IWGP Tag Team Championship

The **IWGP Tag Team Championship** (IWGPタッグ王座, *IWGP Taggu Ōza*) is the top tag team championship in the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. "IWGP" is the acronym of the NJPW's governing body, the International Wrestling Grand Prix. The title was introduced on December 12, 1985 at a NJPW live event. The IWGP Tag Team Championship is not the only tag team title contested for in NJPW; the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship is also sanctioned by NJPW. According to NJPW's official website, the IWGP Tag Team Championship is considered an "IWGP Heavy Weight Class", while the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship is listed as an "IWGP Jr. Tag Class". Title changes usually happen at NJPW-promoted events; although the title has only changed hands twice at a non-NJPW event, it has been defended in several other promotions.

## Overview

The inaugural champions were Kengo Kimura and Tatsumi Fujinami, who defeated Antonio Inoki and Seiji Sakaguchi in the finals of a tournament to win the championship on December 12, 1985, at a NJPW live event. In addition to NJPW, the IWGP Tag Team Championship was also contested in the United States-based promotions World Championship Wrestling (WCW) (now defunct) in the early 1990s and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2009, and in the Mexican lucha libre promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (Spanish for *Worldwide Wrestling Council*) in 2005.

On October 30, 2005, in Kobe, Tenzan and Chono defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura to begin their fifth overall reign as a team. On July 2, 2006, a provisional tag team title was created (known as the "IWGP Provisional Tag Team Championship") when Tenzan and Chono showed signs of inactivity. Koshinaka and Togi Makabe defeated the teams of Yuji Nagata and Naofumi Yamamoto and Giant Bernard and Travis Tomko in a three-way match to become the first champions. NJPW president Simon Kelly Inoki stripped Tenzan and Chono of the IWGP Tag Team Championship on September 20, 2006, after Tenzan and Chono ceased teaming. Manabu Nakanishi and Takao Omori, who defeated Koshinaka and Makabe on July 17, 2006, to become the IWGP Provisional Tag Team Champions, were recognized as the IWGP Tag Team Champions on September 28, 2006, by NJPW.

In 2009, The British Invasion, defeated Team 3D on July 21, 2009, at the taping of the July 30, 2009, episode of TNA's primary television program, *TNA Impact!*, in a tables match. Afterwards, NJPW released a statement announcing that they did not sanction the defense nor the title change, and as such were not going to recognize the reign. They continued to recognize Team 3D as the current champions and proclaimed that the next title defense would be by Team 3D and would be sanctioned by NJPW. On August 10, 2009, NJPW issued another press release stating that they were now recognizing The British Invasion of Brutus Magnus and Doug Williams as the current IWGP Tag Team Champions, making the reign official.

## Gallery

* Gallery
* Champions

Original belt designSecond belt designThird belt design

Kengo Kimura and Tatsumi FujinamiOsamu Kido and Akira MaedaKeiji Mutoh and Shiro KoshinakaAkira Maeda and Nobuhiko TakadaKazuo Yamazaki and Yoshiaki FujiwaraRiki Choshu and Masa SaitoGeorge Takano and Super Strong MachineRiki Choshu and Takayuki IizukaMasa Saito and Shinya HashimotoKeiji Mutoh and Masahiro ChonoHiroshi Hase and Kensuke SasakiRick and Scott SteinerBig Van Vader and Crusher Bam Bam BigelowScott Norton and Tony HalmeHawk and Power WarriorJunji Hirata and Shinya HashimotoKazuo Yamazaki and Takashi IizukaKensuke Sasaki and Riki ChoshuMasahiro Chono and Hiroyoshi TenzanManabu Nakanishi and Satoshi KojimaSatoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi TenzanKensuke Sasaki and Shiro KoshinakaMichiyoshi Ohara and Tatsutoshi GotoOsamu Nishimura and Tatsumi FujinamiKeiji Mutoh and Taiyo KeaHiroshi Tanahashi and Yutaka YoshieOsamu Nishimura and Hiroyoshi TenzanMinoru Suzuki and Yoshihiro TakayamaHiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke NakamuraManabu Nakanishi and Takao OmoriGiant Bernard and Travis TomkoTogi Makabe and Toru YanoBrother Ray and Brother DevonDoug Willams and Brutus MagnusTetsuya Naito and Yujiro TakahashiYuji Nagata and Wataru InoueKarl Anderson and Giant BernardToru Yano and Takashi IizukaDavey Boy Smith Jr. and Lance ArcherKarl Anderson and Doc GallowsHirooki Goto and Katsuyori ShibataMichael Bennett and Matt TavenTogi Makabe and Tomoaki HonmaTanga Roa and Tama TongaJay and Mark BriscoeToru Yano and Tomohiro IshiiHanson and Raymond RoweEVIL and SANADANick Jackson and Matt JacksonJuice Robinson and David FinlayHiroshi Tanahashi and Kota IbushiTaichi and Zack Sabre Jr.Tetsuya Naito and SANADAHirooki Goto and Yoshi-HashiJeff Cobb and Great O-KhanBad Luck Fale and Chase OwensCash Wheeler and Dax HarwoodKyle Fletcher and Mark Davis