The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) member NWA San Francisco promoted a professional wrestling tag team championship under the name NWA World Tag Team Championship from 1950 until 1961 in and around their local territory until it closed. When San Francisco based Big Time Wrestling became a member of the NWA in 1968 they began promoting their version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship as part of their shows until the championship was abandoned in 1979. The NWA rules allowed each individual member to promote a championship under that name, which meant there were several NWA World Tag Team Championships promoted across North America at some point between 1950 and 1982, with two different versions being promoted in San Francisco, although not at the same time. At one point in 1957 no less than 13 different versions of the NWA World Tag Team Championship were recognized across the United States. At least 21 different regional branches of the NWA World Tag Team Championship have identified as being active at some point between 1950 and 1991. In 1992 the NWA Board of Directors sanctioned one main NWA World Tag Team Championship under their control. As it is a professional wrestling championship, it is not won via legitimate competition; it is instead won via a scripted ending to a match or on occasion awarded to a wrestler because of a storyline.
21-460: Ray Eckert and Hard Boiled Haggerty are recognized as the first holders of the NWA San Francisco version of the championship, said to have defeated the team of Ron Etchison and Larry Moquin , although no direct record of the match has been found; it was only mentioned on television. Due to gaps in documentation from the era not all championship changes have been record with specific dates, only
42-658: A Fox . He was a highly respected member of the Cauliflower Alley Club and earned one of their highest honors in 1993, the Iron Mike Mazurki Award. While living at Pacific Palisades, Don Haggerty (as he was then known) was an ardent member of Elysium Institute in Topanga, he had a great sense of humor, and was admired by all. On June 20, 2003, Haggerty was involved in a car accident in Los Angeles and suffered
63-497: A broken neck and other injuries. On January 27, 2004, Haggerty died at his home in Malibu, California . His interment was at Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery . Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Drop Mid 20th Century 1970s and 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from
84-687: A professional American football player, and he became a successful character actor after his wrestling career. Haggerty served in the U.S. Navy on the battleship the USS New Jersey during World War II . After attending Pasadena City College and the University of Denver , Stansauk was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the eighteenth round of the National Football League entry draft in 1950. He played defensive tackle and, after
105-559: A season with the Lions, was traded to the Green Bay Packers . Over the next two seasons, Stansauk played in 15 games and recovered two fumbles. As a wrestler, he made his wrestling debut under his real name in Green Bay, Wisconsin . From there, he moved to Chicago , where he was given the ring name Don Sparrow by promoter Karl Pojello, who thought that Stansauk "moved like a bird". He
126-484: A team, and they held the belts together twice. The team split up, however, on August 8, 1961, after Haggerty's interference accidentally cost Kiniski a match against Verne Gagne . The team vacated the championship, and a singles match between the two was scheduled to determine the fate of the title. Haggerty and Kiniski wrestled a singles match. Haggerty won the match and the belts, and he chose Bob Geigel as his new partner. The following year saw Haggerty wrestling for
147-790: A total of 18, 15 more than any other team. In 1957 the San Francisco version of the championship was one of thirteen NWA World Tag Team Championships being promoted in the United States throughout the NWA territories. The NWA: San Francisco version of the championship was abandoned in when promoter Joe Malcevicz closed his promotion in 1962. In 1961 Roy Shire started a rival wrestling promotion in San Francisco called Big Time Wrestling , in direct competition with NWA: San Francisco. Shires' promotion created its own World Tag Team Championship in 1961, with Guy and Joe Brunetti as its first champions. Initially Shire
168-456: Is the shortest documented title reign. The Blonde Bombers 's ( Ray Stevens and Pat Patterson ) reign that started in April 1965 was the longest reign on record, a total of 623 days. Key Key Hard Boiled Haggerty Don Stansauk (April 2, 1925 – January 27, 2004) was an American professional wrestler and actor, known by his ring name , Hard Boiled Haggerty . He was previously
189-564: The AWA World Tag Team Championship with three different partners. During his first reign, his partner, Len Montana broke his leg. As a result, Haggerty chose Gene Kiniski as his new partner. Shortly after he began teaming with Kiniski, Haggerty challenged his partner for the AWA United States Heavyweight Championship and took the belt from Kiniski. Haggerty and Kiniski continued to wrestle as
