The Detroit version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship was the top ranked professional wrestling championship for tag teams in the Detroit, Michigan-based promotion Big Time Wrestling, sometimes referred to as NWA Detroit, between 1965 and 1980. As a member of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), All-Star Wrestling was entitled to promote their own local version of the championship as the NWA bylaws did not restrict its use in the way they restricted the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to one nationally recognized championship. Because individual NWA members, referred to as NWA territories, were allowed to create their own version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship, at least 22 different versions existed between 1949 and 1991. As it is a professional wrestling championship, it is not won or lost competitively, but instead is determined by the decision of the bookers of a wrestling promotion. The title is awarded after the chosen team "wins" a match to maintain the illusion that professional wrestling is a competitive sport.
The first championship team recognized in Detroit was that of the Tolos brothers (Chris and John Tolos), who were introduced as champions around February 1965 as having "recently won" the championship, though no records of a tournament exists. Kurt Von Hess and Karl Von Shotz held the championship five times as a team, the record for the 25-year history of this version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship, while Fred Curry holds the record for most overall reigns (9) with different partners. The shortest reign belongs to Lou Klein and Ed George, as Klein announced his retirement right after the match, making their reign only minutes long. The longest reign lasted at least 196 days as The Fabulous Kangaroos (Al Costello and Don Kent) won the championship on December 18, 1971, and held it until May 1972.
Title history Key No.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 in order to not count it as an official reign Indicates that there was a period where the lineage is undocumented due to the lack of written documentation in that time period. No.ChampionsReignDateDays heldLocationEventNotes11 The location of the match was not captured as part of the documentation.Live eventRecords are unclear on how the Tolos brothers won the championship, listed as "having recently won" in a Detroit newspaper on this day2 and Magnificent Maurice1Live event 3 and Sailor Art Thomas11960sThe length of this championship reign is too uncertain to calculate.Live event 411960sLive event 5 and Billy Red Lyons1 Live event (Al Costello and Karl Von Brauner)# #Live eventThis championship change was only recognized in Ohio, not Detroit. Possible that this was supposed to start a separate Ohio lineage.Bill Miller and Dan Miller##Columbus, OhioLive event(Al Costello and Ray St. Cair)# #Live eventThe Ohio branch was not mentioned after August, 1967, Cury and Lyons were recognized as champions in Detroit for this period of time6(Al Costello and Ray St. Clair)11960sLive event 7 (2) and Dan Miller11968Live event 8Hell's Angel(Ron and Paul Dupree)11968Live event 9 and Ben Justice1Detroit, MichiganLive event 10Hell's Angel(Ron and Paul Dupree) 21969Live event 11 and Roy Klein 1Detroit, MichiganLive event 12Skull Brothers11969Live event 13 (2) and 1Detroit, MichiganLive event 14Texas Outlaws(Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch)1Detroit, MichiganLive event 15 (2) and Lord Athol Layton1Detroit, MichiganLive event N/AN/AN/AChampionship vacated after Layton was injured by The Sheik.16(Al Costello (2) and Don Kent)1Detroit, MichiganLive eventDefeated Ben Justice and The Mitchell in a tournament final.17 (3) and 2Live event 18(Al Costello and Ray St. Clair)2Detroit, MichiganLive event19 (3) and 3Detroit, MichiganLive event20 and Karl Von Shotz1Detroit, MichiganLive event 21 (3) and Tony Marino1Live event 22 and Karl Von Shotz2Detroit, MichiganLive event 23 (4) and Tony Marino2Detroit, MichiganLive event 24 and Karl Von Shotz3Detroit, MichiganLive event 25 (5) and Luis Martinez1Detroit, MichiganLive event 26 (4) and Killer Tim Brooks11973Live event 27 (3) and 1Detroit, MichiganLive event 28 (4) and Killer Tim Brooks2 Live event 29 (4) and Tex McKenzie1 Live event 30 and Killer Tim Brooks3 Live eventChange took place between October 22 and November 13, 197331 (6) and Tony Marino3Detroit, MichiganLive event 32 and Karl Von Shotz4Detroit, MichiganLive event 33 (7) and Tony Marino4Detroit, MichiganLive event 34 and Karl Von Shotz5Detroit, MichiganLive event 35 (4) and Tony Marino (5)1Detroit, MichiganLive event N/AN/AN/AChampionship held up after match against Ben Justice and Killer Tim Brooks.36 (5) and Tony Marino (6)2Live eventWon the rematch against Justice and Brooks37Abdullah the Butcher and Killer Tim Brooks (3)11974Live event 38 (6) and Tony Marino (7)31974Live event 39(Geeto Mongol and Bolo Mongol)11974Live event 40 (8) and Bobo Brazil (7)1 Live eventAwarded when The Mongols no-show title defense.411Live event 42 and Mighty Igor11975Live event 43(Afa and Sika)1 Live event 44 (8) and Hank James (2)1 Live event 45(Afa and Sika)2 Live event 46The Von Brauners ( and Kurt Von Brauner)1Toledo, OhioLive event 47 and Count Drummer1 Live event 48 and Lanny Poffo (2)1Live eventDrummer gave his half of the championship to Poffo after being injured.49 and Chris Markoff1Detroit, MichiganLive event 50(Al Costello (3) and Tony Charles)11976Live event 51 and Ripper Collins1 Live event 52 (3) and Ed George11977Live event 53Bounty Hunters11977Live event 54 and Ed George (2)10Live event N/AN/AN/AKlein retired after the match.55 and Ed George (3)1Live eventRecords are unclear as to whom they defeated for the championship56John Bonello and Randy Scott1Live eventDefeated Pat and Mike Kelly to win the championship57 and George Steele1Detroit, MichiganLive event 58John Bonello and Randy Scott2Detroit, MichiganLive event 59 and Jumbo Tsuruta1Detroit, MichiganLive event N/AN/AN/APromotion closed
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. RankTeam# of reignsCombined days1(Afa and Sika) 2 2 and 3 3 and 5 ( and ) 1 5Texas Outlaws( and ) 1 1406 and 1 7 and 1 8( and ) 2 9 and 4 10John Bonello and 2 11 and 1 3312 and 1 13 and 1 14 and 3 and 1 and 1 2117 and 3 and 1 19Hell's Angel( and ) 2 20 and 1 and 1 1 and 1 and 1 1 and 1 Skull Brothers 1 27Abdullah the Butcher and 1 and 1 and 1 Bounty Hunters 1 and 1 and 1 and 1 and 1 and Mighty Igor 1 and Magnificent Maurice 1 and 1 0 and 1 and 1 1 ( and ) 1 ( and ) 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. RankWrestler# of reignsCombined days1Afa 2 Sika 2 3 4 4 7 5 7 5 5 1 10 1 140 1 14012 1 1 14 7 15 1 1 16 7 17 2 18 2 19John Bonello 2 2 21 1 3322 2 23 1 1 21 1 2126 9 27 1 4 29) 2 2 31 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 Skull Brother #1 1 Skull Brother #2 1 38Abdullah the Butcher 1 Mighty Igor 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Bounty Hunter #1 1 Bounty Hunter #2 1 Magnificent Maurice 1
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