IWGP Tag Team Championship

IWGP Tag Team Championship
The IWGP Tag Team Championship belts
Details
PromotionNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)
Date establishedDecember 12, 1985[1]
Current champion(s)Vacant
Date wonDecember 9, 2024
Other name(s)
  • IWGP Tag Team Championship (1985–present)
  • IWGP World Tag Team Championship (name used by ROH and TNA)
  • IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
Statistics
First champion(s)Kengo Kimura & Tatsumi Fujinami
Most reignsAs Tag Team ((7 reigns)):

As individual(12 reigns):

Longest reignBad Intentions
(Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson) (564 days)
Shortest reignKeiji Mutoh and Shiro Koshinaka (6 days)
Oldest championGenichiro Tenryu (48 years, 5 months and 13 days)
Youngest championBrutus Magnus (22 years, 8 months and 15 days)

The IWGP Tag Team Championship (IWGPタッグ王座, IWGP taggu ōza) is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix (インターナショナル・レスリング・グラン・プリ, intānashonaru resuringu guran puri). The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at an NJPW live event.[1] The IWGP Tag Team Championship is one of two weight-specific tag team titles contested for in NJPW; the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship is also sanctioned by NJPW.[2] According to NJPW's official website, the IWGP Tag Team Championship is considered the "IWGP Heavyweight [Tag] Class", while the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship is listed as the "IWGP Jr. Tag Class".[2] Like most professional wrestling championships, the title is won via the result of a scripted match. Title changes usually happen at NJPW-promoted events; although the title has only changed hands twice at a non-NJPW event,[3] it has been defended in several other promotions.

History

Before the IWGP championship system was created, New Japan Pro-Wrestling featured the NWA North American Tag Team Championship, a title originally based in Los Angeles, and the WWF International Tag Team Championship, a title licensed from the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which was abandoned when the WWF working relationship ended.

The inaugural champions were Kengo Kimura & Tatsumi Fujinami, who defeated Antonio Inoki & Seiji Sakaguchi in the final of a tournament to win the championship on December 12, 1985, at an NJPW live event.[1] In addition to NJPW, the IWGP Tag Team Championship was also contested in the United States–based promotions World Championship Wrestling (WCW) (now defunct) in the early 1990s, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2009,[4] and in the Mexican lucha libre promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in 2005.[5]

On October 30, 2005, in Kobe, Japan, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Masahiro Chono defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shinsuke Nakamura to begin their fifth overall reign as a team.[6] On July 2, 2006, an interim tag team title was created when Tenzan & Chono showed signs of inactivity.[6] Shiro Koshinaka & Togi Makabe defeated the teams of Yuji Nagata & Naofumi Yamamoto and Giant Bernard & Travis Tomko in a Three-Way Match to become the first interim champions. NJPW president Simon Kelly Inoki stripped Tenzan & Chono of the IWGP Tag Team Championship on September 20, 2006, after Tenzan & Chono ceased teaming. Manabu Nakanishi & Takao Omori, who defeated Koshinaka & Makabe on July 17, 2006, to become the interim champions, were recognized as the IWGP Tag Team Champions on September 28, 2006, by NJPW.[7]

In 2009, The British Invasion defeated Team 3D on July 21, 2009, at a TNA television taping for the championship.[8][9] Afterwards, NJPW released a statement announcing that they did not sanction the defense nor the title change, and as such did not recognize the reign.[10] They continued to recognize Team 3D as the current champions and proclaimed that the next title defense would be by Team 3D and would be sanctioned by NJPW.[11] On August 10, 2009, NJPW issued another press release stating that they were now recognizing The British Invasion of Brutus Magnus & Doug Williams as the current IWGP Tag Team Champions, making the reign official.[3][12]

Reigns

Main article: List of IWGP Tag Team Champions

Hiroyoshi Tenzan currently holds the record for most reigns by an individual wrestler, with twelve. Tenzan's combined twelve reign lengths add up to 1,988 days, which is the most of any champion. At seven reigns, the Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) hold the record for most by a team. Tenzan & Masahiro Chono's combined five reign lengths add up to 1,010 days (the most of any team). At 564 days, Bad Intentions' (Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson) only reign is the longest in the title's history. Keiji Mutoh & Shiro Koshinaka's only reign is the shortest, at six days. Currently, Bad Intentions' only reign has the most defenses, with ten. There are 20 reigns shared between 18 teams that are tied for the fewest successful defenses, with zero. Overall, there have been 99 reigns shared between 87 wrestlers.

The titles are currently vacant after Henare suffered a knee injury, forcing him and Great-O-Khan to vacate their titles. This was their first reign as champions.

References

General
  • Benaka, Matt; Westcott, Brian; Oliver, Earl; Zadarnowski, Andrew. "IWGP Tag Team Title History". Wrestling Title Histories by Gary Will and Royal Duncan. Solie.org. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
  • Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). "Japan & Korea: New Japan IWGP Tag Team Title". Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. p. 373. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  • "IWGP Tag Team Championship history". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). NJPW.co. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
Specific
  1. ^ a b c "IWGP Tag Team Championship history: Reign 1". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). NJPW.co. Archived from the original on 2009-08-25. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  2. ^ a b "IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship history". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). NJPW.co. Archived from the original on 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  3. ^ a b Martin, Adam (2009-08-12). "More on TNA and New Japan issues". Wrestleview. Archived from the original on 2009-08-15. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  4. ^ Martin, Adam (2009-04-19). "Lockdown PPV results - 4/19/09". Wrestleview. Archived from the original on 2009-04-23. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  5. ^ Súper Luchasstaff (2006-01-03). "2005 Lo Mejor de la Lucha Mexicana". Súper Luchas (in Spanish). pp. 20–21. issue 140.
  6. ^ a b "IWGP Tag Team Championship history: Reign 48". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). NJPW.co. Archived from the original on 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  7. ^ "IWGP Tag Team Championship history: Reign 49". New Japan Pro-Wrestling (in Japanese). NJPW.co. Archived from the original on 2009-07-24. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  8. ^ Martin, Adam (2009-07-22). "Spoilers: 7/21 TNA Impact TV tapings". Wrestleview. Archived from the original on 2009-07-25. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  9. ^ Sokol, Chris; Bryan Sokol (2009-07-31). "Impact: Two titles changes on 200th episode". Slam! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
  10. ^ "Slam! Wrestling News/Rumours". Slam! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. 2009-08-06. Archived from the original on 2009-08-09. Retrieved 2009-08-13. The British Invasion's IWGP World Team Team Title victory over Team 3D on last week's TNA iMPACT! is not being recognized by New Japan Pro Wrestling. Team 3D will continue to defend the titles in Japan.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ Martin, Adam (2009-08-05). "New Japan on title change in TNA". Wrestleview. Archived from the original on 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  12. ^ Martin, Adam (2009-08-10). "New Japan changes stance on tag titles". Wrestleview. Archived from the original on 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2009-08-15.