The Texas version (or East Texas version) of the NWA World Tag Team Championship was the main tag team professional wrestling championship in the Dallas/Houston-based Southwest Sports territory of the National Wrestling Alliance. While the name indicates that it was defended worldwide, this version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship was mainly defended in the eastern part of Texas. The championship was created in 1957 and actively promoted by Southwest Sports until 1968, when it was abandoned. The championship was later brought back by the Dallas-based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) promotion in 1981, and was used until 1982 when WCCW decided to use the NWA American Tag Team Championship as their top tag team championship. As it is a professional wrestling championship, it is won not by actual competition, but by a scripted ending to a match.
The NWA Board of Directors allowed any member of the NWA to create a version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship, which led to as many as 13 identically named championships active in 1957. From 1959 until 1969 there was a second NWA World Tag Team Championship promoted in Texas, referred to as the Amarillo version or the West Texas version; this was later replaced with the NWA Western States Tag Team Championship.
The first championship team was that of Verne Gagne and Wilbur Snyder, who were awarded the championship in July 1958 by Southwest Sports. The last recorded champions of the Southwest Sports era were Mr. Ito and Chati Yokochi, who won the championship on December 12, 1968, with the championship being abandoned in 1969 or 1970. When the championship was reintroduced in 1981, promoter Fritz Von Erich brought in the team of Hercules Ayala and Ali Mustafa, billing them as champions from a different region to give the championship an air of legitimacy. The last champions were Fritz's son Kerry Von Erich and Al Madril, who won the championship in April 1981. The longest-reigning championship team was Pepper Gomez and Rocky Romero, whose reign in the Southwest Sports era lasted between 274 and 303 days. Due to vague records of the time, the exact number of days that various championship reigns lasted is impossible to determine, as is which team held the championship for the shortest amount of time. The Von Brauners (Kurt and Karl Von Brauner) hold the record for most reigns as a team, a total of four, while Pepper Gomez and Duke Keomuka both held the championship six times with different partners.
Title history Key SymbolMeaningNo.The overall championship reignReignThe reign number for the specific wrestler listed.EventThe event promoted by the respective promotion in which the title changed handsN/AThe specific information is not known —Used for vacated reigns so as not to count it as an official reign[Note]Indicates that the exact length of the title reign is unknown, with a note providing more details No.ChampionsReignDateDays heldLocationEventNotes1 and Wilbur Snyder1Awarded2 and Ike Eakins1TexasHouse show 3 and El Medico1Houston, TexasHouse show 41Ft. Worth, TexasHouse show 5 and Rito Romero1Ft. Worth, TexasHouse show 6 and Mr. Moto1TexasHouse show 7 and Ciclone Anaya1Dallas, TexasHouse show 8Joe Christie and Man Mountain Managoff1Houston, TexasHouse show 9 and Adnon Kaisy1Houston, TexasHouse show 10 and Joe Christie 1Houston, TexasHouse show 11 and Torbellino Blanco1TexasHouse show 12 and Wilbur Snyder1Blanco gave his half to Snyder13 and Dory Dixon1Houston, TexasHouse show 14 and Tony Martin1Houston, TexasHouse show 15 and Dory Dixon 1Houston, TexasHouse show 16Dalton Brothers1TexasHouse show 17 and Ciclon Negro1Houston, TexasHouse show 18Dalton Brothers2TexasHouse show 19Kozak Brothers1Houston, TexasHouse show 20 and The Alaskan1Houston, TexasHouse show 21 and Taro Miyake1Houston, TexasHouse show 22 and Red McKim1Houston, TexasHouse show 23 and Taro Miyake2Houston, TexasHouse show 24Ciclon Negro and Oscar Salazar1Houston, TexasHouse show 25 and Ivan the Terrible1Houston, TexasHouse show 26 and Lucas Pertano1Houston, TexasHouse show 27 and Rock Hunter1Houston, TexasHouse show 28Kozak Brothers2Austin, TexasHouse show 291Houston, TexasHouse show 30Dalton Brothers3TexasHouse show 31Ciclon Negro and Ricki Starr1Houston, TexasHouse show Championship not promoted for around two years32 and Killer Karl Kox1Dallas, TexasHouse showDefeated Eddie Graham and Sam Steamboat to win the championship33 and Kanji Inoki1-1966TexasHouse show 34 and Golden Terror1Dallas, TexasHouse show 35 and Duke Keomuka 1Dallas, TexasHouse show 36(Al Costello and Karl Von Brauner (2))1TexasHouse show Championship vacated for undocumented reasons.37 and Danny Miller1Amarillo, TexasHouse showDefeat the Medics to win the championshipChampionship vacated or undocumented reasons.382TexasHouse showDefeat Gory Guerrero and Luis Hernandez39 and Ricky Romero1TexasHouse show 403Amarillo, TexasHouse show 41 and Terry Funk1San Angelo, TexasHouse show 42(Inferno #1 and Inferno #2)1Amarillo, TexasHouse show 43 and Terry Funk2Amarillo, TexasHouse show 44 and Chati Yokouchi1Amarillo, TexasHouse show /1970Championship abandoned45Hercules Ayala and Ali Mustafa1N/ABTW ShowAwarded461Dallas, TexasWCCW Star Wars 1981 47Great Kabuki and Chan Chung1TexasBTW Show 48 and Terry Orndorff1Dallas, TexasBTW Show 49 and Frank Dusek1Awarded50 and Al Madril1Ft. Worth, TexasBTW Show 51 and Bugsy McGraw1Lawton, OklahomaWCCW Show 52 and Al Madril2Ft. Worth, TexasWCCW Show Championship abandoned by WCCW.
Team reigns by combined length Key SymbolMeaning¤The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain, so the shortest possible length is used. RankTeamNo. of reignsCombined days1and Rito Romero 1 2 and Duke Keomuka 1 3 and Wilbur Snyder 1 4 4 2165 2 2056 and Terry Funk 2 1567 3 8 and Dory Dixon 1 9 and Torbelino Blanco 1 10 and El Medico 1 8711 and Ivan the Terrible 1 7012 and Mr. Moto 1 13 and Al Madril 2 14 and Ciclone Anaya 1 5215 and Adnon Kaisy 1 4916 and Rock Hunter 1 4417 and Taro Miyake 2 4218 1 19 and Joe Christie 1 20 and Ricky Romero 1 2821 and Tony Martin 1 21 and Dory Dixon 1 21 and The Alaskan 1 21 and Golden Terror 1 21 1 2126Ciclon Negro and Oscar Salazar 1 1827Joe Christie and Man Mountain Managoff 1 14 and Red McKim 1 14 1 1430 1 731Ciclon Negro and Ricki Starr 1 and Ciclon Negro 1 and 1 Great Kabuki and Chang Chung 1 and Ali Mustafa 1 Bill Irwin and Bugsy McGraw 1 and Frank Dusek 1 and Danny Miller 1 and Ike Eakins 1 and Terry Orndorff 1 41 and Chati Yokouchi 1 and Kanji Inoki 1 and Killer Karl Kox 1
Individual reigns by combined length Key SymbolMeaning¤The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain, so the shortest possible length is used. RankWrestlerNo. of reignsCombined days1 6 2 6 3 2 4 5 5 2 6 2 7 4 2168 3 9 2 20510 3 11 2 15612 2 15613 3 3 15Torbellino Blanco 1 16 1 8717 1 7018Ivan the Terrible 1 7019Mr. Moto 1 20 3 21 2 22Ciclone Anaya 1 5223 1 4924 1 4925 2 26Joe Christie 2 1 44 1 4429 2 4230 1 31 1 28Ricky Romero 1 2833 1 21 1 21Golden Terror 1 21Inferno #1 1 21Inferno #2 1 21 1 21 1 2140 1 1841 1 14 1 14Man Mountain Managoff 1 14 1 1445 1 7 1 747Ciclon Negro 3 48Bill Irwin 2 49 1 1 1 1 Great Kabuki 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 61 1 1 1 1
See also National Wrestling Alliance NWA World Tag Team Championship
Footnotes
Concurrent championships Sources for 13 simultaneous NWA World Tag Team Championships NWA World Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles version) NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Central States version) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Buffalo Athletic Club version) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Georgia version) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Iowa/Nebraska version) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Indianapolis version) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Salt Lake Wrestling Club version) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Amarillo version) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version)
References