NWA World Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles version) | |||||
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Details | |||||
Promotion | North American Wrestling Alliance NWA Hollywood Wrestling | ||||
Date established | No later than July 14, 1949 [1] [2] 1979 [3] [4] | ||||
Date retired | 1958/1959 [1] December 26, 1982 [2] | ||||
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The Los Angeles version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship was the main tag team professional wrestling championship of the North American Wrestling Alliance, a member of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), which promoted shows in and around Los Angeles. [1] [2] The championship was the first of at least 17 championships to use that name between 1949 and 1992, as the NWA Board of Directors allowed each territory to create its own version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship if it so desired. In 1957 there were at least 13 different versions of the NWA World Tag Team Championship recognized in the United States. [Championships] Since it was a professional wrestling championship, it was not won through legitimate competitive matches, but instead determined by the decisions of the booker(s) of a wrestling promotion. [5]
The first version of the Los Angeles NWA World Tag Team Championship was created in 1949, less than a year after the NWA itself was founded. [1] [2] At the time, tag team wrestling was popular on the West Coast, leading to the local NWA promoters Hugh Nichols and Johnny Doyle creating the first-ever NWA World Tag Team Championship when they announced The Dusek Family (Ernie and Emil Dusek) as the first champions on July 14, 1949. [1] [2] The NWA Board of Directors dictated that all NWA territories recognize only one NWA World Heavyweight Champion, [6] but allowed each territory to crown its own world tag team champion, making each championship a regional championship despite the name. The Los Angeles territory promoted its NWA World Tag Team Championship for eleven years, with Ben and Mike Sharpe being the last champions of the era. The Duseks were the only team to hold the championship twice in that period of time. The longest reign of the first era belonged to Guy Brunetti and Joe Tangero, who held the championship for at least 277 days. After the Los Angeles version was abandoned, the local promoters recognized the San Francisco version in subsequent years. [7] [8]
By the 1970s the San Francisco territory had been taken over by Mike and Gene Lebell's NWA Hollywood Wrestling. In June 1970 the Twin Devils (two masked wrestlers identified only as Twin Devil #1 and Twin Devil #2) were billed as the NWA World Tag Team Champions. Records are not clear on how the Twin Devils became champions; since no records of a tournament have been found, it is possible they were simply awarded the championship when the Lebells decided to reintroduce the NWA World Tag Team Championship. [3] [4] Los Brazos (Spanish for "The Arms"; Brazo de Plata and Brazo de Oro) were the last holders of the championship as NWA Hollywood Wrestling closed in December 1982. [3] [4] From that point on, the NWA Mid-Atlantic version was the only active NWA Word Tag Team Championship left. [9]
Key
No. | The overall championship reign |
Reign | The reign number for the specific wrestler listed. |
Event | The event promoted by the respective promotion in which the title changed hands |
N/A | The specific information is not known |
— | Used for vacated reigns in order to not count it as an official reign |
Indicates that there was a period where the lineage is undocumented due to the lack of written documentation in that time period. |
No. | Champions | Reign | Date | Days held | Location | Event | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Dusek Family (Emil Dusek and Ernie Dusek) | 1 | July 14, 1949(NLT) | [Note 1] | Longbeach, California | Live event | The Duseks held "a" world tag team championship in Phoenix, Arizona as early as May 22, 1949. The duo was recognized as champions in California on this date | [1] [2] |
2 | George and Bobby Becker | 1 | August 14, 1950(NLT) | [Note 1] | [Note 2] | Live event | Still billed as champions on November 20, 1950 | [1] [2] |
3 | Gino and Leo Garibaldi | 1 | 03(NLT) | [Note 1] | [Note 2] | Live event | [1] [2] | |
4 | The Dusek Family (Emil Dusek and Ernie Dusek) | 2 | August 13, 1951(NLT) | [Note 1] | [Note 2] | Live event | [1] [2] | |
5 | Great Togo and Tosh Togo | 1 | June 4, 1955(NLT) | [Note 1] | [Note 2] | Live event | Danny McShain and Great Scott were billed as champions during this time period.Wrestle to a draw against the Togo Brothers on August 6, 1955/08/06 The Togo brothers are still champions on September 18, 1955 | [1] [2] |
6 | Guy Brunetti and Joe Tangero | 1 | August 24, 1957(NLT) | [Note 3] | [Note 2] | Live event | Still billed as champions on September 4, 1957 | [1] [2] |
7 | Hans Herman and Hans Schmidt | 1 | October 1957 | [Note 1] | Los Angeles, California | Live event | [1] [2] | |
8 | Berry and Tosh Togo (2) | 1 | 1958 | [Note 1] | Los Angeles, California | Live event | [1] [2] | |
9 | Billy Darnell and Sándor Szabó | 1 | September 1958 | [Note 1] | Live event | Los Angeles, California | [1] [2] | |
