SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The WWE Tag Team Championship (originally introduced as the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship) is a male professional wrestling world tag team title created and promoted by WWE for its SmackDown brand. Introduced in 2016 following the WWE brand split, the title represents tag team excellence and has featured historic reigns, main-evented WrestleMania 39, and undergone a major visual redesign in 2024.
Cronologia
Biografia
The WWE Tag Team Championship serves as the top-tier tag team title for WWE's SmackDown brand, symbolizing competitive excellence and team cohesion.
Originally created as the SmackDown Tag Team Championship following the 2016 WWE Draft, the title was established to ensure SmackDown possessed its own exclusive tag team division after the original WWE Tag Team Championship became exclusive to the Raw brand.
Throughout its history, the championship has been the prize at the center of long-running rivalries and record-breaking achievements. From faction warfare and multi-team ladder matches to historical milestones—such as the first-time father-son championship victory by Rey and Dominik Mysterio—the title stands as a cornerstone of WWE tag team wrestling.
Storia
The title was officially unveiled on the August 23, 2016 episode of SmackDown Live by General Manager Daniel Bryan and Commissioner Shane McMahon.
An eight-team tournament was scheduled to crown the inaugural champions, culminating at Backlash on September 11, 2016, where Heath Slater and Rhyno defeated The Usos in the tournament finals.
In May 2022, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defeated Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro to unify both sets of titles into the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, holding the SmackDown titles for a record 622 days until losing them at WrestleMania 39 to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. At WrestleMania XL in April 2024, the titles were ununified in a Six-Pack Ladder Match won by A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller). On April 19, 2024, Chief Content Officer Triple H and GM Nick Aldis retired the blue-strap design and officially renamed the title the WWE Tag Team Championship.
I PEZZI DI SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Evoluzione
The championship has evolved significantly in both physical appearance and main-event status since its introduction. Visually, it debuted with silver plates on a blue leather strap to distinguish it from Raw's title. During the Undisputed era (2022–2024), champions carried both blue SmackDown and red Raw belts simultaneously.
On April 19, 2024, Triple H and Nick Aldis completely replaced the classic blue strap design with a updated gold and silver belt on a black strap, officially renaming it the WWE Tag Team Championship. In terms of prestige, the title grew from a brand-specific division prize into a top pay-per-view headliner. Its highest profile point occurred on April 1, 2023, when The Usos defended the unified tag team titles against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in the main event of WrestleMania 39 Night 1.
Da Collezione
For action figure collectors and wrestling replica enthusiasts, the SmackDown / WWE Tag Team Championship is a mainstay accessory. Mattel routinely produces scale replica belts included with action figures in its WWE Elite Collection and Ultimate Edition lines, bundling them with key champions like The Usos, The New Day, and Rey Mysterio.
In the high-end replica market, WWE Shop releases official full-size adult replica belts. The classic blue-leather version (2016–2024) remains a sought-after piece for classic brand-split displays, while customizable commemorative side plates for teams like The Bloodline or The New Day are popular individual collector items. The 2024 belt redesign created a new wave of demand among replica belt collectors updating their title displays.
The championship main-evented WrestleMania 39 Night 1, marking a rare tag team title main event at WWE's biggest show.
