The WWE Tag Team Championship stands as one of wrestling’s most sought-after prizes.
This title has created memorable moments since 2002. Teams fight hard to wear these belts.
The championship tells a story of partnership, skill, and glory inside the squared circle.
Want to know who held the gold? This complete WWE Tag Team Champions list covers every reign from the title’s birth to today.
Contents
- 1 WWE Tag Team Champions List
- 1.1 What Is the WWE Tag Team Championship?
- 1.2 Current WWE Tag Team Champions
- 1.3 List of WWE Tag Team Champions (2002 – 2010)
- 1.4 The Championship Gap Years
- 1.5 List of WWE Tag Team Champions (2016 – Present)
- 1.6 Teams With Most Championship Reigns
- 1.7 Key Differences Between Championship Eras
- 1.8 Record-Breaking Championship Reigns
- 1.9 Expert View: What Makes Great Tag Team Champions?
- 1.10 How the WWE Tag Team Championship Changed Wrestling?
- 1.11 FAQs
- 1.12 Final Thoughts
WWE Tag Team Champions List
What Is the WWE Tag Team Championship?
The WWE Tag Team Championship started in October 2002.
WWE created it for SmackDown to compete with Raw’s World Tag Team Championship.
Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit won the first belts at No Mercy.
The original title ran until 2009. That’s when WWE unified it with the World Tag Team Championship.
The belt was shelved in 2010 but got new life in 2016 after the brand split. SmackDown brought back the championship, and it’s been active ever since.
Current WWE Tag Team Champions
A-Town Down Under holds the straps right now. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller won at WrestleMania XL Night 1 in April 2024.
They grabbed the gold in a ladder match that saw multiple teams crash and burn. Their reign has lasted over 90 days.
The duo defended the titles on SmackDown regularly. They beat teams like DIY and other challengers to keep their spot at the top.
List of WWE Tag Team Champions (2002 – 2010)
The original championship era produced legendary teams. Here’s every team that held the gold during this period.
| Champions | Date Won | Event | Days Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Benoit & Kurt Angle | October 20, 2002 | No Mercy | 16 |
| Edge & Rey Mysterio | November 5, 2002 | SmackDown | 12 |
| Los Guerreros (Chavo & Eddie) | November 17, 2002 | Survivor Series | 79 |
| Team Angle (Haas & Benjamin) | February 4, 2003 | SmackDown | 103 |
| Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri | May 18, 2003 | Judgment Day | 44 |
| The World’s Greatest Tag Team | July 1, 2003 | SmackDown | 77 |
| Los Guerreros (Chavo & Eddie) | September 16, 2003 | SmackDown | 35 |
| The Basham Brothers | October 21, 2003 | SmackDown | 105 |
| Rikishi & Scotty 2 Hotty | February 3, 2004 | SmackDown | 77 |
| Charlie Haas & Rico | April 20, 2004 | SmackDown | 56 |
| The Dudley Boyz | June 15, 2004 | SmackDown | 21 |
| Billy Kidman & Paul London | July 6, 2004 | SmackDown | 63 |
| Kenzo Suzuki & René Duprée | September 7, 2004 | SmackDown | 91 |
| Rey Mysterio & Rob Van Dam | December 7, 2004 | SmackDown | 35 |
| The Basham Brothers | January 11, 2005 | SmackDown | 40 |
| Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio | February 20, 2005 | No Way Out | 57 |
| MNM (Mercury & Nitro) | April 18, 2005 | SmackDown | 97 |
| Legion of Doom (Animal & Heidenreich) | July 24, 2005 | Great American Bash | 93 |
| MNM (Mercury & Nitro) | October 25, 2005 | SmackDown | 49 |
| Batista & Rey Mysterio | December 13, 2005 | SmackDown | 14 |
| MNM (Mercury & Nitro) | December 27, 2005 | SmackDown | 145 |
| Paul London & Brian Kendrick | May 21, 2006 | Judgment Day | 331 |
| Deuce ‘n Domino | April 17, 2007 | SmackDown | 133 |
| Matt Hardy & MVP | August 28, 2007 | SmackDown | 77 |
| John Morrison & The Miz | November 13, 2007 | SmackDown | 250 |
| Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder | July 20, 2008 | Great American Bash | 63 |
| The Colons | September 21, 2008 | SmackDown | 280 |
Paul London and Brian Kendrick’s 331-day reign remains the longest in the original era.
They defended against everyone WWE threw at them. MNM won the belts three times, showing their tag team chemistry worked.
The Championship Gap Years
Between 2010 and 2016, WWE didn’t use the WWE Tag Team Championship name.
The titles became the Unified Tag Team Championship, then the WWE Tag Team Championship (Classic), and finally the Raw Tag Team Championship.
This gap created confusion. Fans wondered if the old Reigns still counted.
WWE eventually recognized the history when they brought the championship back in 2016.
