World Tag League (NJPW)


The World Tag League is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held by New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a spin-off of the popular singles tournament, the G1 Climax. It was created in 1991 as the Super Grade Tag League, as a continuation of a regular tag team tournament held since 1980, gaining the name G1 Tag League in 1999. In 2012, NJPW's new owners, the Bushiroad company, renamed the tournament to its current form. Since the tournament acquired its current name, the winning team earns the right to challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championship, assuming the team does not hold the title at the time of their victory.
The World Tag League is held under a points system, with 2 points for a win, 1 for a time limit draw, and 0 for a loss, no contest or double decision. The current format, introduced in 2014, is essentially identical to that of the G1 Climax, with the top-scoring team from two blocks of eight advancing to the final.

List of winners

1980

The 1980 MSG Tag League featured 9 teams in a single block and was held from November 21 to December 10, 1980.
Antonio Inoki and Bob Backlund34
Stan Hansen and Hulk Hogan32
André the Giant and The Hangman28
Tiger Jeet Singh and Umanosuke Ueda24
Seiji Sakaguchi and Strong Kobayashi20
Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura15
Willem Ruska and Bad News Allen10
Kantaro Hoshino and Riki Choshu9
Ox Baker and Johnny Powers0

1981

The 1981 MSG Tag League featured 10 teams in a single block and was held from November 19 to December 10, 1981. Due to a tie for second place, the two second-place teams faced each other in a semifinal to decide the finalists.
WrestlersScore
André the Giant and Rene Goulet10
Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami8
Stan Hansen and Dick Murdoch8
Tiger Toguchi and Killer Khan6
Seiji Sakaguchi and Kengo Kimura6
Rusher Kimura and Animal Hamaguchi2
Riki Choshu and Yoshiaki Yatsu2
Bad News Allen and Pat Patterson2
Samoans Afa and Sika2
El Canek and Super Maquina2

ResultsAfa
Sika		Allen
Patterson		Choshu
Yatsu		El Canek
Maquina		Hansen
Murdoch		Inoki
Fujinami		Sakaguchi
Kengo		Rusher
Hamaguchi		André
Goulet		Toguchi
Khan
Afa
Sika		Draw
Choshu
Yatsu		Draw
Draw
Draw
Sakaguchi
Kengo
Draw
Draw
Draw
Allen
Patterson		Draw
Draw
Draw
Draw
Inoki
Fujinami
Draw
Draw
Draw
Draw
Choshu
Yatsu		Choshu
Yatsu		Draw
Choshu
Yatsu		Hansen
Murdoch		Inoki
Fujinami
Double
Countout
Double
Countout		The Giant
Goulet		Draw
El Canek
Maquina		Draw
Draw
Choshu
Yatsu		Hansen
Murdoch		Inoki
Fujinami
Sakaguchi
Kengo
Draw
Draw
Draw
Hansen
Murdoch		Draw
Draw
Hansen
Murdoch		Hansen
Murdoch		Hansen
Murdoch
Countout
Hansen
Murdoch		Double
Countout		Countout
Inoki
Fujinami		Draw
Inoki
Fujinami
Inoki
Fujinami
Inoki
Fujinami
Hansen
Murdoch
Inoki
Fujinami
Inoki
Fujinami
Double
Countout
Inoki
Fujinami
Sakaguchi
Kengo		Sakaguchi
Kengo
Draw
Double
Countout
Sakaguchi
Kengo
Countout
Inoki
Fujinami
Countout
The Giant
Goulet
Toguchi
Khan
Rusher
Hamaguchi		Draw
Draw
Double
Countout		Draw
Hansen
Murdoch		Inoki
Fujinami
Countout
André
Goulet		Draw
André
Goulet		Draw
Draw
André
Goulet		Draw
Double
Countout		Double
Countout
André
Goulet
André
Goulet		André
Goulet
Toguchi
Khan		Draw
Draw
Draw
Draw
Countout
Inoki
Fujinami
Toguchi
Khan
Draw
André
Goulet

