The NWA International Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling title, originally created as the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship in the National Wrestling Alliance's Amarillo, Texas territory, Western States Sports.[1] The title was in use from 1969, when it replaced Amarillo's version of the NWA North American Tag Team Championship,[3] through the promotion's 1981 closure.[4] The title was revived on July 15, 2014, by Vendetta Pro Wrestling when they joined the NWA.[5] The Vendetta Pro Wrestling Tag Team Champions at the time, Shane and Shannon Ballard, were recognized as the NWA Western States Tag Team Champions, and since then, the Vendetta Pro Wrestling Tag Team title belts have represented the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship.[2]
| NWA International Tag Team Championship | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The third Vendetta Pro Wrestling Tag Team Championship belt, which represented the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship, now the NWA International Tag Team Championship | |||||||
| Details | |||||||
| Promotion | Western States Sports, 1969-1981[1], Vendetta Pro Wrestling, 2014-2017[2] World Wonder Ring Stardom, 2016 | ||||||
| Date established | 1969 | ||||||
| |||||||
On September 30, 2016, The Twisted Sisterz (the team of Holidead and Thunder Rosa) defeated Alexander G. Bernard and Jimi Mayhem for the title to become the first team of women to win the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship.[2]
On October 19, 2016, Vendetta Pro Wrestling awarded temporary, provisional control of the title to joshi puroresu promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom, while the reigning champions were on tour there.[6] The Twisted Sisterz successfully defended the title at Stardom's December 22 Korakuen Hall show.[7]
On December 30, 2016, NWA Director of Operations James Beard announced that the title controlled by Vendetta Pro Wrestling had been renamed the NWA International Tag Team Championship following a title defense in Japan.[8]
As of October 1, 2017, Vendetta Pro Wrestling is no longer directly associated with the NWA following the takeover of Billy Corgan. As such, the 'NWA' International Tag Team Championship is vacated and deactivated. Billy Blade and Richie Slade retained the 'Vendetta Pro Wrestling' International Tag Team Championship.[9]
Names
edit| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| NWA Western States Tag Team Championship | 1969 – December 30, 2016 |
| NWA International Tag Team Championship | December 30, 2016 – present |
Title history (1969-1981)
editSilver areas in the history indicate periods of unknown lineage. An (n) indicates that a title changes occurred no later than the listed date.
| Wrestlers: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr. Ito and Chati Yokouchi | 1 | December 4, 1968 | Lubbock, Texas | Defeat Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk for the World Title; billed as Western States Title after April 1968. |
| Buddy Colt and Gorgeous George, Jr. | 1 | June 8, 1969 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | |
| Nick Kozak and Ricky Romero | 1 | July 23, 1969 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| Buddy Colt and Gorgeous George Jr. | 2 | July 31, 1969 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Art Nelson and Kurt Von Brauner | 1 | August 20, 1969 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| Terry Funk and The Lawman (Don Slatton) | 1 | October 6, 1969 | Abilene, Texas | |
| Art Nelson and Kurt Von Brauner | 2 | October 13, 1969 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| Terry Funk (2) and Ricky Romero (2) | 1 | October 21, 1969 | Odessa, Texas | |
| The Beast and Bull Ramos | 1 | April 4, 1970 | Amarillo, Texas | Vacant sometime after May 21, 1975 when the team splits. |
| Kim II and Pak Song | 1 | June 17, 1970 | Lubbock, Texas | Defeat Rufus R. Jones and Gorgeous George Jr. |
| Terry Funk (3) and Ricky Romero (3) | 2 | June 24, 1970 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| The Gladiator and Mr. Wrestling (Gordon Nelson) | 1 | August 20, 1970 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| The Kozak Brothers (Jerry and Nick (2)) |
1 | October 26, 1970 | Abilene, Texas | |