List of WWE Tag Team Champions (2016 – Present)
The modern era started when SmackDown needed its own tag division. Heath Slater and Rhyno became the first champions of this new lineage.
| Champions | Date Won | Event | Days Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heath Slater & Rhyno | September 11, 2016 | Backlash | 84 |
| The Wyatt Family | December 4, 2016 | TLC | 23 |
| American Alpha | December 27, 2016 | SmackDown | 84 |
| The Usos | March 21, 2017 | SmackDown | 124 |
| The New Day | July 23, 2017 | Battleground | 28 |
| The Usos | August 20, 2017 | SummerSlam | 23 |
| The New Day | September 12, 2017 | SmackDown | 26 |
| The Usos | October 8, 2017 | Hell in a Cell | 182 |
| The Bludgeon Brothers | April 8, 2018 | WrestleMania 34 | 135 |
| The New Day | August 21, 2018 | SmackDown | 56 |
| The Bar | October 16, 2018 | SmackDown 1000 | 103 |
| The Miz & Shane McMahon | January 27, 2019 | Royal Rumble | 21 |
| The Usos | February 17, 2019 | Elimination Chamber | 51 |
| The Hardy Boyz | April 9, 2019 | SmackDown | 21 |
| Daniel Bryan & Rowan | May 7, 2019 | SmackDown | 68 |
| The New Day | July 14, 2019 | Extreme Rules | 63 |
| The Revival | September 15, 2019 | Clash of Champions | 54 |
| The New Day | November 8, 2019 | SmackDown | 111 |
| The Miz & John Morrison | February 27, 2020 | Super ShowDown | 50 |
| The New Day | April 17, 2020 | SmackDown | 93 |
| Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro | July 19, 2020 | Extreme Rules | 82 |
| The New Day | October 9, 2020 | SmackDown | 3 |
| The Street Profits | October 12, 2020 | Raw | 88 |
| Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode | January 8, 2021 | SmackDown | 128 |
| Rey & Dominik Mysterio | May 16, 2021 | WrestleMania Backlash | 63 |
| The Usos | July 18, 2021 | Money in the Bank | 622 |
| Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn | April 1, 2023 | WrestleMania 39 | 154 |
| The Judgment Day | September 2, 2023 | Payback | 35 |
| Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso | October 7, 2023 | Fastlane | 9 |
| The Judgment Day | October 16, 2023 | Raw | 173 |
| A-Town Down Under | April 6, 2024 | WrestleMania XL | 90 |
| #DIY | July 5, 2024 | SmackDown | Current |
The Usos dominated with a 622-day reign from 2021 to 2023.
They beat every challenge thrown their way. That run made them one of the greatest tag teams ever.
Teams With Most Championship Reigns
The New Day won the WWE Tag Team Championship eight times.
They’re the most successful team in the title’s modern history. Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods kept coming back for the gold.
The Usos grabbed the belts six times. Their chemistry as real-life brothers showed in the ring.
MNM had three reigns during the original era. Los Guerreros also held the championship twice.
These teams defined what tag team wrestling should look like. They worked together like machines. Every match told a story.
Key Differences Between Championship Eras
The original championship (2002-2010) focused on pure tag teams. WWE built actual duos who trained together.
Teams like MNM, The Basham Brothers, and Deuce ‘n Domino existed only as pairs.
The modern era (2016-present) includes more thrown-together teams. Singles stars team up for short runs.
Rey and Dominik Mysterio, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso, Shane McMahon, and The Miz all fit this pattern.
Both approaches work. Pure tag teams show better coordination. Mixed teams bring star power and fresh matchups.
Record-Breaking Championship Reigns
Paul London and Brian Kendrick’s 331-day reign tops the original era.
They held the belts from May 2006 to April 2007. Nobody touched them during that run.
The Usos’ 622-day reign crushes all modern records.
They won at Money in the Bank 2021 and didn’t lose until WrestleMania 39. That’s nearly two years of dominance.
The shortest reign belongs to The New Day at just three days in October 2020.
The Street Profits beat them almost immediately. Sometimes the title changes hands fast to build storylines.
Expert View: What Makes Great Tag Team Champions?
Great tag team champions share three traits. First, they work as one unit. You can’t tell where one wrestler ends and the other begins.
Second, they defend the belts regularly. Champions who hide from challengers lose respect fast.
Third, they create memorable moments. The Usos’ heel work in 2021-2023 was brilliant.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn’s WrestleMania 39 win made fans cry.
A-Town Down Under’s cockiness fits their characters perfectly.
The best champions make you care about tag team wrestling.
They prove that two wrestlers can be better than one.
How the WWE Tag Team Championship Changed Wrestling?
This championship gave SmackDown its own identity. When the brand split happened, each show needed top titles.
The WWE Tag Team Championship lets SmackDown build unique stars.
The title also kept tag team wrestling alive. Many promotions ignore tag teams.
WWE invested in this division. Teams like The Usos and New Day became main event-level stars because of these belts.
Young wrestlers learn teamwork through tag matches. Singles stars use tag runs to try new things.
The championship serves multiple purposes beyond just being a prize.
FAQs
- Who are the current WWE Tag Team Champions?
#DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) are the current champions. They won the titles on SmackDown in July 2024.
- Who was the first WWE Tag Team Champion?
Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit won the original belts at No Mercy in October 2002. Heath Slater and Rhyno won the revived championship in September 2016.
- What’s the longest WWE Tag Team Championship reign?
The Usos held the modern championship for 622 days from July 2021 to April 2023. Paul London and Brian Kendrick’s 331 days is the original era record.
- How many times has The New Day won the WWE Tag Team Championship?
The New Day won the championship eight times. They hold the record for the most reigns in the title’s history.
- Is the WWE Tag Team Championship the same as the Raw Tag Team Championship?
No. The WWE Tag Team Championship belongs to SmackDown. Raw has its own tag team titles called the World Tag Team Championship.
Final Thoughts
The complete WWE Tag Team Champions list shows wrestling history.
From Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit to #DIY, champions shaped how we see tag team matches.
Each reign added something to the title’s story.
These championships matter because great teams make them matter.
The Usos, New Day, and others elevated the belts through hard work and creativity.
Future champions will keep building that legacy.
Tag team wrestling works when partners trust each other completely.
That’s what makes this championship special.
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