210-837: The NWA Texas Tag Team Championship while teaming with Stu Gibson. In 1956, Haggerty wrestled in Canada , winning the NWA Canadian Open Tag Team Championship while competing for Maple Leaf Wrestling . Later that year, he won his first singles title while wrestling for the International Wrestling Association in Montreal . He won the IWA World Heavyweight Championship on October 3, 1956, defeating Killer Kowalski for
231-630: The NWA once more. Haggerty teamed up with Kiniski again to win the Vancouver version of the NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship . They won the belts twice and, during their second reign, held the title until it was retired by the promotion. Haggerty returned to Hawaii to wrestle with the NWA, and he succeeded in taking the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Championship from Neff Maivia on February 6, 1964. He held
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#1732886905287252-606: The belt for over two months but lost it back to Maivia in a rematch. While wrestling with the Los Angeles –based Worldwide Wrestling Associates (WWA) later that year, he won his first of four WWA World Tag Team Championships . He teamed with The Destroyer to win the title twice in 1964. In Hawaii again the following year, Haggerty won his final singles title, taking the NWA Hawaii United States Championship from Enrique Torres on February 24, 1965. He held
273-628: The belt until September 15 that year, when he lost the title to King Curtis Iaukea . He later returned to Los Angeles, where he teamed with El Shareef to win the WWA World Tag Team Championship twice more. After retiring from wrestling, Haggerty went into acting and appeared in several movies. He also had a role in several television shows, including Adam-12 , Kung Fu , Get Smart , Starsky and Hutch , Columbo , Baretta , Happy Days , The Bob Newhart Show , The Love Boat , The Incredible Hulk and Crazy Like
294-597: The belt. He held the title for less than a month, losing it back to Kowalski in a rematch. Back in the United States, Haggerty formed a tag team with Kinji Shibuya in NWA Minneapolis . They won the Minneapolis version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship on April 22, 1958. They held the title for only a day, however, before it was returned to the previous champions because of concerns regarding
315-419: The general period of time that they happened. Due to this it is impossible to say which team held the championship for the shortest period of time although it is unlikely to be shorter than the one-day reign of Mike and Ben Sharpe from January 9 to 10, 1958. The Sharpe Brothers' eighth reign lasted at least 131 days, the longest known reign of any champions. The Sharpe Brothers also hold the record for most reigns,
336-565: The industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence of fans so as not to reveal the worked nature of the business. Into the 21st century, widespread discussion on the Internet has popularized these terms. Many of the terms refer to the financial aspects of professional wrestling in addition to in-ring terms. Also road agent , producer and coach . Also juicing , gigging , getting color , and running
357-439: The razor . Also booker and booking . Also going broadway . Also bury and buried . Also championship advantage . Also forbidden door . Also getting the heat . Also lackey or heavy Also babyface , blue-eye (England), or técnico (Mexico). Also playing Ricky Morton . Also hope spot . Also cross-promotion . Also persona . Also jobber to
378-561: The referee for the title match. Haggerty's next stop was Hawaii, where he won the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Championship while teaming with Bill Savage. They lost the belts to Lord James Blears and Herb Freeman, but Haggerty teamed with Butcher Vachon to regain the championship. During the 1960s, Haggerty wrestled in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) and won several titles. From 1960 to 1961, he held
399-807: The title the following month, he teamed with Dutch Howlett to win the Midwest Wrestling Association American Tag Team Championship in June while wrestling in Ohio. After losing the belts, Haggerty continued wrestling in California. He won the NWA Pacific Coast Tag Team Championship twice, in 1951 and 1954, while teaming with Tom Rice. In 1955, Haggerty wrestled for World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas, winning
420-602: Was associated with the American Wrestling Alliance , but in 1968 he became a member of the NWA. At that point the Big Time Wrestling tag team championship was given the NWA suffix. Big Time Wrestling abandoned the tag team championship in 1979 and two years later the promotion closed. While it is possible that there were shorter reigns, the seven-day reign of the Great Mephisto and Kinji Shibuya in April 1973
441-588: Was later given the name "Hard Boiled Haggerty" by promoter Wally Karbo while wrestling in Minneapolis . Haggerty wrestled as a heel and was hated by the crowds because he portrayed an arrogant character. Haggerty won his first championship on April 4, 1950, with NWA San Francisco , teaming with Ray Eckert to win the San Francisco version of the National Wrestling Alliance World Tag Team Championship . After dropping
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