| The Gladiator and Mr. Wrestling | 2 | December 10, 1970 (n) | Hobbs, New Mexico | Sometime after November 2, 1970. |
| The Kozak Brothers (Jerry (2) and Nick (3)) |
2 | January 4, 1971 | El Paso, Texas | |
| The Gladiator and Mr. Wrestling | 3 | January 13, 1971 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| The Beast (2) and The Butcher | 1 | January 21, 1971 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Bobby Duncum, Sr. and Woody Farmer | 1 | April 8, 1971 | Amarillo, Texas | Defeated The Beast and Bulldog Brower. |
| The Continental Warriors (Bobby Hart and Lorenzo Parente) |
1 | May 27, 1971 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Nick Kozak (4) and Ricky Romero (4) | 2 | June 22, 1971 | Odessa, Texas | May win the title defeating the Warriors only for a local recognition. |
| The Infernos (Frankie Cain and Rocky Smith) |
1 | August 4, 1971 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| The Continental Warriors (Bobby Hart and Lorenzo Parente) |
2 | August 11, 1971 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| Eric Rommel and Mr. Wrestling (4) | 1 | November 11, 1971 | Hobbs, New Mexico | |
| Masio Koma and Mr. Okuma | 1 | November 25, 1971 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Ricky Romero (5) and Lord Alfred Hayes | 1 | April 10, 1972 | El Paso, Texas | |
| Masio Koma and Mr. Okuma | 2 | May 14, 1972 (n) | ||
| Bobby Duncum, Sr. (2) and Dick Murdoch | 1 | July 9, 1972 | Clovis, New Mexico | |
| Lord Alfred Hayes (2) and Ricki Starr | 1 | August 24, 1972 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Karl Von Steiger and Hans Mueller | 1 | September 28, 1972 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Nick Kozak (5) and Moose Morowski | 1 | October 23, 1972 | El Paso, Texas | |
| Ciclón Negro and Karl Von Steiger (2) | 1 | November 20, 1972 | El Paso, Texas | |
| Lord Alfred Hayes (3) and Nick Kozak (6) | 1 | November 27, 1972 | El Paso, Texas | |
| Don and Johnny Fargo | 1 | February 8, 1973 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Moose Morowski (2) and Ricky Romero (6) | 1 | May 10, 1973 | Amarillo, Texas | Morowski and Nick Kozak are billed as champions in El Paso, TX on May 14, 1973 and May 21, 1973. |
| Black Gordman and Goliath | 1 | June 18, 1973 | El Paso, Texas | |
| Moose Morowski (3) and Ricky Romero (7) | 2 | July 2, 1973 | El Paso, Texas | |
| Hank James and Buck Robley | 1 | July 4, 1973 | Lubbock, Texas | Still champions as of August 3, 1973. |
| Karl Von Steiger (3) and The Patriot | 1 | September 21, 1973 | Abilene, Texas | Defeat The Lawman and Dick Murdoch and Tomomi Tsuruta and Nick Kozak in a 3-team tournament. |
| Jerry Kozak (3) and Les Thornton | 1 | October 5, 1973 | Abilene, Texas | |
| Don Fargo (2) and Hank James (2) | 1 | November 8, 1973 (n) | ||
| The Beast (3) and Leo Burke | 1 | January 10, 1974 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Dory Funk, Jr. and Ricky Romero (8) | 1 | February 25, 1974 | El Paso, Texas | |
| Siegfried Steinke and Karl Von Steiger (4) | 1 | September 9, 1974 | El Paso, Texas | |
| Dory Funk, Jr. (2) and Ricky Romero (9) | 2 | September 16, 1974 | El Paso, Texas | |
| The Interns (Tom Andrews and Jim Starr) |
1 | June 26, 1975 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Johnny Starr and Scott Casey | 1 | July 11, 1975 | Abilene, Texas | |
| The Interns (Tom Andrews and Jim Starr) |
2 | July 22, 1975 (n) | ||
| Ray Candy and Dory Funk, Jr. (3) | 1 | August 20, 1975 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| Title vacated sometime after October 15, 1975. | ||||
| The Beast (4) and Leo Burke (3) | 2 | February 20, 1976 | Lubbock, Texas | Defeated Ricky Romero and Silver Streak in a tournament final. |
| Ricky Romero (10) and Silver Streak | 1 | February 27, 1976 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| Bobby Jaggers and Randy Tyler | 1 | April 16, 1976 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| Scott Casey (2) and Reggie Parks | 1 | May 12, 1976 | Abilene, Texas | |
| Davey O'Hannon and Dennis Stamp | 1 | June 11, 1976 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| Abe Jacobs and Pez Whatley | 1 | July 8, 1976 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson | 1 | July 16, 1976 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| Abe Jacobs and Pez Whatley | 2 | July 22, 1976 | Amarillo, TX | Title vacated by The NWA president Eddie Graham in October 1976 when Hawk is suspended for 30 days. |
