The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship is a 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...

 tag team

Tag team

Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...

 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...

 owned by the New Japan Pro Wrestling

New Japan Pro Wrestling

is a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...

 (NJPW) promotion

Professional wrestling promotion

A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...

. "IWGP" is the acronym of NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix. The title was introduced on August 8, 1998 at a NJPW 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...

. The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship is not the only tag team title contested for in NJPW; the IWGP Tag Team Championship is also sanctioned by NJPW. According to NJPW's official website, the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship is listed as an "IWGP Jr. Tag Class", while the IWGP Tag Team Championship is considered an "IWGP Heavy Weight Class". The title is contested for by junior heavyweight wrestlers; the weight-limit for the title is 220 lb (99.8 kg) per partner. Being a professional wrestling championship, the title is won as a result of a predetermined outcome.

Title changes happen mostly at NJPW-promoted events. The inaugural champions were Shinjiro Otani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa

Tatsuhito Takaiwa

Tatsuhito Takaiwa is a Zainichi-Korean professional wrestler. Takaiwa is one of the more well-traveled junior heavyweights in Japan, having wrestled for New Japan, and Zero-One, as well as making special appearances in All Japan and NOAH....

, who defeated Dr. Wagner, Jr.

Dr. Wagner, Jr.

Juan Manuel González Barrón is a Mexican Luchador Enmascarado who is best known under the ring name Dr. Wagner, Jr.. As Dr. Wagner, Jr...

 and Koji Kanemoto

Koji Kanemoto

is a professional wrestler. He is of Zainichi Korean descent.-Career:Kanemoto practiced Judo during his high school days and won a few championships as a professional before being recruited by the New Japan Dojo. He debuted in November 1990, wrestling against Michiyoshi Ohara. In March 1992, he...

 on August 8, 1998 in the finals of a tournament. Jushin Liger

Jushin Liger

, better known as and later, is a Japanese professional wrestler who primarily works for New Japan Pro Wrestling.He has wrestled and beaten many of the top smaller wrestlers in both Japan and the United States, and is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most revolutionary junior...

, Minoru and Prince Devitt

Fergal Devitt

Fergal Devitt is an Irish professional wrestler currently contracted by New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is currently in his second reign as the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion...

 are currently tied for the record of most reigns by an individual wrestler, with five. At four reigns, the team of Gedo

Keiji Takayama

Keiji Takayama better known as Gedo , is a long time professional wrestler. He formed a long-lasting tag team with Jado...

 and

The World Class Tag Team

The World Class Tag Team is a professional wrestling tag team that currently work in New Japan Pro Wrestling. One of the most accomplished tag teams in puroresu, the team has won numerous tag team titles and six-man tag tean titles in over seven promotions....

 Jado

Shoji Akiyoshi

, better known by his ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his work in New Japan Pro Wrestling with his tag team partner Gedo...

 hold the record for the most by a team. Gedo and Jado's combined four reign lengths add up to 960 days—the most of any team. Separately, Gedo and Jado are tied for most days as champion. NJPW keep track of all championship title defenses per reign, which is unlike most mainstream wrestling organizations. They also hold the most total defenses as champions, with 15. Gedo and Jado separately are tied for the record of total defenses by a single wrestler. Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi

Ryusuke Taguchi

is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and a four-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion....

) hold the record for most defenses during a single reign, with 7. Liger and The Great Sasuke's only reign and Minoru and Prince Devitt's first reign share the record for the fewest successful defenses, with zero. At 348 days, Otani and Takaiwa's second reign is the longest in the title's history. Minoru and Prince Devitt's first reign is the shortest, at 21 days. Overall, there have been 29 reigns shared among 30 wrestlers, who made up 22 different teams.

The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley

Alex Shelley

Patrick Martin , is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Alex Shelley. He wrestles for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he currently teams with Chris Sabin as The Motor City Machine Guns. He previously gained fame on the independent circuit, working most notably for...

 and Chris Sabin

Chris Sabin

Joshua Harter is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Sabin. He is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he currently teams with Alex Shelley as The Motor City Machine Guns.After being trained by Scott D'Amore, Sabin debuted in 2000 for...

), a Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...

 (TNA) tag team, defeated then-reigning champions No Limit (Tetsuya Naitō

Tetsuya Naitō

is a Japanese professional wrestler trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former IWGP Tag Team and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion with former partner Yujiro Takahashi, with whom he teamed as No Limit....

 and Yujiro

Yujiro Takahashi

, also known by his shortened ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former IWGP Tag Team and IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion with former partner Tetsuya Naitō, with whom he teamed as No...

) on January 4, 2009 at Wrestle Kingdom III. Their reign lasted until July 5, 2009, when they were defeated by Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi) at a live event. During that time, they had three successful defenses; two were held by TNA due to a pre-existing relationship and an agreement with NJPW. Their first defense in TNA, a rematch against No Limit, occurred on March 31, 2009 at the tapings of their weekly television program TNA Impact!

