The World Tag League, also known as NWA World Tag League was a professional wrestling tournament annually held by Japanese Wrestling Association from 1970 until 1972. The 1973 edition was not held as JWA folded that year. Wrestlers from all over the world participated in the various editions of the tournament, as it was meant to be a world tournament. It was created in 1970 as the tag team counterpart of World Big League.
Its prestige led Antonio Inoki and Giant Baba to create in their respective promotions, New Japan Pro Wrestling and All Japan Pro Wrestling, tournaments which were presented as the direct followers to the JWA World Tag League. Therefore, respectively, the G1 Tag League for the NJPW and the World's Strongest Tag Determination League for the AJPW are the indirect descendant of the original World Tag League. In fact, in 2012, NJPW renamed the G1 Tag League to World Tag League.
List of winners[]
Year | Winners | Total won |
---|---|---|
1970 | Antonio Inoki and Kantaro Hoshino | 1 |
1971 | Antonio Inoki (2) and Seiji Sakaguchi | 1 |
1972 | Akihisa Takachiho and Seiji Sakaguchi (2) | 1 |
1970[]
The 1970 World Tag League ran from September 25 to November 5, 1970. The participants teams were splitted in one block of gaijins and the japanese the other. The round robin part of the tournament consisted of the Japanese wrestling the foreigners.
Gaijin | Japanese | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nick Bockwinkel and John Quinn | 12 | Antonio Inoki and Kantaro Hoshino | 13 |
Ernie Ladd and Rocky Johnson | 10 | Giant Baba and Mitsu Hirai | 12 |
Lars Anderson and Bob Roop | 7 | Michiaki Yoshimura and Shniya Kojika | 10 |
Frankie Laine and Bud Ratelle | 6 | Kintaro Ohki and Kotetsu Yamamoto | 10 |
Results | Anderson Roop |
Bockwinkel Quinn |
Ladd Johnson |
Laine Ratelle |
---|---|---|---|---|
Baba Hirai |
Baba Hirai |
Bockwinkel Quinn |
Baba Hirai |
Baba Hirai |
Inoki Hoshino |
Inoki Hoshino |
Draw | Ladd Johnson |
Inoki Hoshino |
Ohki Yamamoto |
Ohki Yamamoto |
Bockwinkel Quinn |
Ohki Yamamoto |
Ohki Yamamoto |
Yoshimura Kojika |
Yoshimura Kojika |
Bockwinkel Quinn |
Ladd Johnson |
Yoshimura Kojika |
Antonio Inoki and Kantaro Hoshino | 2-1 |
---|---|
Nick Bockwinkel and John Quinn | 1-2 |
Inoki Hoshino |
Bockwinkel Quinn (33:30) |
Inoki Hoshino (48:50) |
Inoki Hoshino (72:09) |
---|---|---|---|
Bockwinkel Quinn |
Bockwinkel Quinn (33:30) |
Inoki Hoshino (48:50) |
Inoki Hoshino (72:09) |
1971[]
The 1971 World Tag League ran from September 24 to November 1, 1971 The participants teams were splitted in one block of gaijins and the japanese the other. The round robin part of the tournament consisted of the Japanese wrestling the foreigners twice in three fall matches where each fall was worth one point. Laine commited a sexual assult after his last match with Bob Ellis against Kintaro Ohki and Mitsu Hirai, and Laine was departed from Japan.
Gaijin | Japanese | ||
---|---|---|---|
Killer Kowalski and Buddy Austin | 18 | Antonio Inoki and Seiji Sakaguchi | 15 |
Nelson Royal and Paul Jones | 11 | Giant Baba and Michiaki Yoshimura | 14 |
Bob Ellis and Frankie Laine | 8 | Kintaro Ohki and Mitsu Hirai | 12 |
Sunny War Cloud and Jimmy Snuka | 5 | Kantaro Hoshino and Kotetsu Yamamoto | 10 |
Jim and Jack Dalton | 5 | Shniya Kojika and Umanosuke Ueda | 8 |
Results | Cloud Snuka |
Ellis Laine |
Jim Jack |
Kowalski Austin |
Royal Jones |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Baba Yoshimura |
Baba Yoshimura |
Baba Yoshimura |
Baba Yoshimura |
Kowalski Austin |
Baba Yoshimura |
Inoki Sakaguchi |
Inoki Sakaguchi |
Inoki Sakaguchi |
Inoki Sakaguchi |
Double Countout |
Inoki Sakaguchi |
Ohki Hirai |
Ohki Hirai |
Ellis Laine |
Ohki Hirai |
Kowalski Austin |
Royal Jones |
Hoshino Yamamoto |
Hoshino Yamamoto |
Ellis Laine |
Hoshino Yamamoto |
Kowalski Austin |
Royal Jones |
Kojika Ueda |
Cloud Snuka |
Ellis Laine |
Kojika Ueda |
Kowalski Austin |
Royal Jones |
Antonio Inoki and Seiji Sakaguchi | 2-0 |
---|---|
Killer Kowalski and Buddy Austin | 0-0 |
Inoki Sakaguchi |
Inoki Sakaguchi (5:40) |
Inoki Sakaguchi (15:37) |
---|---|---|
Kowalski Austin |
Inoki Sakaguchi (5:40) |
Inoki Sakaguchi (15:37) |
1972[]
The 1972 World Tag League ran from September 25 to October 31, 1972. The participants teams were splitted in one block of gaijins and the japanese the other. The round robin part of the tournament consisted of the Japanese wrestling the foreigners twice in three fall matches where each fall was worth one point.
Japanese | Gaijin | ||
---|---|---|---|
Seiji Sakaguchi and Akihisa Takachiho | 10 | Larry and Joe Hamilton | 11 |
Kintaro Ohki and The Great Kojika | 8 | Danny Hodge and Nelson Royal | 10 |
Umanosuke Ueda and Mr. Matsuoka | 8 | Waldo Von Erich and Fritz Von Goering | 8 |
Michiaki Yoshimura and Kantaro Hoshino | 6 | Joseph Hippie and Jerome Hippe | 5 |
Mitsu Hirai and Haruka Eigen | 4 |
Results | Erich Goering |
Hodge Royal |
Joseph Jerome |
Larry Joe |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hirai Eigen |
Erich Goering |
Hodge Royal |
Hirai Eigen |
Larry Joe |
Ohki Kojika |
Ohki Kojika |
Ohki Kojika |
Ohki Kojika |
Larry Joe |
Ueda Matsuoka |
Ueda Matsuka |
Hodge Royal |
Ueda Matsuka |
Larry Joe |
Sakaguchi Takachiho |
Sakaguchi Takachiho |
Sakaguchi Takachiho |
Sakaguchi Takachiho |
Draw |
Yoshimura Hoshino |
Erich Goering |
Hodge Royal |
Yoshimura Hoshino |
Larry Joe |
Final | ||||
G1 | Larry and Joe Hamilton | |||
J1 | Seiji Sakaguchi and Akihisa Takachiho |