The American Wrestling Association (AWA) World Tag Team Championship was professional wrestling

Professional wrestling

Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...

 world tag team

World Tag Team Championship

The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in World Wrestling Entertainment . It served as the premier title for tag teams in WWE from 1971 until 2002 when a second WWE Tag Team Championship was established...

 championship

Championship (professional wrestling)

A Championship or "title" in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations.Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries...

 in the American Wrestling Association

American Wrestling Association

The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...

 from 1960 until the promotion folded in 1991.

History

When the NWA Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club

American Wrestling Association

The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...

 operated by Verne Gagne

Verne Gagne

Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne , is a retired American professional wrestler, football player, and professional wrestling trainer and promoter. He was the former owner/promoter of the American Wrestling Association , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was the predominant promotion throughout...

 withdrew from the National Wrestling Alliance

National Wrestling Alliance

The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...

 in May 1960, Daniel Grant and David Marsh were the recognized champions of the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version)

NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version)

The NWA Minneapolis Wrestling and Boxing Club version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship existed from 1957 until August 1960, when the American Wrestling Association came into existence.-Title history:-See also:*National Wrestling Alliance...

. 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, Marsh and Grant were recognized as the first AWA World Tag Team Champions when AWA stopped recognizing NWA champions.

As the promotion grew, the AWA Tag Team Championships became one of the most coveted tag team titles in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 from the beginning until the late 1980s, when the AWA's talent roster was depleted by the World Wrestling Federation

World Wrestling Entertainment

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...

 and Jim Crockett Promotions

Jim Crockett Promotions

Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...

. This led to the retirement of the titles when the AWA closed..

