NWA/WCW United States Tag Team Championship

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.

NWA United States Tag Team Championship
Details
PromotionNational 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 reignsThe Midnight Express
Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane
(3 reigns)
Longest reignThe Midnight Express
(Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)
(1st reign, 346 days)
Shortest reignThe Fantastics
(Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers)
(2nd reign, 19 days)

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)
1Ivan Koloff and Krusher KhruschevSeptember 28, 1986House showAtlanta, GA172Defeated Kansas Jayhawks (Bobby Jaggers and Dutch Mantel) in a tournament final to become the inaugural champions.
2Barry Windham and Ron GarvinDecember 9, 1986NWA Pro WrestlingSpartanburg, SC195Aired on tape delay on December 13, 1986
3Dick Murdoch and Ivan Koloff (2)March 14, 1987World Championship WrestlingAtlanta, GA121
VacatedApril 4, 1987Dick 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.
4The Midnight Express
(Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)
May 16, 1987World Championship WrestlingAtlanta, GA1346Defeated Barry Windham and Ron Garvin in a tournament final to win the vacant championship.
World Championship Wrestling (WCW)
5The Fantastics
(Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers)
April 26, 1988World Wide WrestlingChattanooga, TN175Aired on tape delay May 14, 1988.
6The Midnight Express
(Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)
July 10, 1988The Great American BashBaltimore, MD262
VacatedSeptember 10, 1988The NWA vacated the titles after Eaton and Lane won the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
7The Fantastics
(Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers)
December 7, 1988Clash of the Champions IV: Season's BeatingsChattanooga, TN219Defeated Eddie Gilbert and Ron Simmons in a tournament final to win the vacant championship.
8The Varsity Club
(Kevin Sullivan and Steve Williams)
December 26, 1988StarrcadeNorfolk, VA164
9Eddie Gilbert and Rick SteinerFebruary 28, 1989World Wide WrestlingColumbia, SC1[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.
10Brian Pillman and The Z-ManFebruary 12, 1990World Wide WrestlingRainsville, AL196Defeated (The Fabulous Freebirds) (Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes) in a ournament final to win the revived championship.
Aired on tape delay on February 24, 1990.
[3]
11The Midnight Express
(Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)
May 19, 1990Capital CombatWashington, D.C.397
12The Steiner Brothers
(Rick Steiner (2) and Scott Steiner)
August 24, 1990House showEast Rutherford, NJ1225During this reign, the title was renamed the WCW United States Tag Team Championship.
VacatedApril 6, 1991World Wide WrestlingAnnounced 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.
13The Fabulous Freebirds
(Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes)
May 19, 1991SuperBrawl ISt. Petersburg, FL185Defeated 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, 1991World Championship WrestlingGainesville, GA185Aired on tape delay on September 7, 1991.
15The Young Pistols
(Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers)
November 5, 1991WCW Main EventGainesville, GA170Aired on tape delay on December 15, 1991.
16Big Josh and Ron SimmonsJanuary 14, 1992WCW Main EventColumbus, GA134Aired on tape delay on February 16, 1992.
17Greg Valentine and Terry TaylorFebruary 17, 1992World Championship WrestlingRock Hill, SC190Aired on tape delay on February 29, 1992.
18The Fabulous Freebirds
(Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes)
May 17, 1992WrestleWarJacksonville, FL234
19The Barbarian and Dick SlaterJune 25, 1992WCW Main EventKansas City, MO136Aired 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

As of April 30, 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
1The Midnight Express
(Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane)
3505
2The Steiner Brothers
(Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner)
1225
3The Fabulous Freebirds
(Jimmy Garvin and Michael Hayes)
2124
4Brian Pillman and The Z-Man196
5Barry Windham and Ron Garvin195
6The Fantastics
(Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers)
294
7Greg Valentine and Terry Taylor190
8The Patriots
(Firebreaker Chip and Todd Champion)
185
9Ivan Koloff and Krusher Khruschev172
10The Young Pistols
Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers
170
11The Varsity Club
(Kevin Sullivan and Steve Williams)
164
12Eddie Gilbert and Rick Steiner162 – 91¤[Note 2]
13The Barbarian and Dick Slater136
14Big Josh and Ron Simmons134
15Dick Murdoch and Ivan Koloff121

Individual

Stan Lane (left) and Bobby Eaton share the record for the longest individual reigns at 505 days
RankWrestlerNo. of
reigns
Combined
days
1Bobby Eaton3505
Stan Lane3505
3Rick Steiner2287 – 316¤[Note 2]
4Scott Steiner1225
5Jimmy Garvin2124
Michael Hayes2124
7Brian Pillman196
The Z-Man196
9Barry Windham195
Ron Garvin195
11Bobby Fulton294
Tommy Rogers294
13Ivan Koloff293
14Greg Valentine190
Terry Taylor190
16Firebreaker Chip185
Todd Champion185
18Krusher Khruschev172
19Steve Armstrong170
Tracy Smothers170
21Kevin Sullivan164
Steve Williams164
23Eddie Gilbert162 – 91¤[Note 2]
24The Barbarian136
Dick Slater136
26Big Josh134
Ron Simmons134
28Dick Murdoch121

See also

Footnotes

References

General
  • Will, Gary; Royal Duncan (1994). "United States: 19th century & widely defended titles - NWA, WWF, AWA, IWA, ECW, NWA". Wrestling Title Histories (3 ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 23. ISBN 0-9698161-1-1.
  • "NWA United States Tag Team Championship Title History". Wrestling Title Histories by Gary Will and Royal Duncan. Solie.org. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  • "WCW United States Tag Team Championship Title History". Wrestling Title Histories by Gary Will and Royal Duncan. Solie.org. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
Specific