| Al Perez and Dennis Stamp (2) | 1 | November 18, 1976 (n) | ||
| Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson | 2 | December 9, 1976 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Dory Funk, Jr. (4) and The Super Destroyer | 1 | February 10, 1977 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Rip Hawk and Swede Hanson | 3 | April 1977 (n) | ||
| Dory Funk, Jr. (5) and The Super Destroyer (2) | 2 | May 27, 1977 (n) | ||
| Ted DiBiase and Ervin Smith | 1 | July 1977 (n) | Held up after a match against Brute Bernard and Frank Morrell on December 1, in Amarillo, Texas. | |
| Brute Bernard and Frank Morrell | 1 | December 15, 1977 | Amarillo, Texas | Win the rematch. |
| Dory Funk, Jr. (6) and Larry Lane | 1 | February 2, 1978 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Roger Kirby and Doug Somers | 1 | September 28, 1978 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Blackjack Mulligan and Dick Murdoch (2) | 1 | October 31, 1978 | Odessa, Texas | |
| Roger Kirby and Doug Somers | 2 | November 2, 1978 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Blackjack Mulligan (2) and Dick Murdoch (3) | 2 | November 3, 1978 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| Mr. Pogo and Mr. Sato | 1 | November 30, 1978 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Ted DiBiase (2) and Merced Solis | 1 | February 8, 1979 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Mr. Pogo and Mr. Sato | 2 | February 15, 1979 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Ricky Romero (11) and Akihisa Takachiho | 1 | April 22, 1979 | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Fictitious title change. |
| Mr. Sato (3) and John Tolos | 1 | May 3, 1979 | Amarillo, Texas | [10] |
| Title vacated in June 1979 when Tolos left the area. | ||||
| Mr. Kiyomoto (2) and Mr. Sato (4) | 1 | June 14, 1979 | Amarillo, Texas | Defeated Dory Funk, Jr. and Larry Lane in a tournament final. Kiyomoto previously held the title as Akihisa Takachiho. |
| Ati Tago and Reno Tuu Fuli | 1 | July 21, 1979 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| The Von Erichs (Kevin and David) |
1 | August 8, 1979 | Lubbock, Texas | |
| Gino Caruso and Gary Young | 1 | December 5, 1979 (n) | Houston, Texas | |
| Tim Brooks and Gypsy Joe | 1 | December 15, 1979 | Amarillo, Texas | Title vacated in January 1980 when Joe refuses to wrestle at the Amarillo Sports Arena, claiming that "the wrestlers do not receive enough protection. |
| Gary Young and Gino Caruso | 2 | January 10, 1980 | Amarillo, Texas | Defeat Tim Brooks and Jim Dillon. |
| Mitsu Ishikawa and Hugo Savinovich | 1 | March 20, 1980 | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Mitsu Ishikawa (2) and Haru Sonoda | 1 | April 1980 (n) | Amarillo, Texas | |
| Ted Heath and Larry Lane (2) | 1 | 1980 (n) | ||
| Title retired in 1981 when the promotion closed. | ||||
Title history (since 2014)
edit| Wrestlers: | Times: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vendetta Pro Wrestling Tag Team Championship | ||||
| The Ballard Brothers (Shane and Shannon) |
1 | July 15, 2014 | Santa Maria, California | Title revived with Vendetta Pro Wrestling to joining the NWA and The Ballard Brothers recognized as the Western States Tag Champions upon Vendetta Pro joining the NWA. [2] |
| SU/KA (Sunami and Kadin Anthony) |
1 | August 2, 2014 | Santa Maria, California | Defeated Ballard Brothers in a Tag Team Steel Cage Match. |
| Championships stripped from SU/KA by Vendetta Pro Commissioner Joseph Duncan due to Kadin Anthony being unable appear. | ||||
| Parental Discretion (Mike Menace, Mario Banks and Mike Rayne) |
1 | September 12, 2014 | Santa Maria, California | Already scheduled to face The Ballard Brothers in a #1 Contendership match, the match was made to be for the vacant Tag titles. Parental Discretion have elected to use the “Freebird Rule”, allowing any two members of the team to defend the titles. |
| The Ballard Brothers (Shane and Shannon) |
2 | May 16, 2015 (Interim) June 12, 2015 (Undisputed) |
