AWA World Tag Team Championship

AWA World Tag Team Championship
Details
Promotion American Wrestling Association
Date established 1960
Date retired 1991

The American Wrestling Association (AWA) World Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in the American Wrestling Association from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991.

History

When the NWA Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club operated by Verne Gagne withdrew from the National Wrestling Alliance in May 1960, Stan Kowalski and Tiny Mills were the recognized champions of the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version). At the time, the AWA continued to recognize the NWA champions as their World champions. However, by August 1960, and having recently recaptured the NWA Tag Team championships for a second time, Kowalski and Mills were recognized as the first AWA World Tag Team Champions when AWA stopped recognizing NWA champions.

As the promotion grew, the AWA World Tag Team Championship became one of the most coveted tag team titles in the United States from the beginning until the late 1980s, when the AWA's talent roster was depleted by the World Wrestling Federation and Jim Crockett Promotions. This led to the retirement of the titles when the AWA closed.[1]

Title history

Key
No. Overall reign number
Reign Reign number for the specific champion
Days Number of days held
† Championship change is unrecognized by the promotion
No. Champion Championship change Reign statistics Notes Ref.
Date Event Location Reign Days
 1  Murder, Inc.
(Stan Kowalski and Tiny Mills)		  August 1960   N/A  1  64[Note 1] Kowalski and Mills were awarded the NWA World Tag Team Championship on August 1960. They were recognized as the first AWA champions when the AWA withdrew from the NWA and recognized its own champions.
 2  Hard Boiled Haggerty and Len Montana / Gene Kiniski  October 4, 1960  Live event Minneapolis, Minnesota  1  231 Montana suffered a broken leg in a match against Verne Gagne. On March 18, 1961, Haggerty chose Kiniski as his new partner.
 3  Leo Nomellini and Wilbur Snyder  May 23, 1961  Live event Minneapolis, Minnesota  1  57 [2]
 4  Hard Boiled Haggerty and Gene Kiniski  July 19, 1961  Live event St. Paul, Minnesota  2  20 [3]
— Vacated  August 8, 1961  Live event — — — Title vacated after Haggerty and Kiniski split up when Haggerty's interference in a cage match between Kiniski and Verne Gagne backfires.
 5  Hard Boiled Haggerty (3) and Bob Geigel  September 26, 1961  Live event St. Paul, Minnesota  1  51 Haggerty defeated Kiniski for control of the titles and chose Geigel as his new partner.
 6  Pat Kennedy and Dale Lewis  November 16, 1961  Live event Rochester, Minnesota  1  7
 7  Bob Geigel (2) and Otto Von Krupp  November 23, 1961  Live event Rochester, Minnesota  1  39[Note 2]
— Vacated  January 1962 — — — — Title vacated when Von Krupp was injured.
 8  Larry Hennig and Duke Hoffman  January 15, 1962  Live event St. Paul, Minnesota  1  29 Defeated Ivan and Nikita Kalmikoff in a tournament final.
 9  Bob Geigel (3) and Stan Kowalski (2)  February 13, 1962  Live event Minneapolis, Minnesota  1  47[Note 2]
 10  The Neilsons
(Art Neilson and Stan Neilson)		  April 1962   Cincinnati, Ohio  1  259[Note 1] This was a "phantom" title change, as no match actually took place.
 11  Doug Gilbert and Dick Steinborn  December 16, 1962  Live event St. Paul, Minnesota  1  16
 12  The Kalmikoffs
(Ivan and Karol)		  January 1, 1963  Live event Minneapolis, Minnesota  1  231
 13  The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser  August 20, 1963  Live event Minneapolis, Minnesota  1  173 [4]
 14  Moose Evans and Verne Gagne  February 9, 1964  Live event Minneapolis, Minnesota  1  14 [5]
 15  The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser  February 23, 1964  Live event St. Paul, Minnesota  2  342 [6]
 16  Larry Hennig (2) and Harley Race  January 30, 1965  Live event Minneapolis, Minnesota  1  175
 17  The Crusher (3) and Verne Gagne (2)  July 24, 1965  Live event Minneapolis, Minnesota  1  14
 18  Larry Hennig (3) and Harley Race  August 7, 1965  Live event Minneapolis, Minnesota  2  294
 19  The Crusher (4) and Dick the Bruiser  May 28, 1966  Live event Minneapolis, Minnesota  3  223 [7]
 20  Larry Hennig (4) / Chris Markoff and Harley Race  January 6, 1967  Live event Chicago, Illinois  3  308 On November 1, 1967, Markoff replaced Hennig, who had his leg broken by Verne Gagne in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
 21  Pat O'Connor and Wilbur Snyder (2)  November 10, 1967  Live event Chicago, Illinois  1  22
 22  Mitsu Arakawa and Dr. Moto  December 2, 1967  Live event Chicago, Illinois  1  392
 23  The Crusher (5) and Dick the Bruiser  December 28, 1968  Live event Chicago, Illinois  4  245
