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Team International is a professional wrestling stable that has been brought together to compete in various Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments .
Contents
2008
The 2008 World X-Cup featured Team International, Team Mexico, Team Japan, and TNA Wrestling's Team USA, referred to on-screen as Team TNA. 2008 is the first year that a "Team International" has competed in a TNA X-Cup Tournament. In the past, the X-Cup Tournaments have featured Team USA/TNA, Team Canada, Team Mexico, Team Britain, and Team Japan. In 2008, Team International featured Canada's Tyson Dux, England's Doug Williams, Russia's Alex Koslov, and the Iranian American Team Captain, Daivari.
Team International is seen by some as being a replacement for both Team Canada and Team Britain, as well as being an addition of Russia and the Middle East. It is unknown why Canada and Great Britain did not feature their own teams as they have in previous X-Cup Tournaments. It is possible that only four Teams are wanted by TNA and that Team International will fill the gap of the other Teams that will not be featured in the 2008 Tournament.
Competition
Before the tournament, Alex Kozlov was in action against two Team TNA members, defeating Curry Man but losing to Kaz. In their first match of the tournament, Tyson Dux and Daivari lost to the Motor City Machine Guns of Team TNA. In the second round, although Kozlov was defeated by Team Mexico's Rey Bucerano, Doug Williams gained the team's first points with a victory over Masato Yoshino of Team Japan. In the last two rounds at Victory Road, Team International failed to get any points, therefore finishing tied for third place.
Aftermath
Daivari and Doug Williams were both signed to contracts following the tournament, with Daivari changing his ring name to Sheik Abdul Bashir. Daivari received an immediate singles push, winning the TNA X Division Championship in September 2008. Williams made sporadic appearances in TNA and was largely kept off-camera until forming a (kayfabe) alliance with fellow brits Brutus Magnus and Rob Terry in early 2009, collectively known as the British Invasion. A Team International semi-reunion of sorts would then take place as the Invasion joined forces with Bashir and his new (kayfabe) ally Kiyoshi to form an alliance which, upon the addition of Eric Young would become a faction known as the World Elite. The week after the Elite's formation, they would become a super-stable with the Main Event Mafia.
2013
Team International entered a tournament called the "World Cup of Wrestling", in which they tied with Team UK in 3rd place. This tournament was a part of TNA's One Night Only pay-per-view concept. The other teams included Team USA and Team Aces & Eights.
2015
For another One Night Only PPV, Team International returned to compete against Team USA in a tournament called "Global Impact: USA vs The World". Team International won the tournament in a tie-breaker match, where the team captain Great Muta defeated Mr. Anderson. This was their first tournament victory in TNA.