NWA World Tag Team Championship (Iowa/Nebraska version) explained

Championshipname:	NWA World Tag Team Championship (Iowa/Nebraska version)
Promotion:	NWA Nebraska office NWA Iowa office
Created:	No later than August 11, 1953
Firstchamp:	Bill Melby and Billy Darnell
Longestreign:	Guy Brunetti and Joe Tangaro
Titleretired:	1958

The Iowa/Nebraska version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship was a National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) professional wrestling tag team championship that was active between 1953 and 1958. The championship was controlled by the NWA's Iowa booking office under Pinkie George and the Nebraska booking office under Max Clayton. Both George and Clayton were founding members of the NWA in 1948 and served on the Board of Directors that decided to let any NWA member, known as a NWA territory to create a local version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship.^[1] The Iowa/Nebraska version was one of at least 13 championships bearing that name in 1957. As with all professional wrestling championships, this championship was not won or lost competitively but instead based on the decisions of the bookers of a wrestling promotion which determines the outcome of the matches.^[2]

A version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship was promoted in Nebraska as early as May 4, 1949, but it is possible that it was the San Francisco version that Mike and Ben Sharpe defended in the region. The Iowa/Nebraska lineage was firmly established in the summer of 1953, no later than on August 11 of that year, when Bill Melby and Billy Darnell were recognized as champions in Iowa and Nebraska. Melby and Darnell also held the Chicago version at the time, but when they lost the championship to Ben and Mike Sharpe on October 17, 1953, only the Iowa/Nebraska version changed hands. In 1958 it was decided to replace the NWA World Tag Team Championship with the Big Time Wrestling World Tag Team Championship,^[3] which in turn would be replaced with the AWA World Tag Team Championship in 1960 when a number of promotions left the NWA to form the American Wrestling Association (AWA).^[4]

Four teams share the record for the most championship reigns (2), as the teams of Ben and Mike Sharpe, Boris and Nicol Volkoff, The Kalmikoffs (Ivan and Karol Kalmikoff), and Reggie Lisowski and Art Neilson were the only teams to hold the title more than once. Due to the lack of specific dates for many of the championship changes, it is impossible to clearly establish which team had the shortest reign, while the longest reign probably belongs to Guy Brunetti and Joe Tangaro who held the championship for at least 98 days.

Title history

Key

Symbol	Meaning
No.	The overall championship reign
Reign	The reign number for the specific wrestler listed.
Event	The event in which the championship changed hands
N/A	The specific information is not known
[Note #]|Indicates that the exact length of the title reign is unknown, with a note providing more details.|-|style="background: #aaaaaa;"| |Indicates that there was a period where the lineage is undocumented due to the lack of written documentation in that time period.|-||Indicates that a title change took place "no later than" the date listed.^[5] |} width=0 data-sort-type="number" scope="col" No. width=14% scope="col" Champions width=0 scope="col" Reign width=16% scope="col" Date width=0 data-sort-type="number" scope="col" Days held width=14% scope="col" Location width=17% scope="col" Event width=51% class="unsortable" scope="col" Notes width=0 class="unsortable" scope="col" scope=row 1 1 N/A Live event The Sharpes were billed as champions upon arrival. Could have been the San Francisco version that was defended in the region. Still billed as champions in Nebraska on January 18, 1950 scope=row 2 and Billy Darnell 1 Chicago, Illinois Live event Melby and Darnell won the Chicago version on July 15, 1953, Recognized in Iowa on August 11, 1953 scope=row 3 2 Chicago, Illinois Live event Still billed as champions on December 9, 1953 scope=row 4 and Art Neilson 1 ^[6] Live event The team defeated Melby and Darnell for Chicago version February 13, 1954. Change recognized in Iowa with the storyline being that they "recently" defeated the Sharpe Brothers. scope=row 5 and Roy McClarty 1 Moline, Illinois Live event   scope=row 6 and Art Neilson 2 Live event Still billed as champions on August 22, 1955 scope=row 7 and Joe Tangaro 1 Live event Was reported as having defeated Lisowski and Nelson, but no record of such a match has been found scope=row 8 and Danny Plechas 1 Des Moines, Iowa Live event Championship match was repeated on February 18, 1956 in Moline, Illinois. Still billed as champions on March 1. scope=row 10 (Ivan and Karol Kalmikoff) 1 Live event Still billed as champions on August 5, 1956 scope=row 11 1 Live event   scope=row 12 and Roy McClarity 1 Des Moines, Iowa Live event Still billed as champions on January 21, 1957 scope=row 13 (Ivan and Karol Kalmikoff) 2 Live event Billed as champions on a show in Omaha, Nebraska scope=row 14 2 Live event Recognized in Iowa, later recognized as champions in Nebraska on April 25, 1958 N/A N/A N/A Replaced with the Omaha version of the World Tag Team Title Championship. Team reigns by combined length Key data-sort-type="number" scope="col" Rank Team data-sort-type="number" scope="col" No. of reigns data-sort-type="number" scope="col" Combined days scope=row 1 and 2 scope=row 2 (Ivan Kalmikoff and Karol Kalmikoff) 2 scope=row 3 and 1 scope=row 4 2 scope=row 5 and 1 scope=row rowspan=4 6 and 1 2 and 1 and 1 Individual reigns by combined length Key data-sort-type="number" scope="col" Rank Wrestler data-sort-type="number" scope="col" No. of reigns data-sort-type="number" scope="col" Combined days scope=row rowspan=2 1 2 2 scope=row rowspan=2 4 2 2 scope=row rowspan=2 6 1 1 scope=row rowspan=2 8 2 2 scope=row rowspan=2 11 1 1 scope=row 13 2 scope=row rowspan=6 14 1 1 2 2 1 1 Concurrent championships Sources for 13 simultaneous NWA World Tag Team Championships NWA World Tag Team Championship (Los Angeles version)^[7] ^[8] NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version)^[9] ^[10] NWA World Tag Team Championship (Central States version)^[11] ^[12] NWA World Tag Team Championship (Chicago version)^[13] ^[14] NWA World Tag Team Championship (Buffalo Athletic Club version)^[15] ^[16] NWA World Tag Team Championship (Georgia version)^[17] ^[18] NWA World Tag Team Championship (Iowa/Nebraska version)^[19] ^[20] NWA World Tag Team Championship (Indianapolis version)^[21] ^[22] NWA World Tag Team Championship (Salt Lake Wrestling Club version)^[23] ^[24] NWA World Tag Team Championship (Amarillo version)^[25] ^[26] NWA World Tag Team Championship (Minneapolis version)^[27] ^[28] NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version)^[29] ^[30] NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version)^[31] ^[32] References

