The NXT UK Tag Team Championship was a men's
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
tag team
championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
that was created and promoted by the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
. It was defended on the
NXT UK
''NXT UK'' is a professional wrestling television programme that was produced exclusively in the United Kingdom by the American promotion WWE. It aired on BT Sport and 5Action (previously known as Paramount Network). In the United States, the s ...
brand division, a sister brand of WWE's
developmental territory
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
NXT
NXT may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010
** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory
* ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
based in the United Kingdom. Established on 18 June 2018, the inaugural championship team was
James Drake and
Zack Gibson
Jack Rea (born 8 August 1990) is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Rip Fowler. He is also known for his work as Zack Gibson on the UK independent circuit. He f ...
. On 4 September 2022 at
Worlds Collide, the title was
unified into the
NXT Tag Team Championship
The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on January 23 ...
, officially retiring the title in the process, with the team of
Brooks Jensen
Benjamin Buchanan (born August 21, 2001) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Brooks Jensen. In WWE, he is a one-time NXT UK Tag Team Champion with Josh Briggs ...
and
Josh Briggs
Joshua Bruns (born March 5, 1993) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Josh Briggs. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand. In WWE, he is a one-time NXT UK Tag Team Champion with Brooks Je ...
recognized as the final champions.
History
In a press conference at
The O2 Arena
The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the s ...
on 15 December 2016, the American
professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
announced plans to establish a United Kingdom-based
brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
on which professional wrestlers from the country would compete. The
WWE United Kingdom Championship
The NXT United Kingdom Championship was a men's professional wrestling championship that was created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It was primarily defended as the top championship of the NXT UK brand division, a sister brand of WWE ...
(later renamed NXT United Kingdom Championship) was established that same day,
however, it was not until mid-2018 when
NXT UK
''NXT UK'' is a professional wrestling television programme that was produced exclusively in the United Kingdom by the American promotion WWE. It aired on BT Sport and 5Action (previously known as Paramount Network). In the United States, the s ...
was formally established as the United Kingdom-based brand, and sister brand of the American-based
NXT
NXT may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010
** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory
* ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
. On 18 June during the first night of the
2018 United Kingdom Championship Tournament, the NXT UK Tag Team Championship, along with the
NXT UK Women's Championship
The NXT UK Women's Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship that was created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It was defended on the NXT UK brand division, a sister brand of WWE's developmental territory NXT base ...
, was announced for the NXT UK brand.
A four-team
single-elimination
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
tournament
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
took place on the 24 and 25 November tapings of ''
NXT UK
''NXT UK'' is a professional wrestling television programme that was produced exclusively in the United Kingdom by the American promotion WWE. It aired on BT Sport and 5Action (previously known as Paramount Network). In the United States, the s ...
'' (aired 2 and 9 January 2019, respectively). The finals occurred at
TakeOver: Blackpool on 12 January, where the team of
James Drake and
Zack Gibson
Jack Rea (born 8 August 1990) is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Rip Fowler. He is also known for his work as Zack Gibson on the UK independent circuit. He f ...
defeated
Moustache Mountain
Moustache Mountain was a British professional wrestling tag team consisting of Trent Seven and Tyler Bate, Bate is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand and Seven worked for WWE until his release in August 2022. They are one-t ...
(
Trent Seven
Benjamin Maurice Webb (born 21 August 1981), better known by the ring name Trent Seven, is an English professional wrestler, wrestling promoter, and actor. He was signed to WWE on their NXT UK brand, where he is a former NXT UK Tag Team Champion ...
and
Tyler Bate
Tyler Bate (born 7 March 1997) is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand.
In 2017, he became the inaugural WWE United Kingdom Champion (later renamed NXT United Kingdom Championship), ...
) to become the inaugural champions.
In August 2022, WWE announced that the NXT UK brand would go on hiatus and would relaunch as NXT Europe in 2023. As such, NXT UK's championships were
unified into their respective NXT championship counterparts. Subsequently, the NXT UK Tag Team Championship was retired on 4 September 2022 at
Worlds Collide. At the event,
Pretty Deadly
''Pretty Deadly'' is a creator-owned American comic book series by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Spanish artist Emma RĂos, distributed by Image Comics. The story combines elements from western and horror genres, and draws on aspects from mythology a ...
(Elton Prince and Kit Wilson) defeated
NXT Tag Team Champions The Creed Brothers
The Creed Brothers are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Brutus Creed (Drew Kasper; born May 13, 1996) and Julius Creed (Jacob Kasper; born October 3, 1994). They are currently working for the professional wrestli ...
