IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship

The **IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship** (IWGPジュニアタッグ王座, *IWGP Junia Taggu Ōza*) is the secundary tag team championship in the New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. that is contested in the junior heavyweight division. "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. 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 100 kg (220 lb).

## Overview

Title changes happen mostly at NJPW-promoted events. The inaugural champions were Shinjiro Otani and Tatsuhito Takaiwa, who defeated Dr. Wagner Jr. and Koji Kanemoto on August 8, 1998, in the finals of a tournament. The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin), a Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) tag team, defeated then-reigning champions No Limit (Tetsuya Naito and Yujiro) 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!*. On April 19, 2009, they made their second, and last, defense in TNA at the Lockdown pay-per-view event in a Three Way Tornado Tag Team Six Sides of Steel cage match against No Limit and The Latin American Xchange (Hernandez and Homicide).

## Gallery

* Gallery
* Champions

Original belt designThe second design of the beltThe third design of the beltThe Bullet Club War Dogs belt design

Shinjiro Otani and Tatsuhito TakaiwaDr. Wagner Jr. and Kendo KashinThe Great Sasuke and Jushin Thunder LigerKoji Kanemoto and Minoru TanakaEl Samurai and Jushin Thunder LigerJushin Thunder Liger and Minoru TanakaTsuyoshi Kikuchi and Yoshinobu KanemaruJushin Thunder Liger and Koji KanemotoAmerican Dragon and Curry ManKoji Kanemoto and Wataru InoueHirooki Goto and MinoruEl Samurai and Ryusuke TaguchiGedo and JadoDick Togo and Taka MichinokuAkira and Jushin Thunder LigerPrince Devitt and MinoruTetsuya Naito and YujiroAlex Shelley and Chris SabinPrince Devitt and Ryusuke TaguchiEl Samurai and Koji KanemotoKenny Omega and Kota IbushiDavey Richards and Rocky RomeroJushin Thunder Liger and Tiger Mask IVAlex Koslov and Rocky RomeroTaichi and Taka MichinokuMatt Jackson and Nick JacksonAlex Shelley and KUSHIDABobby Fish and Kyle O'ReillyRocky Romero and BerettaMatt Sydal and RicochetYoshinobu Kanemaru and TaichiRyusuke Taguchi and RicochetSho and YohYoshinobu Kanemaru and El DesperadoBUSHI and Shingo TakagiTaiji Ishimori and El PhantasmoRobbie Eagles and Tiger Mask IVRyusuke Taguchi and Master WatoTJP and Francesco AkiraKUSHIDA and Kevin KnightClark Connors and Drilla Moloney