Notes and References

1. Book: Hornbaker, Tim . National Wrestling Alliance, The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling . ECW Press . 2007 . 978-1-55022-741-3. The Origins of a Wrestling Monopoly.
2. Book: Mazer. Sharon. Professional Wrestling: Sport and Spectacle. February 1, 1998. University Press of Mississippi. 1-57806-021-4. 18–19. June 19, 2016.
3. Web site: World Tag Team Title [Omaha version] ]. March 13, 2017 . Wrestling-Titles.
4. Web site: AWA World Tag Team Title . March 13, 2017 . Wrestling-Titles.
5. Documentation of the specific date of a title change is not found but documentation of the champion holding the title on that date/in that period.
6. The location of the match was not captured as part of the documentation.
7. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4 . (Los Angeles) California: NWA World Tag Team Title [Nichols, Doyle & Eaton].
8. Web site: National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title [Los Angeles – 1950s| work=Wrestling-Titles | accessdate=February 21, 2017].
9. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4 . (San Francisco) California: NWA World Tag Team Title[Joe Malcewicz].
10. Web site: National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title [San Francisco 1950s] ]. Wrestling-Titles . February 21, 2017.
11. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4 . (Kansas &Western Missouri) West Texas: NWA World Tag Team Title [Karras & Geigel].
12. Web site: NWA World Tag Team Title [Central States] ]. wrestling-titles.com . March 24, 2015.
13. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4. (Chicago) Illinois: NWA World Tag Team Title [Kohler].
14. Web site: National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title [Illinois & Wisconsin] ]. Wrestling-Titles . February 21, 2017.
15. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4 . Ohio & Upstate New York: NWA World Tag Team Title [George & Bruins].
16. Web site: NWA World Tag Team Title [Ohio / Northern New York] ]. Wrestling-Titles . February 21, 2017.
17. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4 . Georgia: NWA World Tag Team Title [Gunkel & Barnett].
18. Web site: National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title [Georgia] ]. Wrestling-Titles . February 21, 2017.
19. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4 . Iowa/Nebraska: NWA World Tag Team Title [George & Clayton].
20. Web site: National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title [Iowa/Nebraska] ]. Wrestling-Titles . February 21, 2017.
21. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4 . (Indianapolis) Indiana: NWA World Tag Team Title [Kohler, Patton & Estes].
22. Web site: National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title [Indianapolis] ]. Wrestling-Titles . February 21, 2017.
23. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4 . Idaho / Utah: NWA World Tag Team Title [Reynolds].
24. Web site: World Tag Team Title [Northwest Tri-State] ]. Wrestling-Titles . February 21, 2017.
25. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4 . (Amarillo) Texas: NWA World Tag Team Title [Sarpolis & Funk].
26. Web site: National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Titles [W. Texas] ]. Wrestling-Titles . February 21, 2017.
27. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4 . (Minneapolis) Minnesota: NWA World Tag Team Title [Karbo & Gagne].
28. Web site: National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title [Minneapolis] ]. Wrestling-Titles . February 21, 2017.
29. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4 . Texas: NWA World Tag Team Title [Siegel, Boesch & McLemore].
30. Web site: National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title [E. Texas] ]. Wrestling-Titles . February 21, 2017.
31. Book: Royal . Duncan . Gary . Will . Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present . Pennsylvania . 2000 . Archeus Communications . 0-9698161-5-4 . (Memphis, Nashville) Tennessee: NWA World Tag Team Title [Gulas & Welsh] .
32. Web site: National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Title [Mid-America] ]. Wrestling-Titles . February 21, 2017.