(Brutus Creed and Julius Creed),
Gallus (
Mark Coffey
Mark Coffey (born February 13, 1990) is a Scottish professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand. He is the younger brother of Joe Coffey and the pair occasionally tag team together as The Coffey Brothers. ...
and
Wolfgang
Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the Old High German words ''wolf'', meaning "wolf", and ''gang'', meaning "path", "journey", "travel". Besides the regula ...
), and reigning NXT UK Tag Team Champions
Brooks Jensen
Benjamin Buchanan (born August 21, 2001) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Brooks Jensen. In WWE, he is a one-time NXT UK Tag Team Champion with Josh Briggs ...
and
Josh Briggs
Joshua Bruns (born March 5, 1993) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Josh Briggs. He is currently signed to WWE where he performs on the NXT brand. In WWE, he is a one-time NXT UK Tag Team Champion with Brooks Je ...
in a
fatal four-way tag team elimination match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
to unify the NXT UK Tag Team Championship into the NXT Tag Team Championship, with Jensen and Briggs recognized as the final NXT UK Tag Team Champions. Pretty Deadly went forward as the unified NXT Tag Team Champions.
Inaugural tournament
Belt design
The championship belts were unveiled by WWE
Chief Operating Officer
A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the "C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...
and NXT head
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...
and NXT UK General Manager
Johnny Saint
John Miller (born 29 June 1941) is an English professional wrestling authority figure and retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he served as the on-screen general manager of the now defunct NXT UK under his career- ...
on the 14 October 2018 tapings of ''NXT UK'' in Plymouth. The center plate of the championship belts was modeled on the NXT UK logo, which itself took inspiration from the
United Kingdom's royal coat of arms, featuring a lion and a horse (instead of the traditional unicorn) with a vertical NXT logo between them; the animals were gold while the logo was silver (the WWE logo was affixed at the center of the X). Above and below the logo were two halves of the globe which were colored blue. A banner above the upper globe read "UK Tag Team" while a banner below the lower globe read "Champions". A gold ornamented border with red jewels circled the center plate. Gold and black divider bars with red jewels at each end separated the center plate from the belt's two side plates. In what became a prominent feature of WWE's championship belts, the side plates featured removable center sections that could be replaced with the reigning champion's logo; the default side plates featured the WWE logo on a blue globe. The plates were on a black leather strap.
Reigns
Over the championship's four year history, there were seven reigns between seven teams composed of 14 individual champions and one vacancy.
James Drake and
Zack Gibson
Jack Rea (born 8 August 1990) is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Rip Fowler. He is also known for his work as Zack Gibson on the UK independent circuit. He f ...
were the inaugural champions.
Gallus (
Mark Coffey
Mark Coffey (born February 13, 1990) is a Scottish professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand. He is the younger brother of Joe Coffey and the pair occasionally tag team together as The Coffey Brothers. ...
and
Wolfgang
Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the Old High German words ''wolf'', meaning "wolf", and ''gang'', meaning "path", "journey", "travel". Besides the regula ...
) had the longest reign, which WWE recognizes as lasting 497 days (beginning 17 October 2019 and ending 25 February 2021); the actual length of their reign is undeterminable as the real date they lost the title is unknown.
Flash Morgan Webster
Gavin Watkins (born 13 April 1990) is a Welsh professional wrestler. He is most well known for his time in WWE where he performed under the ring name "Flash" Morgan Webster. Webster was one of the first Welsh Champions in WWE history alongside t ...
and
Mark Andrews had the shortest reign at 34 days; however, WWE recognizes their reign as lasting 47 days due to tape delay, and as such, recognize that
Ashton Smith and
Oliver Carter had the shortest reign at 21 days also due to tape delay (although Smith and Carter's reign actually lasted 62 days). Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs are recognized as the final champions. The oldest champion was Trent Seven, winning the title at 40 years old, while the youngest was Jensen, winning it at 20.
See also
*
Tag team championships in WWE
WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separate ...
*
Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom
Professional wrestling in the United Kingdom spans over one hundred years but became popular when the then new independent television network ITV began showing it in 1955, firstly on Saturday afternoons and then also in a late-night midweek slot. I ...
Notes
References
External links
Official NXT UK Tag Team Championship title history
{{British wrestling titles
WWE NXT championships
Tag team wrestling championships
National professional wrestling championships
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...