Title history

#	Wrestlers	Reigns	Date	Days held	Location	Event	Notes
	Murder, Inc.		August 1960	†	N/A	N/A
	Hard Boiled Haggerty Don Stansauk Don Stansauk was a professional wrestler and actor, known by his ring name, Hard Boiled Haggerty. He was previously a professional American football player, and became a successful character actor after his wrestling career.-Career:After attending Pasadena City College and the University of...  and Len Montana Lenny Montana Lenny Montana was an American actor, who played the role of feared hitman Luca Brasi in The Godfather. Prior to becoming an actor, he had a successful career as a professional wrestler,...  / Gene Kiniski Gene Kiniski Eugene Nicholas "Gene" Kiniski was a Canadian professional wrestler and the father of wrestlers Nick Kiniski and Kelly Kiniski. "Canada's Greatest Athlete" as he billed himself for promotional purposes was born outside of Edmonton, Alberta...				Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...	Live event House show A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
	Leo Nomellini Leo Nomellini Leo Joseph Nomellini was a Hall of Fame American football player with the San Francisco 49ers. He was born at Lucca in Italy. He was a two-time All-American at the University of Minnesota and the 49ers' first-ever NFL draft choice in 1950.Nomellini played every 49ers game for 14 seasons, 174...  and Wilbur Snyder Wilbur Snyder Wilbur Snyder was an American football player and professional wrestler.-Wrestling career:Snyder's wrestling debut occurred during the 1953 offseason. He was trained by Sandor Szabo and Warren Bockwinkel in Southern California. In 1954, Snyder retired from football completely to pursue a full-time...				Minneapolis, Minnesota	Live event
	Hard Boiled Haggerty and Gene Kiniski				St. Paul, Minnesota	Live event
	Vacated			0	N/A	Live event
	Hard Boiled Haggerty and Bob Geigel Bob Geigel Robert "Bob" Geigel is a former American professional wrestling promoter and also a former professional wrestler. Geigel ran the NWA Central States promotion between 1963 and 1986, until it was bought out by Jim Crockett Promotions...				St. Paul, Minnesota	Live event
	Pat Kennedy and Dale Lewis				Rochester, Minnesota Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...	Live event
	Bob Geigel and Otto Von Krupp Boris Malenko Lawrence J. Simon better known by his ring name Boris Malenko, was an American professional wrestler who wrestled for the American Wrestling Association and National Wrestling Alliance in the 1960s and 1970s...			††	Rochester, Minnesota	Live event
	Vacated		January 1962	0	N/A	N/A
	Larry Hennig Larry Hennig Larry "The Axe" Hennig is an American retired professional wrestler. He is the father of the late "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, the grandfather of Joe Hennig, and is best known for his work in the American Wrestling Association, National Wrestling Alliance and World Wide Wrestling Federation...  and Duke Hoffman				St. Paul, Minnesota	Live event
	Bob Geigel and Stan Kowalski			††	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Live event
	Art and Stan Neilson Stan Holek Stan Holek was an Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Stan Lisowski and Stan Neilson. He became known for being part of two famous "brother" tag teams, the Lisowskis and the Neilsons .-Professional wrestling career:Holek originally got into wrestling after his older...		April 1962	†	Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...	N/A
	Mr. High and Mr. Low				St. Paul, Minnesota	Live event
	Ivan and Karol Kalmikoff The Kalmikoffs The Kalmikoffs were a professional wrestling group of fictitious soviet brothers. It began as a tag team consisting of Ivan and Karol who were later joined by "brothers" Nikita and Stan ...				Minneapolis, Minnesota	Live event
	The Crusher Reginald Lisowski Reginald Lisowski was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The Crusher ....  and Dick the Bruiser William Afflis William Fritz Afflis , best known as Dick the Bruiser, was an American football player and professional wrestler.-Early life:...				Minneapolis, Minnesota	Live event
	Moose Evans and Verne Gagne Verne Gagne Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne , is a retired American professional wrestler, football player, and professional wrestling trainer and promoter. He was the former owner/promoter of the American Wrestling Association , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which was the predominant promotion throughout...				Minneapolis, Minnesota	Live event
	The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser				St. Paul, Minnesota	Live event
	Larry Hennig and Harley Race Harley Race Harley Leland Race is a retired American professional wrestler and current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 7 times...				Minneapolis, Minnesota	Live event
	The Crusher and Verne Gagne				Minneapolis, Minnesota	Live event
	Larry Hennig and Harley Race				Minneapolis, Minnesota	Live event
	The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser				Minneapolis, Minnesota	Live event
	Larry Hennig / Chris Markoff and Harley Race Harley Race Harley Leland Race is a retired American professional wrestler and current promoter and trainer. During his career as a wrestler, he held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship 7 times...				Chicago, Illinois Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...	Live event
	Pat O'Connor Pat O'Connor (wrestler) Patrick John "Pat" O'Connor , was a professional wrestler from New Zealand. O'Connor was regarded as one of the premier workers of his era...  and Wilbur Snyder				Chicago, Illinois	Live event
	Mitsu Arakawa and Dr. Moto Tor Kamata McRonald Kamaka was an American/Canadian professional wrestler known by the ring name Tor Kamata. He won several Heavyweight and Tag Team championships, including one World Tag Team title. He was a classic "bad guy" wrestler...				Chicago, Illinois	Live event
	The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser				Chicago, Illinois	Live event
	Butcher Paul Vachon Paul "Butcher" Vachon is a former professional wrestler. He is a member of the Vachon wrestling family.-Professional wrestling career:Paul Vachon grew up as one of thirteen children of Ferdinand Vachon, a Montreal police officer...  and Mad Dog Vachon Maurice Vachon Maurice Vachon is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, best known by his ring name "Mad Dog" Vachon. He is the brother of wrestlers Paul and Vivian Vachon, and the uncle of wrestler Luna Vachon...				Chicago, Illinois	Live event
	Red Bastien Red Bastien Rolland Bastein is a former professional wrestler, better known as Red Bastien.-Professional wrestling career:He took part in football and swimming in high school and broke in on Midwest carnivals, fighting local toughs and learning wrestling the hard way. Turning professional, he began in...  and Hercules Cortez / The Crusher				Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...	Live event
	Nick Bockwinkel Nick Bockwinkel Nicholas Warren Francis "Nick" Bockwinkel is a retired American professional wrestler. He mainly competed in the American Wrestling Association in the United States...  and Ray Stevens Ray Stevens (wrestler) Carl Ray Stevens , better known as Ray "The Crippler" Stevens or Ray "Blond Bomber" Stevens, was an American professional wrestler. Stevens was a wrestling superstar since the early years of the television era until he retired during the early 1990s...				Denver, Colorado Denver, Colorado The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...	Live event
	Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson Billy Robinson Billy Robinson is a British professional wrestler and catch wrestling instructor. Robinson was well known in Japan where he has trained mixed martial arts fighters in catch wrestling...				Minneapolis, Minnesota	Live event
	Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens				St. Paul, Minnesota	Live event
	The Crusher and Billy Robinson				Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...	Live event
	Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens				Winnipeg, Manitoba	Live event
	The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser				Chicago, Illinois	Live event
