The NWA International Tag Team Championship originally was a National Wrestling Alliance-sanctioned championship contested for in All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). Prior to being used in AJPW, the title was defended in the Japan Wrestling Association (JWA). The title lasted from 1962 through 1988. It is now part of the World Tag Team Championship, also known as the "Double Cup".
Title history[]
| #: | Name(s): | Reigns: | Date: | Location: | Notes: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giant Baba and Michiaki Yoshimura | 1 | November 5, 1966 | Tokyo, Japan | Establish the title in Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance. |
| 2 | Tarzan Tyler and Bill Watts | 1 | October 6, 1967 | Fukushima, Japan | |
| 3 | Giant Baba (2) and Antonio Inoki | 1 | October 31, 1967 | Osaka, Japan | |
| Title held up on January 8, 1968 when Inoki no-shows a scheduled defense against Crusher Lisowski and Bill Miller in Hiroshima, Japan due to heavy snow. | |||||
| 4 | Giant Baba (3) and Antonio Inoki (2) | 2 | February 3, 1968 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Crusher Lisowski and Bill Miller in rematch to win the held up title. |
| 5 | Danny Hodge and Wilbur Snyder | 1 | January 9, 1969 | Hiroshima, Japan | |
| 6 | Giant Baba (4) and Antonio Inoki (3) | 3 | February 4, 1969 | Sapporo, Japan | |
| 7 | Dick the Bruiser and Crusher Lisowski | 1 | August 11, 1969 | Sapporo, Japan | |
| 8 | Giant Baba (5) and Antonio Inoki (4) | 4 | August 13, 1969 | Osaka, Japan | |
| 9 | Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk | 1 | December 7, 1971 | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| 10 | Giant Baba (6) and Seiji Sakaguchi | 1 | May 19, 1972 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Title vacated on September 7, 1972 when Baba left the JWA to found All Japan Pro Wrestling. | |||||
| 11 | Kintaro Ohki and Seiji Sakaguchi (2) | 1 | December 2, 1972 | Tokyo, Japan | Defeated Bobo Brazil and Gene Kiniski to win the vacant title. |
| 12 | Killer Karl Krupp and Johnny Valentine | 1 | February 22, 1973 | Osaka, Japan | |
| 13 | Kintaro Ohki (2) and Umanosuke Ueda | 1 | March 6, 1973 | Nagoya, Japan | |
| 14 | Killer Karl Krupp (2) and Fritz Von Erich | 1 | April 18, 1973 | Yaizu, Japan | |
| 15 | Killer Karl Krupp (3) and Karl Von Steiger | 1 | April 1973 | n/a | Krupp chose Von Steiger as his new partner after Von Erich forfeited his half of the title. |
| The JWA closed in April 1973 but Krupp and von Steiger kept the belts, returning with them to Amarillo, Texas, to Dory Funk's promotion. | |||||
| 16 | Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk | 2 | May 26, 1973 | Amarillo, Texas, United States | |
| 17 | Killer Karl Kox and Ciclon Negro | 1 | August 26, 1973 | Lubbock, Texas, United States | |
| 18 | Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk | 3 | October 1973 | Texas, United States | |
| 19 | Giant Baba (7) and Jumbo Tsuruta | 1 | February 5, 1975 | San Antonio, Texas, United States | They returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling with the belts. |
| 20 | Kintaro Ohki (3) and Kim Duk | 1 | October 28, 1976 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| 21 | Giant Baba (8) and Jumbo Tsuruta (2) | 2 | December 9, 1976 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| 22 | Kintaro Ohki (4) and Kim Duk (2) | 2 | November 7, 1977 | Seoul, South Korea | |
| 23 | Giant Baba (9) and Jumbo Tsuruta (3) | 3 | May 11, 1978 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| 24 | Abdullah the Butcher and Ray Candy | 1 | October 12, 1979 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| 25 | Giant Baba (10) and Jumbo Tsuruta (4) | 4 | October 19, 1979 | Tokyo, Japan | Baba and Tsuruta also won the Detroit version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship on June 28, 1980, defeating John Bonello and Randy Scott in Detroit, Michigan. |
| 26 | Ron Bass and Stan Hansen | 1 | April 12, 1983 | Matsuyama, Japan | |
| 27 | Giant Baba (11) and Jumbo Tsuruta (5) | 5 | April 17, 1983 | Nagasaki, Japan | |
| 28 | Tiger Jeet Singh and Umanosuke Ueda (2) | 1 | July 26, 1983 | Fukuoka, Japan | |
| 29 | Giant Baba (12) and Jumbo Tsuruta (6) | 6 | August 1, 1983 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Title vacated in May 1984 when Baba was injured. | |||||
| 30 | Genichiro Tenryu and Jumbo Tsuruta (7) | 1 | September 3, 1984 | Hiroshima, Japan | Defeated Jerry Blackwell and Bruiser Brody to win the vacant title. |
| 31 | Riki Choshu and Yoshiaki Yatsu | 1 | February 5, 1986 | Sapporo, Japan | |
| 32 | Genichiro Tenryu (2) and Jumbo Tsuruta (8) | 2 | February 5, 1987 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| 33 | The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) | 1 | March 12, 1987 | Sapporo, Japan | |
| 34 | Jumbo Tsuruta (9) and Yoshiaki Yatsu (2) | 1 | June 10, 1988 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| On June 10, 1988, Tsuruta and Yatsu's PWF Tag Team Championship (which they won on June 4, 1988 by defeating Ashura Hara and Genichiro Tenryu in Sapporo, Japan) was unified with the NWA International Tag Team Championship, creating the World Tag Team Championship, also known as the "Double Cup". | |||||
| A number inside parentheses in the "Name(s)" column indicates the wrestler had multiple tag team parters and the number is how many reigns they individually had as one-half of the NWA International Tag Team Champions. | |||||
Gallery[]
Michiaki Yoshimura and Giant Baba
Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba
Wilbur Snyder and Danny Hodge
Dick the Bruiser and Crusher Lisowski
Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr.
Killer Karl Kox and Ciclon Negro
Giant Baba and Seiji Sakaguchi
Seiji Sakaguchi and Kintaro Ohki
Kim Duk and Kintaro Ohki
Stan Hansen and Ron Bass
Umanosuke Ueda and Tiger Jeet Singh
Genichiro Tenryu and Jumbo Tsuruta
Road Warrior Hawk and Road Warrior Animal
Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu