Origin of every present tag-team championship in WWE

The current version of WWE tag team competitions have been around for a long time now. It was first seen at NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) during the 1950s.

The likes of the Fabulous Freebirds played a vital part in the global popularization of the match type. By the 1970s and 80s, It was already widely accepted and recognized by various national promotions.

With such a vast legacy, it is reasonable that the tag titles are a prized possession to the champions of any promotion.

WWE has three brands (RAW, SmackDown, and NXT 2.0) and a men's tag-team title for each of these brands. Additionally, it has a couple of championships for the women's division (one for RAW and SmackDown and the other for NXT).

Let us peek at the past and discuss the origins of all the tag titles of the promotion in their chronological order.

#5. WWE RAW Tag Team Championship - 2002

When the promotion introduced the brand split in 2002, the erstwhile World Tag Team Championship became exclusive to SmackDown.

After a brief period of tension and feuds, it was reassigned to RAW, leaving the blue brand without a tag title.

Hence, SmackDown General Manager Stephanie McMahon unveiled a tag title for the brand.

It was called the WWE Tag Team Championship and was awarded to its inaugural champion in an eight-team tournament.

Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle defeated Edge and Rey Mysterio in the finals to be crowned the first-ever WWE Tag Team Champions.

In 2009, The Miz and John Morrison (WWE Tag Team Champions) and The Cólóns (World Tag Team Champions) engaged themselves in a feud leading to a unification match which was won by The Cólóns.

The World Tag Team titles were thus retired, and the lineage of the WWE Tag Team Championship persisted.

It was renamed the RAW Tag Team Championship when SmackDown introduced its own title again.

#4. NXT Tag Team Championship - 2013

NXT was introduced as WWE's developmental territory in 2010. The Black and Gold brand was started as a reality show. However, it soon took a gigantic turn and was revamped into one of the best professional wrestling shows on the globe.

As a brand distinct from RAW and SmackDown, NXT introduced championships exclusively for their brand.

Included in these titles were the NXT Tag Team Championships.

Shawn Michaels introduced the tag titles gold on 23rd January 2013. An eight-team tournament was organized to crown the inaugural champion.

British Ambition (Adrian Neville and Oliver Grey) emerged the victor by defeating The Wyatt Family (Luke Harper and Erick Rowan) in the finals on 31st January.

The Undisputed Era, which is arguably one of the best factions to participate in NXT, has won the gold for a record three times.

#3. WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship - 2016

Vince McMahon's company reintroduced the brand extension in 2016.

RAW again won the rights to the tag-team championship, and then SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon had to create a new title.

Like its counterparts, the SmackDown Tag Team Championship was awarded to its inaugural champion in an eight-team tournament.

Heath Slater and Rhyno won the tournament by defeating The Usos at Backlash.

A cool fact is that the SmackDown and RAW tag titles alongside the 24/7 belt are the only current championships in the promotion which do not have a customizable side plate for the champion's logo.

#2. WWE Women's Tag Team Championship - 2019

After years of speculation, WWE finally introduced the women's tag team championship in 2019. The title was the pinnacle prize for the women's tag team division irrespective of their brands until 2021.

It is now defended on RAW and SmackDown only.

Alexa Bliss revealed the titles at A Moment of Bliss and announced that the inaugural champions will be crowned at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

The Boss 'n' Hug Connection (Sasha Banks and Bayley) won the title by last eliminating Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville.

The introduction of tag-team gold also opened up the door for a grand slam opportunity for the women's division.

WWE introduced the criteria for a female superstar to be crowned a Grand Slam Champion, which also includes the aforesaid tag titles alongside the top titles of all the three brands.

#1. NXT Women's Tag Team Championship - 2021

After the introduction of women's tag team titles, the champions had to defend their possession against the contenders irrespective of their brands.

The Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler were defending their titles against Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez on the March 3rd, 2021 episode of NXT.

The referee was knocked out, so Adam Pearce sent another referee who awarded the match to the champions when Dakota Kai tapped out.

However, Kai was not the legal superstar.

It led to a conflict between Adam Pearce and William Regal. The then NXT manager decided to introduce an exclusive women's title for the developmental brand to minimize their ties with the main roster.

Kai and Gonzalez were chosen as the inaugural champion on 10th March as they were the winners of the Dusty Rhodes tag-team classic. However, they lost the title to Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart on the same night.

Tell us in the comments which WWE tag team titles do you like the most. Do you want the promotion to increase its efforts in the tag team division?