— | Abandoned | N/A | 1958 or 1959 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Championship was abandoned | [1] [2] |
10 | The Twin Devils (Twin Devil 1 and Twin Devil 2) | 1 | 1979 | [Note 1] | Los Angeles, California | Live event | The Twins Devils were awarded the championship when the promotion brought the championship back. | [3] [4] |
11 | Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk | 1 | February 1980 | [Note 1] | Los Angeles, California | Live event | [3] [4] | |
12 | The Hood and Ron Starr | 1 | 1980 | [Note 1] | Los Angeles, California | Live event | [3] [4] | |
13 | Walter Johnson and Alberto Madril | 1 | 1980 | [Note 1] | Los Angeles, California | Live event | [3] [4] | |
14 | Ox Baker and Enforcer Lusciano | 1 | 1980 | [Note 1] | Los Angeles, California | Live event | [3] [4] | |
15 | Walter and Battleship Johnson | 1 | 1980 | [Note 1] | Los Angeles, California | Live event | [3] [4] | |
16 | Enforcer Lusciano and Victor Rivera | 1 | 1980 | [Note 1] | Los Angeles, California | Live event | [3] [4] | |
17 | The Twin Devils (Twin Devil 1 and Twin Devil 2) | 2 | 1981 | [Note 1] | Los Angeles, California | Live event | [3] [4] | |
18 | Rick and John Davidson | 1 | April 2, 1981(NLT) | [Note 1] | Los Angeles, California | Live event | Still billed as champions on August 22, 1981 | [3] [4] |
19 | Carlos Mata and Kiss | 1 | 1982 | [Note 1] | Los Angeles, California | Live event | [3] [4] | |
— | Vacated | — | 1982 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Championship vacated for undocumented reasons | [3] [4] |
20 | Tor Kamata and Kamalamala | 1 | February 13, 1982 | [Note 4] | Bakersfield, California | Live event | Defeated Alex Perez and Ron Starr to win the championship | [3] [4] |
21 | Los Brazos (Brazo de Oro and Brazo de Plata) | 1 | May 1982 | [Note 5] | Los Angeles, California | Live event | [3] [4] | |
— | Championship retired | — | December 26, 1982 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Promotion closes and the championship is abandoned | [3] [4] |
Key
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
¤ | The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain, so the shortest possible length is used. |
Rank | Team | No. of reigns | Combined days |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Los Brazos (Brazo de Oro and Brazo de Plata) | 1 | 209¤ |
2 | Tor Kamata and Kamalamala | 1 | 77¤ |
3 | Ox Baker and Enforcer Lusciano | 1 | ¤ |
George and Bobby Becker | 1 | ¤ | |
Billy Darnell and Sándor Szabó | 1 | ¤ | |
The Dusek Family (Emil Dusek and Ernie Dusek) | 2 | ¤ | |
Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk | 1 | ¤ | |
Gino and Leo Garibaldi | 1 | ¤ | |
Great Togo and Tosh Togo | 1 | ¤ | |
Hans Herman and Hans Schmidt | 1 | ¤ | |
The Hood and Ron Starr | 1 | ¤ | |
Walter and Battleship Johnson | 1 | ¤ | |
Walter Johnson and Alberto Madril | 1 | ¤ | |
Enforcer Lusciano and Victor Rivera | 1 | ¤ | |
Carlos Mata and Kiss | 1 | ¤ | |
Berry and Tosh Togo | 1 | ¤ | |
The Twin Devils (Twin Devil 1 and Twin Devil 2) | 2 | ¤ | |
Rick and John Davidson | 1 | ¤ |
Key
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
¤ | The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain, so the shortest possible length is used. |
Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined days |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Brazo de Oro | 1 | 209¤ |
Brazo de Plata | 1 | 209¤ | |
3 | Tor Kamata | 1 | 77¤ |
Kamalamala | 1 | 77¤ | |
5 | Ox Baker | 1 | ¤ |
Bobby Becker | 1 | ¤ | |
George Becker | 1 | ¤ | |
Billy Darnell | 1 | ¤ | |
Emil Dusek | 2 | ¤ | |
Ernie Dusek | 2 | ¤ | |
Terry Funk | 1 | ¤ | |
Dory Funk Jr. | 1 | ¤ | |
Gino Garibaldi | 1 | ¤ | |
Leo Garibaldi | 1 | ¤ | |
Great Togo | 1 | ¤ | |
Hans Herman | 1 | ¤ | |
The Hood | 1 | ¤ | |
Battleship Johnson | 1 | ¤ | |
Walter Johnson | 2 | ¤ | |
Kiss | 1 | ¤ | |
Enforcer Lusciano | 2 | ¤ | |
Alberto Madril | 1 | ¤ | |
Carlos Mata | 1 | ¤ | |
Victor Rivera | 1 | ¤ | |
Hans Schmidt | 1 | ¤ | |
Ron Starr | 1 | ¤ | |
Sándor Szabó | 1 | ¤ | |
Berry Togo | 1 | ¤ | |
Tosh Togo | 1 | ¤ | |
Tosh Togo | 1 | ¤ | |
Twin Devil 1 | 2 | ¤ | |
Twin Devil 2 | 2 | ¤ | |
John Davidson | 1 | ¤ | |
Rick Davidson | 1 | ¤ |
The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created by the National Wrestling Alliance. From 1948 to 1982, the NWA allowed member promotions to create their own territorial version of the "NWA World Tag Team Championship" without oversight from the board of directors. The first of these NWA World Tag Team Championships was created in 1950 in the San Francisco territory, which while billed as a "World" title was essentially restricted to the specific NWA territory. In 1957 as many as 13 versions of the NWA World Tag Team Championship were confirmed to be in existence. In 1982 Big Time Wrestling, based in Los Angeles, closed and abandoned their version of the championship. The following year, the World Wrestling Federation, an NWA member at the time and which had its own World Tag Team Championship, split from the NWA in acrimony. This meant that only the Jim Crockett Promotions' NWA World Tag Team Championship was active within the NWA, but still being controlled by JCP, not the NWA board of directors. In 1991 that championship was renamed the WCW World Tag Team Championship.
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