The Top Ten Tag Teams

[BiZkiT]

The Top Ten Tag Teams

Honorable Mention: Harlem Heat

When I was a kid, the tag team that got my attention the most was Harlem Heat. Seeing two muscular black guys, allegedly from Harlem (where I went to school), being at the top of the tag team division was inspirational to me and as a result I was one of thei biggest fans. As I got older, my love affair with the Heat dwindled, but that doesn't take away from the fact that they were one hell of a tag team. They were wildly entertaining and they had the unique combination of having a powerhouse (Stevie Ray) and an athletic technician (Booker T) which wasn't seen a lot during those times. They were always reliable for WCW because while other tag teams faded away, Harlem Heat ALWAYS remained popular. They had a total of 13 Tag Team Championships in such promotion as GWF and WCW which showed just how prolific they were as a tag team. They helped to break down racial barriers and became so popular that soon fans didn't notice the color of their skin, but only noticed how great they were as a tag team.

Honorable Mention: The Minnesota Wrecking Crew

There were two inclinations of The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, one that consisted of Ole and Gene Anderson and the other, later version which consisted of Ole and Arn Anderson. One things remained constant during both inclinations, though, and that was that The Andersons were the toughest tag team anywhere they wrestled. They would just unmercifully beat the crap out of you and were unflinching in the way they dissected a body part. The Andersons were one of the first to implement psychology into a wrestling match by targeting a certain part of an opponents body and picking it apart until that opponent had no choice but to give up. They wore tag team gold on 21 different occasions in the NWA, Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, and Georgia Wrestling. They were the epitome of toughness and set the template for all future tag teams that wanted to be intimidating and imposing.

Honorable Mention: The New Age Outlaws

Now before you throw your Kool-Aid at your computer screen and damn me to hell for mentioning the New Age Outlaws amongst the greatest tag teams of all-time, I want you to know that I'm not referring to the horrid Voodoo Kin Mafia that now resides in TNA, but rather the hip & edgy duo from the WWE circa 1998. Both Billy Gunn and Jesse James were lower mid-card acts who were on the verge of getting fired when they were just randomly paired up to be a tag team. From there, they saved their asses by becoming one of the most entertaining duos the wrestling world had ever seen. Their entrance, complete with the, "Ohhh, you didn't know??" catchphrase, generated some of the biggest pops the wrestling world had ever seen and there was a time when everybody was a mark for The Outlaws. They had a legendary feud with Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie and once they joined up with DX, their popularity rose even more. Once DX disbanded, though, The Outlaws fell by the wayside and soon both Billy and Jesse were singles wrestlers. While both had moderate success as singles competitors, they never again achieved the popularity and notoriety that they did as part of The Outlaws. All together, they held the WWE Tag Team Titles on 5 separate occasions and they were proof positive that if you give two hungry guys a chance, they might turn into something wildly successful.

Honorable Mention: Demolition

When Vince McMahon failed in the mid-80's to steal The Road Warriors away from the NWA, he decided to just make his own version and give them a colossal push. This idea seemed destined to fail since knockoffs never achieve the same level of success as the original, but Demolition was different. Demolition was cool, from their awesome S&M-type outfits and face masks to their kick ass entrance music. They could also back it up in the ring as they were dominant and able to put on great matches with the likes of The Hart Foundation, The Rockers, and The Brain Busters. Soon, fans didn't think of Demolition as a Road Warrios ripoff, but rather a legitimate tag team in their own right. Demolition held the WWE Tag Team Championship on 3 separate occasions, including one reign which was the longest in WWE history. The epitome of badass and cool, Demolition were ahead of their time and that's one of the reasons their remembered so fondly by fans to this day.

Honorable Mention: The Hardy Boyz

At the turn of the 21st Century, The Hardy Boyz were the epitome of excitement in the world of pro wrestling. After years of working in the WWE as a jobber tag team, the Hardyz finally started to get a push after being paired up with Michael Hayes and started ascending even hire after they ditched Hayes to join up with Gangrel as a part of The New Brood. They really gained the world's attention, though, in their 5-match T.I.T. tournament against Edge & Christian. The culmination of this tournament took place at No Mercy '99 in the first ever tag team ladder match and the two teams put on a show for the ages. That match instantly turned the Hardyz into fan favorites and there was no looking back from there. After that, they went on to have some of the most hellacious matches in WWE history against The Dudleyz and Edge & Christian in various table and TLC matches. They went on to hold the WWE tag team titles 4 times, the WCW tag team titles once and the World Tag Team Titles once. The Hardyz took the WWE to the Xtreme and the fans have loved them ever since.

