling Atlanta, GA 121
Vacated April 4, 1987 Dick Murdoch was suspended from in-ring competition by the NWA after performing a brainbuster on Nikita Koloff on a concrete floor, and as a result, Ivan Koloff and Murdoch were stripped of the titles.
4 The Midnight Express
(Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)
May 16, 1987 World Championship Wrestling Atlanta, GA 1346Defeated Barry Windham and Ron Garvin in a tournament final to win the vacant championship.
World Championship Wrestling (WCW)
5 The Fantastics
(Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers)
April 26, 1988 World Wide Wrestling Chattanooga, TN 175Aired on tape delay May 14, 1988.
6 The Midnight Express
(Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)
July 10, 1988 The Great American Bash Baltimore, MD 262
Vacated September 10, 1988The NWA vacated the titles after Eaton and Lane won the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
7 The Fantastics
(Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers)
December 7, 1988 Clash of the Champions IV: Season's Beatings Chattanooga, TN 219Defeated Eddie Gilbert and Ron Simmons in a tournament final to win the vacant championship.
8 The Varsity Club
(Kevin Sullivan and Steve Williams)
December 26, 1988 Starrcade Norfolk, VA 164
9 Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner February 28, 1989 World Wide Wrestling Columbia, SC 1 [Note 2] Aired on tape delay on March 18, 1989. [2]
DeactivatedMay 1989NWA abandoned title after Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner split as a team so Rick could team with his brother Scott Steiner. Gilbert and Rick Steiner are still champions as of May 7, 1989.
10 Brian Pillman and The Z-Man February 12, 1990 World Wide Wrestling Rainsville, AL 196Defeated (The Fabulous Freebirds) (Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes) in a tournament final to win the revived championship.
Aired on tape delay on February 24, 1990.
[3]
11 The Midnight Express
(Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)
May 19, 1990 Capital Combat Washington, D.C. 397
12 The Steiner Brothers
(Rick Steiner (2) and Scott Steiner)
August 24, 1990 House show East Rutherford, NJ 1225During this reign, the title was renamed the WCW United States Tag Team Championship.
Vacated April 6, 1991 World Wide Wrestling Announced April 6, 1991 by WCW Board of Directors spokesman Grizzly Smith, as a result of The Steiner Brothers winning the WCW World Tag Team Championship during this reign.
13 The Fabulous Freebirds
(Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes)
May 19, 1991 SuperBrawl I St. Petersburg, FL 185Defeated The Young Pistols (Steve Armstrong and Tracey Smothers) in a Top Contenders match to win the vacant championship.
14The Patriots
(Firebreaker Chip and Todd Champion)
August 12, 1991 World Championship Wrestling Gainesville, GA 185Aired on tape delay on September 7, 1991.
15 The Young Pistols
(Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers)
November 5, 1991 WCW Main Event Gainesville, GA 170Aired on tape delay on December 15, 1991.
16 Big Josh and Ron Simmons January 14, 1992 WCW Main Event Columbus, GA 134Aired on tape delay on February 16, 1992.
17 Greg Valentine and Terry Taylor February 17, 1992 World Championship Wrestling Rock Hill, SC 190Aired on tape delay on February 29, 1992.
18 The Fabulous Freebirds
(Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes)
May 17, 1992 WrestleWar Jacksonville, FL 234
19 The Barbarian and Dick Slater June 25, 1992 WCW Main Event Kansas City, MO 136Aired on tape delay on July 12, 1992
DeactivatedJuly 31, 1992On the July 4, 1992 edition of WCW Saturday Night, VP Bill Watts announced that the company would be looking to consolidate the WCW World, NWA World, and US Tag Team Titles to focus on one championship team. Watts deemed that whoever held the US Tag Title at the end of July would be the final titleholders. The Championship was deactivated during The Barbarian and Dick Slater's title reign on July 31, 1992.

Combined reigns

Ron Garvin and Barry Windham with the belts, c. 1987 Barry Windham and Ron Garvin, circa 1987.png
Ron Garvin and Barry Windham with the belts, c.1987

As of June29, 2024.

Indicates the current champions
¤The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain; the combined length may not be correct.

By team

RankTeamNo. of
reigns
Combined
days
1 The Midnight Express
(Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)
3505
2 The Steiner Brothers
(Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner)
1225
3 The Fabulous Freebirds
(Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes)
2124
4 Brian Pillman and The Z-Man 196
5 Barry Windham and Ron Garvin 195
6 The Fantastics
(Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers)
294
7 Greg Valentine and Terry Taylor 190
8The Patriots
(Firebreaker Chip and Todd Champion)
185
9 Ivan Koloff and Krusher Khruschev 172
10 The Young Pistols
Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers
170
11 The Varsity Club
(Kevin Sullivan and Steve Williams)
164
12 Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner 162 – 91¤ [Note 2]
13 The Barbarian and Dick Slater 136
14 Big Josh and Ron Simmons 134
15 Dick Murdoch and Ivan Koloff 121

Individual

Stan Lane (left) and Bobby Eaton share the record for the longest individual reigns at 505 days Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton, The Midnight Express, 1988.png
Stan Lane (left) and Bobby Eaton share the record for the longest individual reigns at 505 days
RankWrestlerNo. of
reigns
Combined
days
1 Bobby Eaton 3505
Stan Lane 3505
3 Rick Steiner 2287 – 316¤ [Note 2]
4 Scott Steiner 1225
5 Jimmy Garvin 2124
Michael Hayes 2124
7 Brian Pillman 196
The Z-Man 196
9 Barry Windham 195
Ron Garvin 195
11 Bobby Fulton 294
Tommy Rogers 294
13 Ivan Koloff 293
14 Greg Valentine 190
Terry Taylor 190
16 Firebreaker Chip 185
Todd Champion 185
18 Krusher Khruschev 172
19 Steve Armstrong 170
Tracy Smothers 170
21 Kevin Sullivan 164
Steve Williams 164
23 Eddie Gilbert 162 – 91¤ [Note 2]
24 The Barbarian 136
Dick Slater 136
26 Big Josh 134
Ron Simmons 134
28 Dick Murdoch 121

See also

Footnotes

  1. .
  2. 1 2 3 4 The exact date on which Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner lost the championship is not known, which means that their reign lasted between 62 and 91 days.

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References

General
Specific
  1. 1 2 Beekman, Scott (2006). Ringside: a history of professional wrestling in America . Greenwood Publishing Group. pp.  129–132. ISBN   0-275-98401-X.
  2. Hoops, Brian (February 28, 2017). "Daily pro wrestling history (02/28): Andersen & Hansen win NWA Tag Titles". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  3. Hoops, Brian (February 12, 2017). "On this day in pro wrestling history (Feb 12): Christian Cage wins gold in TNA". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 15, 2017.