View source for World Tag Team Championship (WWE, 2024–present)

{{Active Championship}}
{{About|the current tag team championship defended in WWE that was introduced in 2002|the WWE's original Tag Team Championship introduced in 1971 and retired in 2010|World Tag Team Championship (WWE)|the unified version of both titles|Unified WWE Tag Team Championship}}
{{Tabs
|backcolor=#FFE93E
|altbackcolor=#FFFFFF
|bordercolor=silver
|borderradius=6
|height=2.2
|maxwidth=20
|tab1=General
|tab2=Champion history
|tab3=Title matches
|tab4=Champion gallery
}}
{{Infobox Championship
| championshipname = WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
| image = [[File:WWE Raw Tag Team Championship.jpg|200px]]
| currentholder = [[Seth Rollins]] & [[Buddy Murphy]]
| won = January 20, [[2020]]
| promotion = [[World Wrestling Entertainment]]
| brand = ''[[RAW]]''
| created = October 20, [[2002]]
| titleretired = 
| pastnames = Unified WWE Tag Team Championship<br>WWE Tag Team Championship
| mostreigns = [[Cesaro & Sheamus]]<br>{{small|(4 reigns)}}
| firstchamp = [[Kurt Angle]] & [[Chris Benoit]]
}}
The '''World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) RAW Tag Team Championship''' is a [[professional wrestling]] [[World Tag Team Championship|world tag team]] [[Championship (professional wrestling)|championship]] in [[World Wrestling Entertainment]]. The championship is generally contested in [[professional wrestling match types|professional wrestling matches]], in which participants execute scripted finishes rather than contend in direct competition.

==History==
After the [[WWE Brand Extension|Brand Extension]] in World Wrestling Entertainment, the [[WWE Championship|WWE Undisputed Championship]] and [[WWE Women's Championship]] became the only titles allowed to be defended on both the [[WWE Raw|Raw]] and [[WWE SmackDown|SmackDown!]] brands, while the remaining titles became exclusive to either brand. During a period of open free agency, the Tag Team Champions were signed to appear and defend the title on the Raw brand. The [[World Tag Team Championship (WWE)|Tag Team Championship]] became exclusive to the Raw brand, leaving the SmackDown! brand without a tag team title. As a result, [[Professional wrestling authority figures#General managers 2|SmackDown General Manager]] [[Stephanie McMahon]], introduced the new "WWE Tag Team Championship" and commissioned it to be the tag team title for the SmackDown! brand. She stated that the inaugural champions would be determined from an eight-team tournament. On [[October 20]], 2002, the team of [[Kurt Angle]] and [[Chris Benoit]] defeated [[Rey Mysterio, Jr.|Rey Mysterio]] and [[Edge]] at [[No Mercy 2002]] in the tournament final to become the first ever WWE Tag Team Champions.

On [[October 17]], 2007, SmackDown! and [[ECW (WWE)|ECW]] announced a talent sharing agreement, where wrestlers of either brand could appear on both shows. From then on, the title had been featured and defended on both brands. The titles first prominently appeared on ECW after [[John Morrison and The Miz]] began an eight-month-long reign on November 16, 2007. On April 5, 2009 at [[WrestleMania XXV]], WWE Tag Team Champions [[The Colóns]] ([[Carlito]] and [[Primo Colón|Primo]]) defeated World Tag Team Champions [[John Morrison and The Miz]] to [[Championship unification|unify]] both titles into what WWE referred to as the "Unified WWE Tag Team Championship."

On the August 16, 2010 episode of ''Raw'', then-champions [[The Hart Dynasty]] ([[Harry Smith|David Hart Smith]] and [[TJ Wilson|Tyson Kidd]]) were awarded a new physical representation of championship belts, signifying the consolidation of the unified titles to one championship. WWE confirmed via their website that these tag team titles would succeed the retiring World Tag Team Championship as WWE's only tag team championship. All title history after August 16, 2010 ceased for the World Tag Team Championship while the WWE Tag Team Championship's linage continued.

The Hart Dynasty lost the titles to [[Cody Rhodes]] and [[Drew McIntyre]] (later briefly named "The Dashing Ones"). TDO then lost the title to the Nexus team of John Cena and David Otunga. At the orders of Nexus leader Wade Barrett, Otunga then laid down and intentionally gave up the titles to the team of fellow members Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater.

Following the reintroduction of the brand extension in July 2016, then-champions [[The New Day]] were drafted to the Raw brand, making the championship exclusive to [[Raw]]. In response, SmackDown created the [[WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championship|SmackDown Tag Team Championship]] on August 23, 2016. The WWE Tag Team Championship was subsequently renamed to reflect its exclusivity to Raw. The championship's belt design was given a slight update on December 19, 2016, featuring silver plates on red leather straps, counterpart to the blue straps on the SmackDown Tag Team Championship belts.

===Names===
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
! Name
! Years
|-
|WWE Raw Tag Team Championship
|
August 24, 2016 – Present
|-
|WWE Tag Team Championship
|[[October 20]], 2002 – April 5, 2009; August 16, 2010 – August 24, 2016
|-
|Unified WWE Tag Team Championship
|
April 5, 2009 – August 16, 2010
|}

==2012 Tournament==
*{{See also|2012 WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament}}
It was announced on the [[September 28, 2012 Smackdown results|September 28, 2012 edition of Smackdown taping]] in [[Buffalo, New York]] that a tag team tournament will take place to determine the #1 contenders to the WWE Tag Team titles.

==2016 Tournament==
*{{See also|2016 WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament}}
It was announced on the [[April 11, 2016 Monday Night RAW results|April 11, 2016 edition of Raw]] in [[Los Angeles, California]] that a tag team tournament would take place to determine the #1 contenders to the WWE Tag Team titles.

==Past Designs==
<gallery>
File:JJ.png|WWE Tag Team (SmackDown!) Championship (2002 - 2010)
Penny.png|WWE Tag Team Championship (2010 - 2014)
WWE Tag Team Championship 2014.png|(2014 - 2016)
WWE Raw Tag Team Championship.jpg|(2016 - )
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[World Wrestling Entertainment]]
*[[WWE Raw Tag Team Championship/Champion history|Champion history]] - History of the wrestlers who have held the belt.
*[[WWE Raw Tag Team Championship/Title matches|Title matches]] - Matches in which the title was defended.
*[[WWE Raw Tag Team Championship/Champion gallery|Champion gallery]] - A gallery of all champions.

==External links==
*[http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/wwetag WWE Tag Team Championship at WWE.com]
*[http://www.cagematch.net/?id=5&nr=61 WWE Tag Team Championship at CAGEMATCH.net]

{{WWE Championships}}

<!--Interwiki links-->
[[ro:WWE Tag Team Championship]]
[[Category:World Wrestling Entertainment championships]]
[[Category:Tag team championships]]
[[Category:Tag team wrestling championships]]