10) The Dudley Boyz

D-Von and Bubba Ray Dudley started out as a mish-mashed tag team that was part of a comedic stable of interracial half-brothers, but they wound up becoming one of the most decorated tag teams in the history of the business. Their 19 tag team title reigns that span over such promotions as the WWE, WCW (although in all fairness, it was the WWE version of WCW), ECW, and TNA prove just how prolific these guys are. The Dudz started their career in ECW and soon became the most hated men in the entire promotion. Some argue that The Dudleys are the greatest heel tag team ever and it's hard to dispute that point. If you ever saw their promo work in ECW, they had fans on the verge of rioting on several nights. Once they went over to the WWE, many feared that they would lose their hardcore edge, but that was soon proven wrong when The Duds embarked on some hellacious hardcore brawls with The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian. While Sabu has been credited for bringing the table spot to North America, The Dudleys are the ones who made it mainstream when they started putting everybody (including women) through tables once they entered the WWE. Soon fans were shouting along with Bubba Ray when he told D-Von to GET THE TABLES! I don't think anybody can deny just how influential The Dudley Boys have been. Their numerous title reigns, hardcore brawls, and participation in the classic TLC matches have already cemented their place in history and as Team 3-D, they aren't even done yet.

9) Edge & Christian

When you speak about a tag team that totally reeked of awesomeness, you have to be talking about Edge & Christian. After ditching The Brood, E&C went on to be a crowd favorite and soon began engaging in wars against The Hardy Boyz, who were now part of The New Brood. After their epic clach at No Mercy '99, the fans started to favor The Hardyz over E&C and it wasn't too long until Edge & Christian decided to stop playing nice. And that's when all the awesomeness began. After winning the tag titles in a classic 3-team ladder match at Wrestlemania 16, E&C declared themselves as the greatest tag team ever and started giving all the fans with the benefit of flash photography only five seconds to take snapshots of the champs. They began to constantly berate fans and viciously attack their opponents with steel chairs until they became absolutely hated by the fans. They also showed their humorous side during exchanges with Kurt Angle, Triple H, Mick Foley and various others. Who could ever forget the Kazoo of Greatness? They racked up a total of 7 WWE Tag Team Title reigns and were one of the main components for the resurgence of tag team wrestling in the WWE at the turn of the century.

8) The Hart Foundation

The technical precision of Bret Hart, the brute strength of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, and the loud mouth of Jimmy Hart made the Hart Foundation one of the most formidable tag teams during the late 80's. With their pink tights, leather jackets, and sunglasses, they were the epicenter of cool, but once they got in that ring they were all business. Bret would dissect opponents with his vast array of technical maneuvers while The Anvil would just beat the piss out of you. It wasn't long until the fans started to cheer The Foundation even though they were suppose to be heels. Once they turned face and got rid of Jimmy Hart, their popularity rose to even greater heights. Their series of matches against The British Bulldogs and Demolition are legendary. The held the WWE Tag Titles twice and would have probably had even more title reigns if they were together longer. It wasn't long before Bret embarked on a solo career, but the influence that The Hart Foundation has had on other teams is apparent and they will stand out throughout time as one of the best.

7) The Rockers

When I was growing up in the early 90's, The Rockers were easily my favorite tag team. They were young, exciting and cool, I instantly wanted to be like that. So much, in fact, that I would climb on top of the high dresser in my room to perform moonsaults on my bed and would tie strings around my wrists and on my shoes to look like tassles. Yea, I was a weird kid. Anyhows, The Rockers were like a more up-to-date (at the time) version of The Rock N' Roll Express, but some argued that they were even BETTER than the RnR's which was blasphemy at the time. The Rockers were perennially over and got ovations that rivaled the reactions that The Hardy Boyz get today. Young kids loved them, teenage girls loved them, older women loved them, and even grown men gave them respect. They never won the tag team gold (which is baffling when you think about it due to their immense popularity), but despite their shortcomings in the championship department, there is no doubt that The Rockers are one of the most popular tag teams of all-time.

6) The Fabulous Freebirds

When you talk about legendary stables and tag teams, you should immediately start with The Fabulous Freebirds. The original group consisted of Michael "PS" Hayes, Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy and Buddy "Jack" Roberts with Jimmy Garvin and Brad Armstrong added on later. They were able to dominate tag team action due to the so-called "Freebird Rule" where any two of the three members could wrestle in a match at any time. That gave them a huge advantage over their opponents because the opponents had no idea who they were going to be facing until the bell rang. Many other future stables, including the nWo, The Jersey Triad, Triple X and Demolition implored this same philosophy to great success. The Freebirds were one of the first heels to be immensely cool. They had the awesome entrance music, the kick ass threads, and a badass attitude that made them seem like they were ready to fight at anytime. They were the ultimate heat seekers as they could have the crowd loving them one minute and then despising them the next. They held a total of eight Tag Team Championships that spanned over such promotions like Mid-Atlantic, WCW and GWF. When you talk about influential and ground breaking, one of the first names you HAVE to mention is The Fabulous Freebirds.

