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The NWA World Tag Team Championship is the premier tag team title in the National Wrestling Alliance. There have been several versions of this title, but the title recognized by the NWA is the version that is now defended primarily in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Although TNA is no longer associated with the NWA, they have secured the rights to use the NWA World Heavyweight and NWA World Tag Team Championships until 2014. While these titles had, in the past, been defended in several NWA territories, they are now exclusive to TNA.
Previous versions
From 1950 till the early 1990s, there was no officially sanctioned World Tag Team Championship within the National Wrestling Alliance. Several promotions took advantage of this, and formed their own World Tag Team Titles, many of which were not eligible for World Title status considering they were rarely defended outside of the region they were created in. The following are the variations that existed at one point or another:
- San Francisco (1950-1979)
- Chicago (1953-1960)
- Georgia (1954-1969)
- Minneapolis (1957-1960)
- Texas (1957-1982)
- Mid-America (1957-1977)
- Central States (1958-1963, 1973-1979)
- Los Angeles (late 1950's, 1979-1982)
- Florida (1961-1969)
- Detroit (1964-1980)
- Vancouver (1966-1967)
- Mid-Atlantic/World Championship Wrestling (1975-1991)
In 1992, the NWA decided to hold a tournament to crown an officially sanctioned NWA World Tag Team Championship, which would in effect nullify any other titles' claims to the status. By that point, the only existing claim was by the NWA-Mid Atlantic version of the titles, defended in World Championship Wrestling.
Due to WCW having the most widely available television broadcasting, they were chosen to sponsor the event in conjunction with the NWA's sanctioning body. The tournament was held in July 1992, and crowned the first officially sanctioned NWA World Tag Team Champions, Terry Gordy and Steve Williams.
The NWA belts were unified with the WCW World Tag Team Championship shortly after the tournament, and the belts remained unified until September 1993, when WCW withdrew from the NWA and the NWA split the belts off to be independently defended once more. This version was briefly defended in the World Wrestling Federation in 1998, and is currently utilized by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
Current Champions
The current NWA World Tag Team Champions are A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels. Styles and Daniels defeated America's Most Wanted (James Storm & Chris Harris) at TNA Slammiversary 2006 on June 18, 2006 in what was their last chance to win the titles. This is their first reign together; it is also Styles's third career title reign and Daniels's fifth career title reign.
Special Note
While it is normal for a single wrestler to win one half of the NWA World Tag Team Championship with the help of a partner, three TNA superstars (Christopher Daniels, A.J. Styles, Abyss) have each managed to win the NWA World Tag Team Titles by themselves.
Daniels won the NWA World Tag Team Championship on May 7, 2003 by defeating Jerry Lynn and the Amazing Red by disqualification (titles may change hands by disqualification in TNA), becoming the first wrestler in history to singlehandedly win a World Tag Team Championship. Daniels went on to defend the belts with his partners from Triple X
Styles and Abyss, on the other hand, won the tag team titles as a duo in 2004 when Abyss abandoned Styles during a title match and Styles still managed to fend off the Red Shirt Security (Kevin Northcutt and Joe Legend) by himself. Styles fought Abyss the following week and won sole control over the titles, then Abyss won sole control over the titles by defeating Styles the subsequent week. The titles were then held up by Director of Authority Don Callis.
See also
- List of NWA World Tag Team Champions
- List of NWA World Tag Team Championship reigns by length
- National Wrestling Alliance
- Jim Crockett Promotions
- World Championship Wrestling
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
External links
National Wrestling Alliance championships | Total Nonstop Action Wrestling championships | Tag team wrestling championships
"NWA World Tag Team Championship"