 24  The Vachons
(Butcher and Mad Dog)		  August 30, 1969  Live event Chicago, Illinois  1  623
†  The Von Steigers
(Karl Von Steiger and Kurt Von Steiger)		  February 23, 1971  Live event Portland, Oregon  1†  23
†  The Vachons
(Butcher and Mad Dog)		  March 18, 1971  Live event Salem, Oregon  1(2)  58 Defeated The Von Steigers by D.Q.
 25  Red Bastien and Hercules Cortez / The Crusher (6)  May 15, 1971  Live event Milwaukee, Wisconsin  1  250 In August 1971, Bastien chose The Crusher as his new partner after Cortez was killed in a car accident on July 23.
 26  Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens  1  Live event Denver, Colorado  1  345
 27  Verne Gagne (3) and Billy Robinson  December 30, 1972  Live event Minneapolis, Minnesota  1  7
 28  Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens  2  Live event St. Paul, Minnesota  2  561
 29  The Crusher (7) and Billy Robinson (2)  July 21, 1974  Live event Green Bay, Wisconsin  1  95
 30  Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens  October 24, 1974  Live event Winnipeg, Manitoba  3  296
 31  The Crusher (8) and Dick the Bruiser  August 16, 1975  Live event Chicago, Illinois  5  342
 32  Bobby Duncum and Blackjack Lanza  July 23, 1976  Live event Chicago, Illinois  1  349
 33  The High Flyers
(Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne)		  July 7, 1977  Live event Winnipeg, Manitoba  1  443
 34  Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens (4)  September 23, 1978   N/A  1  256 Awarded the titles when Brunzell was injured in a charity softball game.
 35  Verne Gagne (4) and Mad Dog Vachon (3)  June 6, 1979  Live event Winnipeg, Manitoba  1  410
 36  East-West Connection
(Adrian Adonis and Jesse Ventura)		  July 20, 1980  Live event Denver, Colorado  1  329 Won by forfeit when Gagne no-showed scheduled defense.
 37  The High Flyers
(Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne)		  June 14, 1981  Live event Green Bay, Wisconsin  2  742
 38  The Sheiks
(Jerry Blackwell and Ken Patera)		  June 26, 1983  Live event Minneapolis, Minnesota  1  315
 39  The Crusher (9) and Baron Von Raschke  May 6, 1984  Live event Green Bay, Wisconsin  1  111 [8]
 40  The Road Warriors
(Animal and Hawk)		  August 25, 1984  Live event Las Vegas, Nevada  1  400
 41  Jimmy Garvin and Steve Regal  September 29, 1985  Live event St. Paul, Minnesota  1  111
 42  Scott Hall and Curt Hennig  January 18, 1986  Live event Albuquerque, New Mexico  1  119 "Phantom match" said to have occurred to cover for Regal leaving the company while still champion. [9]
 43  Buddy Rose and Doug Somers  May 17, 1986  AWA All-Star Wrestling Hammond, Indiana  1  255
 44  The Midnight Rockers
(Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels)		  January 27, 1987  Live event St. Paul, Minnesota  1  118
 45  Soldat Ustinov and Boris Zhukov / Doug Somers (2)  May 25, 1987  Live event Lake Tahoe, Nevada  1  139 Somers replaced Zhukov on October 1987 after he jumped to the WWF. [10]
 46  Bill Dundee and Jerry Lawler  October 11, 1987  CWA Live event Memphis, Tennessee  1  8
 47  Dr. D and Héctor Guerrero  October 19, 1987  CWA Live event Memphis, Tennessee  1  7 Dr. D was local wrestler Carl Styles under a mask.
 48  Bill Dundee and Jerry Lawler  October 26, 1987  CWA Live event Memphis, Tennessee  2  4
 49  The Original Midnight Express
(Dennis Condrey and Randy Rose)		  October 30, 1987  AWA Championship Wrestling Whitewater, Wisconsin  1  58 [11]
 50  The Midnight Rockers
(Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels)		  December 27, 1987  AWA Championship Wrestling Las Vegas, Nevada  2  83 Titles were held up on February 15, 1988, after a controversial match with The Rock 'n' Roll Express in Memphis. The Rockers won a rematch on February 22, 1988, also in Memphis, but this was never recognized and they remain two-time champions.[12]
 51  Badd Company
(Paul Diamond and Pat Tanaka)		  March 19, 1988  AWA Championship Wrestling Las Vegas, Nevada  1  371
 52  The Olympians
(Ken Patera (2) and Brad Rheingans)		  March 25, 1989  AWA Championship Wrestling Rochester, Minnesota  1  177
— Vacated  September 18, 1989 — — — — Title vacated when Patera was injured.
 53  The Destruction Crew
(Wayne Bloom and Mike Enos)		  October 1, 1989  AWA Championship Wrestling Rochester, Minnesota  1  314 Defeated Paul Diamond and Greg Gagne in a tournament final.
 54  D.J. Peterson and The Trooper  August 11, 1990  AWA Championship Wrestling Rochester, Minnesota  1  123 Pro Wrestling Illustrated withdrew recognition of World Championship status January 1991. Peterson and Trooper were from this point recognized only as "AWA Tag Team Champions".[13] [14]
— Deactivated  1991[Note 3] — — — — The title became inactive when the AWA folded in 1991.