	Bobby Duncum and Blackjack Lanza Jack Lanza John "Jack" Lanza is a retired professional wrestler. He was one half of The Blackjacks with Blackjack Mulligan in the American Wrestling Association and World Wide Wrestling Federation . He is currently a producer in WWE. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.-Career:Lanza started...				Chicago, Illinois	Live event
	The High Flyers				Winnipeg, Manitoba	Live event
	Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens				N/A	N/A
	Verne Gagne and Mad Dog Vachon				Winnipeg, Manitoba	Live event
	The East-West Connection				Denver, Colorado	Live event
	The High Flyers				Green Bay, Wisconsin	Live event
	The Sheiks				Minneapolis, Minnesota	Live event
	|The Crusher and Baron Von Raschke James Raschke James Donald Raschke is a retired professional wrestler best known as Baron von Raschke.-Career:...				Green Bay, Wisconsin	Live event
	The Road Warriors Road Warriors The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion...				Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas metropolitan area The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...	Live event
	Jimmy Garvin Jimmy Garvin James Williams is a retired American professional wrestler. He is best known by his ring name "Gorgeous" Jimmy "Jam" Garvin and as a member of the legendary Fabulous Freebirds....  and Steve Regal Steve Regal Steve Regal is a former professional wrestler, better known as "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal, who competed in North American regional promotions including the National Wrestling Alliance and the American Wrestling Association during the early 1970s and 1980s.-Professional wrestling career:Born in Ft...				St. Paul, Minnesota	Live event
	Scott Hall Scott Hall Scott Hall is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name...  and Curt Hennig Curt Hennig Curtis Michael "Curt" Hennig , also known by the ring name Mr. Perfect, was an American professional wrestler, manager and color commentator who worked for, among other promotions, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , the American Wrestling Association , World Championship Wrestling and the World...				Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...	Live event
	Buddy Rose Buddy Rose Paul Perschmann was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Playboy" Buddy Rose.-Career:Paul Perschmann was trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson in the early 1970s...  and Doug Somers Doug Somers Doug Somers is an American retired professional wrestler known by his ring name "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers...				Hammond, Indiana Hammond, Indiana Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....	AWA All-Star Wrestling AWA All-Star Wrestling AWA All-Star Wrestling is a syndicated television series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association .-In relation to upcoming house shows:...
	The Midnight Rockers The Rockers The Rockers were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty that teamed from 1985 to 1992. The team worked for Central States Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association, Continental Wrestling Federation, Continental Wrestling Association and the World...				St. Paul, Minnesota	Live event
	Soldat Ustinov and Boris Zhukov Jim Barrell James Kirk Harrell is an American professional wrestler best known as Boris Zhukov in his time with the World Wrestling Federation.-Professional wrestling career:...  / Doug Somers				Lake Tahoe, Nevada Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...	Live event
	Bill Dundee Bill Dundee William "Bill" Cruickshanks is a Scottish born-Australian professional wrestler better known by his stage name Bill Dundee. Cruickshanks is the father of Jamie Dundee and the father-in-law of wrestler Bobby Eaton....  and Jerry Lawler Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...				Memphis, Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....	Live event (Continental Wrestling Association Continental Wrestling Association The Continental Wrestling Association was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually referred to as Mid-Southern Wrestling... )
	Dr. D. and Hector Guerrero Hector Guerrero Héctor Manuel Guerrero Llanes is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, better known simply by his paternal name, Héctor Guerrero...				Memphis, Tennessee	Live event (Continental Wrestling Association Continental Wrestling Association The Continental Wrestling Association was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually referred to as Mid-Southern Wrestling... )
	Bill Dundee and Jerry Lawler				Memphis, Tennessee	Live event (Continental Wrestling Association Continental Wrestling Association The Continental Wrestling Association was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually referred to as Mid-Southern Wrestling... )
	The Original Midnight Express				Whitewater, Wisconsin Whitewater, Wisconsin Whitewater is a city in Jefferson and Walworth Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located near the southern portion of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Whitewater is the home of the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.-Geography:...	AWA Championship Wrestling AWA Championship Wrestling AWA Championship Wrestling aired on cable sports network ESPN from 1985 to 1990. It was a continuation of the earlier ESPN program Pro Wrestling USA, the co-operative venture between the American Wrestling Association and several National Wrestling Alliance affiliates...
	The Midnight Rockers				Las Vegas, Nevada	AWA Championship Wrestling AWA Championship Wrestling AWA Championship Wrestling aired on cable sports network ESPN from 1985 to 1990. It was a continuation of the earlier ESPN program Pro Wrestling USA, the co-operative venture between the American Wrestling Association and several National Wrestling Alliance affiliates...
	Badd Company Badd Company Badd Company was a professional wrestling tag team in the American Wrestling Association in the late 1980s, which later went by the name the Orient Express. It is rumored that the team name was derived from the rock band Bad Company...				Las Vegas, Nevada	AWA Championship Wrestling AWA Championship Wrestling AWA Championship Wrestling aired on cable sports network ESPN from 1985 to 1990. It was a continuation of the earlier ESPN program Pro Wrestling USA, the co-operative venture between the American Wrestling Association and several National Wrestling Alliance affiliates...
	The Olympians				Rochester, Minnesota	AWA Championship Wrestling AWA Championship Wrestling AWA Championship Wrestling aired on cable sports network ESPN from 1985 to 1990. It was a continuation of the earlier ESPN program Pro Wrestling USA, the co-operative venture between the American Wrestling Association and several National Wrestling Alliance affiliates...
	Vacated			0	N/A	N/A
	The Destruction Crew Beverly Brothers The Beverly Brothers were a professional wrestling tag team comprising Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom in the World Wrestling Federation. They were also known as The Destruction Crew in the American Wrestling Association and the Minnesota Wrecking Crew 2 in the National Wrestling Alliance...				Rochester, Minnesota	AWA Championship Wrestling AWA Championship Wrestling AWA Championship Wrestling aired on cable sports network ESPN from 1985 to 1990. It was a continuation of the earlier ESPN program Pro Wrestling USA, the co-operative venture between the American Wrestling Association and several National Wrestling Alliance affiliates...
	D.J. Peterson David Peterson (wrestler) David W. Peterson was an American professional wrestler, known by his ringname D.J. Peterson, who competed in North American regional promotions during the 1980s in the Universal Wrestling Federation, the National Wrestling Alliance and the American Wrestling Association during its final days,...  and The Trooper Del Wilkes Del Wilkes is a former American professional wrestler. Over the span of 14 years, he performed in various promotions such as American Wrestling Association, All Japan Pro Wrestling...			††	Rochester, Minnesota	AWA Championship Wrestling AWA Championship Wrestling AWA Championship Wrestling aired on cable sports network ESPN from 1985 to 1990. It was a continuation of the earlier ESPN program Pro Wrestling USA, the co-operative venture between the American Wrestling Association and several National Wrestling Alliance affiliates...
	Title retired.		January 1991	0	N/A	N/A

