World Championship Wrestling (WCWA) was a prominent professional wrestling promotion in the Southeastern United States. The organization was established in 1991 and primarily promoted events in the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. WCWA ceased operations in 1997 following a hostile takeover by Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation. However, remnants of WCWA still exist today as several independent promotions throughout North America have adopted its old monikers. As we look back at this now-defunct organization, let’s take a closer look at the history of the WCWA Six Man World Tag Team Wrestling Championship belt.
The Creation of the WCWA World Tag Team Championships
WCW began to host a series of “Superbrawl” events in early 1991. These events were hosted in large stadiums and broadcast nationally on pay-per-view (PPV). On February 22, 1991, the first Superbrawl show was broadcast live from Miami, Florida. This event featured the crowning of the first WCWA World Tag Team champions. After the event, the World Tag Team Championships were regularly defended throughout the year at Superbrawl events. In 1991, the National Wrestling Alliance officially disbanded. However, the WCWA maintained its affiliation with NWA. As a result, the WCWA World Tag Team titles were officially recognized as NWA titles. Although the NWA and WCWA no longer existed as separate promotions, their shared recognition of the WCWA World Tag Team titles resulted in their continued recognition as NWA titles.
The Rise and Fall of WCWA
Media mogul Jim Barnett founded World Championship Wrestling in 1972 as a member of the National Wrestling Alliance. The organization’s original home base was Atlanta, Georgia. In the late 1980s, WCW was purchased by media mogul Ted Turner, who moved the company’s base of operations to the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Even though WCW was a member of the NWA, the promotion’s title belts were uniquely different than the NWA’s traditional titles. As a result, the WCW Six Man Tag Team title belt that existed during the mid-1990s was a completely different design than the NWA used.
WCWA Six Man Tag Team Championships
As the 1990s began, the National Wrestling Alliance and its member promotions slowly began to disappear. The NWA’s famous “Wild Wild West” era was slowly ending. Nonetheless, the WCW Six Man Tag Team titles were created to replace the NWA’s old Western States Tag Team belts. The WCW Six Man Tag Team titles have always been contested in a Six-Man Tag Team match. Six-Man matches are contested between two teams of three wrestlers each. (In rare cases, the match could be contested between three teams of two wrestlers.)
Who Holds the Record for Most Reigns?
Ten different teams have held the WCWA World Tag Team titles. The Steiner Brothers are the only team to have won more than once. Rick and Scott Steiner won the belts on October 22, 1991, and then again on May 19, 1992. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express duo of Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson are the only team to have held the belts for more than one reign. Morton and Gibson first won the titles on October 22, 1991, and then again on May 19, 1992. Additionally, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express is the only team to have held the WCWA World Tag Team titles while holding the WCWA Six Man Tag Team titles simultaneously.
The End of an Era
The WCWA World Tag Team titles were last defended on September 12, 1993. After the title belts were retired, they were replaced with the WCWA Unified Tag Team Championship belts. Unified titles are championship belts created to replace two or more different belts that have been used in the past. In this case, the WCWA Unified Tag Team Championship belts were created to replace both the World and the Six Man Tag Team belts.
Reformation: Five Man World Tag Team Match and the Unified WCWA/NWAT (NWAT) World Tag Team Championship Belt
The WCW Six Man Tag Team titles were re-established in late 1993. The inaugural title tournament took place in early 1994. After the tournament was completed, a unification match was scheduled to occur at Superbrawl IV on February 22, 1994. The unification match occurred between the reigning WCWA Six Man champions and the WCWA World Tag Team champions. The Unified title match was contested between the two six-man teams, and the World and Six Man team titles were on the line.
The WCWA Light Heavyweight Championship and the Six-Man Title Belt
The inaugural WCWA Light Heavyweight title belt was awarded to Brian Pillman after a tournament on September 10, 1993. After the belt was awarded, the NWA Board of Directors contacted the WCWA and requested that the belt be renamed the NWA Light Heavyweight Championship. After the NWA Board of Directors ordered the title belt be renamed, the National Wrestling Alliance officially recognized the belt. However, the belt’s name was modified to read “NWA/WCW Light Heavyweight Championship.” The “NWA/WCW” was added to the title belt to acknowledge the NWA’s recognition of the title.
Final Words
When the National Wrestling Alliance disbanded in 1991, its member promotions branched out and renamed their titles to reflect their identities. As a result, the WCW Six Man Tag Team titles were created to replace the NWA’s old Western States Tag Team belts. After the WWF acquired the NWA and WCW, the promotion re-established the WCW Six Man Tag Team belts in 1993. The newly re-established title belts were created to replace the NWA/WCW Light Heavyweight title belt that the promotion had used since 1987. The NWA/WCW Light Heavyweight title belt was designed to be a lightweight title belt. As a result, the belt was too small for the new champions to wear. As a solution, the World Tag Team title belts were modified to make them larger. Spare $125 and secure this belt by visiting our website at championshibelts.com.