World Tag Team Championship (WWE, 1971–2010)

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"WWF Tag Team Championship" redirects here. For other WWF/WWE tag team championships, see Tag team championships in WWE.
This article is about WWE's tag team title established in 1971. For the title established in 2002 and was renamed as World Tag Team Championship in 2024, see World Tag Team Championship (WWE).

World Tag Team Championship
WWE World Tag Team Championship
)
Other name(s)
  • WWWF World Tag Team Championship
    (1971–1979)
  • WWF World Tag Team Championship
    (1979–1983)
  • WWF Tag Team Championship
    (1983–2002)
  • WWE Tag Team Championship
    (2002)
  • World Tag Team Championship
    (2002–2010)
  • Unified WWE Tag Team Championship
    (2009–2010)[b]
Statistics
First champion(s)
David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd
)
Most reignsAs tag team (8 reigns):

As individual (12 reigns):

Longest reign
The Spirit Squad
(Johnny, Kenny, Mikey, Mitch, and Nicky)
(1,445 lb (655 kg) combined)
Lightest championPaul London and Brian Kendrick
(380 lb (170 kg) combined)

The World Tag Team Championship was the original

world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the company's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then-World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) on June 3, 1971 (renamed World Wrestling Federation/WWF in 1979), it served as the only title for tag teams in the promotion until the then-WWF bought World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in March 2001, which added their tag team championship
. Both titles were unified in November 2001, retiring WCW's championship and continuing WWF's.

In 2002, the company was renamed WWE. Following the introduction of the

Unified WWE Tag Team Championship
, but remained independently active until the original World Tag Team Championship was decommissioned in 2010 in favor of continuing the newer championship.

The championship was contested in

David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd
).

History

Origins

When the

Toru Tanaka and Mitsu Arakawa) arrived in the WWWF with the WWWF International Tag Team Championship, which they claimed to have won in a tournament in Tokyo in June of that year. This became the WWWF's tag team title until 1971 when The Rising Suns left the WWWF and took the titles with them.[2]

The WWWF then established their own original world tag team championship, the "WWWF World Tag Team Championship" in 1971. Following the title's introduction,

Tarzan Tyler became the inaugural champions on June 3. In 1979, the title became known as the "WWF Tag Team Championship" when the promotion was renamed World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It was subsequently renamed "WWF World Tag Team Championship" in 1983, but was often referred to as the "WWF Tag Team Championship" for short.[3]

Three-time champions Demolition (Smash and Ax); their first reign is the longest reign in the title's history at 478 days

In March 2001, the WWF purchased

and The Undertaker defeated Chris Kanyon and Diamond Dallas Page for the WWF Tag Team Championship in a title-for-title steel cage match. Both titles remained independently active during this reign. At Survivor Series, the title was unified again with the WCW Tag Team Championship in a steel cage match when WCW Tag Team Champions The Dudley Boyz defeated WWF Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz
. This time, the WCW Tag Team Championship was deactivated with The Dudley Boyz recognized as the final champions and they reigned as the new WWF Tag Team Champions.

Brand split and unification

After the

2005 WWE draft lottery
, however, neither of the tag team titles were renamed.

In late 2008 through early 2009, WWE Tag Team Champions

Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, although both championships remained independently active.[7]

As the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, the champions could appear and defend the titles on any WWE brand, regardless of the brand that the holders belonged to.

David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd).[9] In April 2024, the WWE Tag Team Championship, which had been renamed to Raw Tag Team Championship in 2016, took on the World Tag Team Championship name.[10]

Brand designation history

Following the events of the

WWE draft was established, in which select members of the WWE roster were reassigned to a different brand.[11] After the World Tag Team Championship was unified with the WWE Tag Team Championship as the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, the champions could appear and defend the titles on any WWE brand.[12][13]

Date of transition Brand Notes
March 25, 2002 SmackDown WWF Tag Team Champions
2002 WWF Draft
.
In May 2002, the WWF was renamed WWE and the championship was subsequently renamed WWE Tag Team Championship.
July 29, 2002 Raw
WWE Tag Team Championship was created for SmackDown
.
December 12, 2008 ECW The World Tag Team Championship was moved to
John Morrison and The Miz, members of the ECW brand, won the championship. However, due to a talent exchange agreement between Raw
and ECW, teams from either brand could challenge for the title.
April 5, 2009 N/A At
WWE Tag Team Championship
as the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship. Both titles remained active and were defended on any brand until August 16, 2010 when the World Tag Team Championship was decommissioned in favor of continuing the lineage of the WWE Tag Team Championship, which dropped the "unified" moniker.