1982

The 1982 MSG Tag League featured 8 teams in a single block and was held from November 19 to December 10, 1982. "Young Simpson" may be a mistranslation; no data has been found other than being tag team partner of British wrestler Wayne Bridges.
WrestlersScore
Antonio Inoki and Hulk Hogan28
Killer Khan and Tiger Toguchi23
Seiji Sakaguchi and Tatsumi Fujinami22
Dick Murdoch and Masked Superstar21
André the Giant and Rene Goulet20
Adrian Adonis and Dino Bravo9
El Canek and Perro Aguayo4
Wayne Bridges and Young Samson
†		0

† Bridges and Samson withdrew from the tournament and returned to the United Kingdom following the passing of Bridges's father.

1983

The 1983 MSG Tag League featured 9 teams in a single block and was held from November 18 to December 8, 1983.
WrestlersScore
André the Giant and Swede Hanson †32.0
Antonio Inoki and Hulk Hogan28.5
Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch27.5
Riki Choshu and Animal Hamaguchi26.5
Tatsumi Fujinami and Akira Maeda24.0
Killer Khan and Tiger Toguchi16.5
Seiji Sakaguchi and Kengo Kimura14.0
Bobby Duncum and Curt Hennig5.0
Wayne Bridges and Otto Wanz5.0

† Hanson was injured and could not compete in the final.

1984

The 1984 MSG Tag League featured 7 teams in a single block and was held from November 16 to December 5, 1984.
WrestlersScore
Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch23
Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami22.5
André the Giant and Gerry Morrow21.5
Seiji Sakaguchi and Kengo Kimura13
Tiger Toguchi and Kerry Brown8
Strong Machine #1 and Strong Machine #28
Hulk Hogan and The Wild Samoan †0

† Hogan was "injured" after their first match and returned to the United States, forfeiting the rest of his and The Wild Samoan's tournament matches.

1985

The 1985 IWGP Tag Title League featured 8 teams in a single block to determine the inaugural IWGP Tag Team Champions, and was held from November 15 to December 12, 1985.
WrestlersScore
Bruiser Brody and Jimmy Snuka †29
Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura23
Antonio Inoki and Seiji Sakaguchi21
Dick Murdoch and Masked Superstar19
Nord the Barbarian and Hacksaw Higgins19
El Canek and Dos Caras9
Mr. Pogo and Kendo Nagasaki7
Mike Kelly and Pat Kelly0

† Brody and Snuka no-showed the finals and jumped to All Japan Pro Wrestling

1986

The 1986 Japan Cup Tag League featured 8 teams in a single block and was held from November 14, 1986 to December 11, 1986.
WrestlersScore
Antonio Inoki and Yoshiaki Fujiwara25
Osamu Kido and Akira Maeda24
Dick Murdoch and Masked Superstar24
Nobuhiko Takada and Shiro Koshinaka21
Keiji Muto and Tatsumi Fujinami19
Kengo Kimura and George Takano14
Mr. Pogo and Kendo Nagasaki5
The Tonga Kid and The Wild Samoan0

1987

The 1987 Japan Cup Tag League featured 8 teams in a single block and was held from November 9, 1987 to December 7, 1987.
WrestlersScore
Antonio Inoki and Dick Murdoch29
Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura26
Masa Saito and Riki Choshu/Yoshiaki Fujiwara †26
Seiji Sakaguchi and Scott Hall17
Keiji Muto and Nobuhiko Takada13
Akira Maeda and Super Strong Machine †10
Kendo Nagasaki and Mr. Pogo9
Ron Starr and Ron Ritchie0

† On the eighth night of the tournament, during a six-man tag team match, Maeda stiff kicked Choshu in the face, breaking his orbital bone and sidelining him for a month. Choshu would be replaced by Fujiwara in the tournament while Maeda was suspended, forfeiting the rest of his and Super Strong Machine's tournament matches.