By team

Rank	Team	# Of Reigns	Combined Days
1.	The Crusher and Dick the Bruiser	5	1,325
2.	Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens	3	1,202
3.	The High Flyers (Jim Brunzell and Greg Gagne)	2	1,185
4.	Harley Race and Larry Hennig / Chris Markoff*	3	777
5.	Butcher and Mad Dog Vachon	1	623
6.	Verne Gagne and Mad Dog Vachon	1	410
7.	Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk)	1	400
8.	Mitsu Arakawa and Dr. Moto	1	392
9.	Badd Company (Paul Diamond and Pat Tanaka)	1	371
10.	Bobby Duncum and Blackjack Lanza	1	349
11.	The East-West Connection (Adrian Adonis and Jesse Ventura)	1	329
12.	The Sheiks (Jerry Blackwell and Ken Patera)	1	315
13.	The Destruction Crew (Wayne Bloom and Mike Enos)	1	314
14.	Art and Stan Nielson	1	259
15.	Pat Patterson and Ray Stevens	1	256
16.	Buddy Rose and Doug Somers	1	255
17.	Red Bastien and Hercules Cortez/The Crusher*	1	250

*Chris Markoff replaced Larry Hennig in their third reign.
*The Crusher replaced Hercules Cortez after Cortez died.

By wrestler

Rank	Wrestler	# Of Reigns	Combined Days
1.	The Crusher	9	1,717†
2.	Ray Stevens	4	1,458
3.	Dick the Bruiser	5	1,325
4.	Nick Bockwinkel	3	1,202
5.	Jim Brunzell	2	1,185
5.	Greg Gagne	2	1,185
7.	Mad Dog Vachon	2	1,033
8.	Larry Hennig	4	797
9.	Harley Race	3	777
10.	Butcher Vachon	1	623

External links

• AWA World Tag Team Title History