Belt designs

Shawn Michaels with the second WWF Tag Team Championship design.
CM Punk with the third design of the WWE World Tag Team Championship.

The original WWWF World Tag Team Championship design is similar to the WWF Women's Tag Team Championships, but to represent difference the leather of the title is dark blue other than red and it has the word world at the top instead of the word lady.[14]

The original WWF World Tag Team championship designs to year 2002 was gold and had a gold center plate with two gold side plates on each side. The center plate is square shaped with a light blue world in the middle of it with gold outlining's in it with the word world that's red in the middle of it that also has gold outlining with the words tag team wrestling champions at the bottom of it in very fancy designing with the letter w representing WWE at the top with a red slanted lining at the bottom of it. The side plates of the title are upward tall rectangular shaped with two men wrestling outlined in gold in the center also with the letter w representing WWE at the top with a red slanted lining at the bottom of it and the leather was black. At one time the belt was silver with gold outlining as well with the same design.[14]

The 2002 to 2010 design of the World Tag Team Championships were very similar to the 2002 design, but instead of the world background in the middle of the title being blue is red and the words tag team at the top and the word champions at the bottom to represent a more hardcore heavyweight historical difference.[14]

Reigns

Main article: List of World Tag Team Champions (WWE, 1971–2010)
The final champions The Hart Dynasty

The inaugural champions were

The Dudley Boyz
.

The Dudley Boyz held the record for most reigns as a team with eight. Edge held the record for overall reigns as an individual with 12, seven with Christian. He also won the titles with Hulk Hogan, Chris Benoit, Randy Orton, and Chris Jericho (after the titles were unified).

The final champions were

WWE Tag Team Champions until their loss at Night of Champions on September 19, 2010, to Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes.[16]

References

General
Specific
  1. ^ "United States Tag Team Title (Capitol/WWWF)". Wrestling-Titles.com.
  2. ^ "WWWF/WWF International Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com.
  3. ^ "WWF World Tag Team title defended on RAW through 1997". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved June 23, 2007.
  4. ^ Burdick, Michael (January 23, 2009). "The Rumbling of Foul Play". WWE. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
  5. ^ Burdick, Michael (February 13, 2009). "Prelude to Satan's Structure". WWE. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
  6. ^ Medalis, Kara (March 17, 2009). "Extremely lucky night". WWE. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
  7. ^ "WWE Tag Team Champions def. World Tag Team Champions (New Unified Tag Team Champions)". WWE. April 5, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  8. ^ Sitterson, Aubrey (April 27, 2009). "Judgment is coming". WWE. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  9. ^ Schadler, Kyle (February 12, 2012). "Abandoned: The History of WWE's World Tag Team Championship, Pt. 2". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  10. ^ Lambert, Jeremy (April 15, 2024). "New WWE World Tag Team Championships Presented To R-Truth And Miz On 4/15 WWE Raw". Fightful. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  11. World Wrestling Entertainment
    . Retrieved December 21, 2008.
  12. ^ Sitterson, Aubrey (April 27, 2009). "Judgment is coming". WWE. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  13. ^ "History of the World Tag Team Championship: Carlito & Primo". WWE. Archived from the original on April 8, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.
  14. ^ a b c PENA, ADAN. "Every WWE Tag Team Championship Belt Design, Ranked Worst To Best". Thesportster.com. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  15. ^ Adkins, Greg (February 8, 2010). "Results:Raw's pit stomp". WWE. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
  16. ^ "WWE Tag Team Championship history: Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes". WWE. Retrieved September 20, 2010.

Notes

  1. Unified WWE Tag Team Championship
    . Both titles had remained independently active until the original World Tag Team Championship was retired in favor of the WWE Tag Team Championship, which dropped the "unified" moniker.
  2. ^ In tandem with the WWE Tag Team Championship.

External links

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