TNA iMPACT!

Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...

. On April 19, 2009, they made their second, and last, defense in TNA at the Lockdown

Lockdown (2009)

Lockdown was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on April 19, 2009 at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the fifth event under the Lockdown chronology...

 pay-per-view

Pay-per-view

Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...

 event in a Three Way Tornado Tag Team Six Sides of Steel cage match against No Limit and The Latin American Xchange (Hernandez

Shawn Hernandez

Shawn Hernandez is an American professional wrestler of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring names, "Hotstuff Hernandez" and "Hernandez"....

 and Homicide). The current champions are the No Remorse Corps (Davey Richards

Davey Richards

Wesley David Richards is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Davey Richards.Richards is currently under contract with Ring of Honor, where he is the current ROH World Champion, but also wrestles for several companies on the independent circuit, including Pro Wrestling...

 and Rocky Romero

Rocky Romero

John R. Rivera is a Cuban American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Rocky Romero and as the fourth incarnation of Black Tiger. As Romero he was one half of the tag team The Havana Pitbulls , along with Ricky Reyes...

), who are in their first reign both individually and collectively.

Title history

#	Order in reign history
Reign	The reign number for the specific set of wrestlers listed
Event	The event in which the title was won
Successful defenses	The number of successful defenses the champions had during their reign
Wrestler name (#)	The number represents the individual reigns of a wrestler when this is distinct from the tag team's reign.
—	Used for vacated reigns so as not to count it as an official reign
N/A	The information is not available or is unknown
+	Indicates the current reign is changing daily

#	Wrestlers (Tag team name)	Reign	Date	Days held	Location	Event	Successful defenses	Notes
	and							Otani and Takaiwa defeated Dr. Wagner, Jr. Dr. Wagner, Jr. Juan Manuel González Barrón is a Mexican Luchador Enmascarado who is best known under the ring name Dr. Wagner, Jr.. As Dr. Wagner, Jr...  and Koji Kanemoto Koji Kanemoto is a professional wrestler. He is of Zainichi Korean descent.-Career:Kanemoto practiced Judo during his high school days and won a few championships as a professional before being recruited by the New Japan Dojo. He debuted in November 1990, wrestling against Michiyoshi Ohara. In March 1992, he...  in a tournament final to become the first champions.
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and The World Class Tag Team The World Class Tag Team is a professional wrestling tag team that currently work in New Japan Pro Wrestling. One of the most accomplished tag teams in puroresu, the team has won numerous tag team titles and six-man tag tean titles in over seven promotions....
	and
	and
	and
								The championship was vacated due to Kanemoto fracturing Bone fracture A bone fracture is a medical condition in which there is a break in the continuity of the bone...  his left cheekbone.
	and The World Class Tag Team The World Class Tag Team is a professional wrestling tag team that currently work in New Japan Pro Wrestling. One of the most accomplished tag teams in puroresu, the team has won numerous tag team titles and six-man tag tean titles in over seven promotions....							Gedo and Jado defeated Hirooki Goto Hirooki Goto is a Japanese professional wrestler. He has wrestled primarily for New Japan Pro Wrestling since his debut.-Career:Goto attended Kokushikan University, where he took part in freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling. Upon graduating, Goto qualified to join New Japan Pro Wrestling, but left the...  and Ryusuke Taguchi Ryusuke Taguchi is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently performing for New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former one-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and a four-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion....  to win the vacant championship.
	and
	and The World Class Tag Team The World Class Tag Team is a professional wrestling tag team that currently work in New Japan Pro Wrestling. One of the most accomplished tag teams in puroresu, the team has won numerous tag team titles and six-man tag tean titles in over seven promotions....
	and
	and
	and
	and The World Class Tag Team The World Class Tag Team is a professional wrestling tag team that currently work in New Japan Pro Wrestling. One of the most accomplished tag teams in puroresu, the team has won numerous tag team titles and six-man tag tean titles in over seven promotions....
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and							The Motor City Machine Guns defended the championship twice in the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...  (TNA) promotion during their reign, as part of an agreement between TNA and NJPW.
	and
								Title held up after the championship was not defended for 30 days.
	and							El Samurai and Kanemoto defeated Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt and Ryusuke Taguchi) in the finals of an eight team tournament to win the vacant title.
	and
	and
	and
	and			+

List of combined reigns

Symbol	Meaning
†	Indicates the current champions

By team

RankEach reign is ranked highest to lowest; reigns with the same number mean that they are tied for that certain rank.	Team	# of reigns	Combined defenses	Combined days
	and The World Class Tag Team The World Class Tag Team is a professional wrestling tag team that currently work in New Japan Pro Wrestling. One of the most accomplished tag teams in puroresu, the team has won numerous tag team titles and six-man tag tean titles in over seven promotions....
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and
	and			+

By wrestler

Rank	Wrestler	# of reigns	Combined defenses	Combined days
				+
				+

External links

• New Japan Pro Wrestling.co.jp