List of top combined reigns

By team

Rank Team # Of Reigns Combined Days
1.The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser51,325
2.Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens31,202
3.The High Flyers (Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne)21,185
4.Harley Race and Larry Hennig / Chris Markoff[Note 4]3777
5.Butcher and Mad Dog Vachon2623
6.Verne Gagne and Mad Dog Vachon1410
7.Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk)1400
8.Mitsu Arakawa and Dr. Moto1392
9.Badd Company (Paul Diamond and Pat Tanaka)1371
10.Bobby Duncum and Blackjack Lanza1349
11.The East-West Connection (Adrian Adonis and Jesse Ventura)1329
12.The Sheiks (Jerry Blackwell and Ken Patera)1315
13.The Destruction Crew (Wayne Bloom and Mike Enos)1314
14.Art and Stan Nielson1259
15.Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens1256
16.Buddy Rose and Doug Somers1255
17.Red Bastien and Hercules Cortez/The Crusher*[Note 5]1250

By wrestler

Rank Wrestler # Of Reigns Combined Days
1.The Crusher91,717[Note 6]
2.Ray Stevens41,458
3.Dick the Bruiser51,325
4.Nick Bockwinkel31,202
5.Jim Brunzell21,185
5.Greg Gagne21,185
Mad Dog Vachon| 3| 1033
8.Larry Hennig4797
9.Harley Race3777
10.Butcher Vachon623

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 There are no records of the day the reign began, only the month so the first day of the month is counted.
  2. 1 2 There are no records of the day the reign ended, only the month so the first day of the month is counted.
  3. ↑ There are no records of the day or month this final reign ended, only the year.
  4. ↑ Chris Markoff replaced Larry Hennig in their third reign.
  5. ↑ The Crusher replaced Hercules Cortez after Cortez died from injuries sustained in a car accident.
  6. ↑ Combined length may not be correct. See above.

References

  1. ↑ Royal Duncan & Gary Will (2006). Wrestling Title Histories (4th ed.). Archeus Communications. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  2. ↑ Hoops, Brian (May 23, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (May 23): Antonio Inoki Vs. Hulk Hogan, Andre Vs. Sakaguchi, Frank Gotch in a 57-minute match". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  3. ↑ Hoops, Brian (July 19, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (July 19): Kiniski wins third AWA title, Nash beats AJ Styles for TNA belt". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  4. ↑ Hoops, Brian (August 20, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (August 20): June Byers wins NWA Women's belt, Michael Shane wins TNA X-Division title". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  5. ↑ Hoops, Brian (February 9, 2017). "On this day in pro wrestling history (Feb 9): The Midnight Rider defeated Ric Flair". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  6. ↑ Hoops, Brian (February 23, 2017). "Daily pro wrestling history (02/23): WWE Elimination Chamber 2014". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  7. ↑ F4W Staff (May 28, 2015). "ON THIS DAY IN PRO WRESTLING HISTORY (MAY 28): HULK HOGAN VS. NICK BOCKWINKEL, BRUNO VS. SUPERSTAR GRAHAM DOUBLE DQ". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  8. ↑ F4W Staff (May 6, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (May 6): Verne Gagne Vs. Danny Hodge, 1st Annual Von Erich Parade of Champions show". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  9. ↑ http://www.kayfabememories.com/Regions/awa/awa4-2.htm
  10. ↑ Hoops, Brian (May 25, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (May 25): Rockers last match in AWA, Tiger Mask wins NWA Jr. Heavyweight gold, Russian amateur wrestler beats Vader". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  11. ↑ Hoops, Brian (October 30, 2015). "DAILY PRO WRESTLING HISTORY (10/30): A SLEW OF TAG TEAM TITLES CHANGE HANDS". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  12. ↑ Hoops, Brian (February 22, 2017). "Daily pro wrestling history (02/22): Sting defeats Hogan to win vacant WCW title". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  13. ↑ Hoops, Brian (August 11, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history (August 11): Verne Gagne vs. Lou Thesz for AWA title, first ever G1 final". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  14. ↑ PWI Strips the AWA of World Title Status Pro Wrestling Illustrated May 1991
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