5) The British Bulldogs

After amassing a huge amount of success in Stampede Wrestling, The British Bulldogs came to the WWE and quickly became one of the most popular tag teams on the roster. They busted out moves that the WWE fans had never seen and it seemed like every match these guys wrestled was a phenomenal one. If Dynamite had stayed healthy, they could have probably gone on to be the greatest tag team of all-time because for a while, it seemed like they were absolutely unstoppable. Their stay in the WWE was relatively short-lived, yet they are still fondly remembered by most fans as one of the greatest tag teams to ever lace up a pair of boots. That's a true testimony to how great these guys really were and if you ever want to see an example of tag team perfection, just look for a tape (or DVD in this modern age) of The Bulldogs in action.

4) The Steiner Brothers

The two brothers from The University Of Michigan began teaming up in 1988 in the NWA and it wasn't long until they made a name for themselves. They started defeating such legendary tag teams as The Fabulous Freebirds and The Midnight Express and it wasn't too long until they captured their first NWA Tag Team Championship. They also started making a name for themselves overseas as well when they captured the IWGP Tag Titles in Japan. Their combination of speed and agility left fans in awe as they could knock an opponent on their ass one second with a Steinerline and then deliver a beautiful looking Frankensteiner the next. They held 12 different Tag Team Championships during their time together and were successful anywhere they went, whether it was WCW or the WWE or Japan. Nowadays, The Steiners are still active in TNA and while they are only a shell of their former selves, I don't think anybody who ever watched them in their prime can deny that The Steiners were one of the greatest ever.

3) The Rock N' Roll Express

The best babyface team of all-time. Hands down. When you hear people today talking about a wrestler doing a "Ricky Morton", it comes from this pairing and how well Ricky Morton would sell getting his ass beat to get the crowd into the match. The RnR's seemingly always came into the match as the plucky underdog, yet most of the time they left with their hands raised in victory. They perfected the tag team formula that you see to this day which is a member of the babyface team gets his ass beat, he gets near his partner numerous times but seemingly always fails, and then he finally gets the hot tag which leads into the finish of the match. Nobody ever did that tag team formula better than the RnR's. They would have the crowd EATING out of their hands and they were so popular that they could sell out shows with just their name alone. Their "face in peril" act set the template for all tag team matches that followed and their influence on the world of pro wrestling is without question.

2) The Road Warriors

When The Road Warriors arrived on the tag team scene in the early 80's, they were unlike anything the wrestling world had ever seen before. Wearing face paint with punk-rock haircuts while adorned in leather covered with spikes, The Road Warriors were two badasses who intimidated EVERYBODY. They also had the first wildly popular tag team finishing maneuver which was The Doomsday Device and it looked devastating everytime it was hit. They feuded with every major tag team of the 80's and 90's including The Midnight Express, The Steiners, The Four Horsemen, The Russians, The Von Erichs, The Fabulous Freebirds, The Hart Foundation, Demolition, The New Age Outlaws and a ton of others. In many of those feuds, The Road Warriors would come out on top. They were all business in the ring and would beat their opponents unmercifully and were the type of guys you would want backing you in a bar fight. In any promotion they wrestled in, they would instantly become the most popular tag team and that was due to the fact that the fans knew they were going to see a good old fashioned fight whenever The Road Warriors strolled to the ring. Tough doesn't even begin to describe how badass these guys were and they are probably the most influential, mimicked and remembered tag team of all time.

1) The Midnight Express

When you talk about tag team excellence, the first name that comes out of your mouth should be The Midnight Express. The Midnight Express had many iterations, but the two most popular ones were the team that consisted of Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton and the team that consisted of Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton. The Midnights perfected the art of double teaming. Their numerous double team moves (The Rocket Launcher, Veg-O-Matic, Double Flapjack, Double Goozle) were a thing a beauty and they used it to slowly pick apart their opponents. Another component that The Midnights had was their manager, Jim Cornette. Cornette would talk up his team as the greatest thing since sliced bread and would patrol the ringside area with his trusty tennis racket while taking any opportunity he could get to give a couple shots to the opposition. The Midnights were tag team perfection and no matter who they had a match with, it was guaranteed to be entertaining. If you don't think The Midnights are worthy of this #1 spot, I would implore you to track down some of their matches and try to deny that they were the best that ever did it. I don't think you can.

Добра класация,но според мен The Hardy Boyz трябваше да влезнат в десетте най-добри...

[djihad]

Една тема стига.

[Shawn_Michaels]

Добра класация,но като цяло предполагам повече от вас не са запознати с някои отбори,защото като гледам повечето са old school от 80-те,но пък вярно това са едни от най-големите отбори на всички времена

[wwz]

Аз съм фен на старото ECW, и ми е малко тъпо, че дъдлитата са избутани назад,

но признавам, че класацията си я бива.

[R.K.O.]

За мен Хардитата просто трябва да са в топ 10

[rawhide]

За мен Хардитата просто трябва да са в топ 10

По същата логика може и The new age outlaws да претендират за място в десетката или пък Harlem Heat..

Класацията като цяло е добра. .Само си мисля, че The Outsiders/Nasty Boys можеха да се доберат поне до Honorable Mention :)