Lompoc, California | On May 16, 2015 in Lompoc, California; The Ballard Brothers won a four-way Tag Team match to become the Interim NWA Western States Tag Team Champions, while Parental Discretion would continue to hold the Vendetta Pro Wrestling Tag Team title. On June 12, 2015, The Ballard Brothers would defeat Parental Discretion members Mike Menace and Mike Rayne to become undisputed NWA Western States Tag Team Champions by capturing their Vendetta Pro Tag Team titles, and thus, having the "Interim" tag removed. Although their second NWA Western States Tag Team title, this was the third title for The Ballards in Vendetta Pro. |
| The Classic Connection (Buddy Royal and Levi Shapiro) |
1 | August 8, 2015 | Santa Maria, California | Won the NWA Western States Tag Team title along with the Apex Pro Tag Team title in a Tag Team Triangle Tag match, defeating The Ballards and The Von Dooms. The Classic Connection put up their APW Universal Tag Team title, PCW Tag Team title, and FCW-LA Tag Team title, retaining all three.[2] |
| The Von Dooms (Vintage Dragon and Cyanide Von Doom) |
1 | January 8, 2016 | Santa Maria, California | Defeated The Classic Connection, The Midnight Delight and The Ballard Brothers in a Four Corners Tag Team Match.[2] |
| Alexander G. Bernard and Jimi Mayhem | 1 | July 29, 2016 | Santa Maria, California | Defeated The Ballard Brothers, The Twisted Sisterz and the team of Vintage Dragon and Espiritu (who filled in for an injured Cyanide Von Doom) in a Four Corners Tag Team Match.[2] |
| The Twisted Sisterz (Holidead and Thunder Rosa) |
1 | September 30, 2016 | Santa Maria, California | Defeated Alexander G. Bernard and Jimi Mayhem to become the first pair of women to win the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship. Title renamed the NWA International Tag Team Championship on December 30, 2016[2][8] |
| Vacant | February 13, 2017 | Brownsville, Texas | On January 6, 2017, The Ballard Brothers (Shane and Shannon Ballard) defeated The Twisted Sisterz with a fast count performed by Vendetta Pro Wrestling Commissioner Joseph Duncan. On February 13, NWA announced it would not recognize The Ballard Brothers as champions and held the title up.[11] | |
| The Ballard Brothers (Shane and Shannon) |
3 | February 24, 2017 | Santa Maria, California | Defeated The Twisted Sisterz in a rematch for the held up titles. |
| The Midnight Delight (Billy Blade and Richie Slade) |
3 | May 1, 2017 | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Vacant | October 1, 2017 | Following the takeover of the National Wrestling Alliance by Billy Corgan, all NWA Sanctioned Championships controlled by Vendetta Pro Wrestling are vacant and deactivated. Billy Blade and Richie Slade retain the Vendetta Pro Wrestling International Tag Team Championship. [9] | ||
| Title Deactivated | ||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Pro-Wrestling Title Histories: Amarillo". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "NWA/Vendetta Pro Western States Tag Team Championship title history". Vendetta Pro Wrestling. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- ^ "N.W.A. North American Tag Team Title (Amarillo)". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
Replaced with Western States Tag Team Title.
- ^ "N.W.A. Western States Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
- ^ "NWA Welcomes Vendetta Pro Wrestling". National Wrestling Alliance. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- ^ "Status of NWA Western States Tag Team Championship". Vendetta Pro Wrestling. October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
- ^ "Sisterz retain titles in Japan". Vendetta Pro Wrestling. December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
- ^ a b Beard, James (December 30, 2016). "NWA Special Report". Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
- ^ a b "Vendetta Pro parts from NWA - Vendetta Pro Wrestling". Vendetta Pro Wrestling. October 1, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
- ^ F4W Staff (May 3, 2015). "On this day in pro wrestling history: Low Ki Vs. Dewitt, Punk wins OVW title, Mutoh wins IWGP belt, Bret wins NA title, Dibiase and Dr. Death, Sheik, Watts, Fargos". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "NWA International Tag titles HELD UP". Vendetta Pro Wrestling. Retrieved February 14, 2017.