Greatest Tag-Team.....PERIOD!

[IrishCanadian25]

The Wild Samoans- I feel that they have been overlooked so far. Afa & Seka held tag team gold in the WWF, NWA, and Stampede wrestling, as well as other territories throughout the 70s and 80s. They were one of the most brutal, unorthodox, & effective tag teams of all time. But their greatest contribution to this business is their family tree. Look at the names on it: The Rock, Rikishi, Umaga, Rosey, Samu, & others. Truly 21 tag team titles, their family tree, & their successful training facility (Batista is an alum) gives them a place on the list of greatest tag teams.

Crazy88 (Kill Bill = classic film) thank you for adding the Wild Samoans to the discussion. For every reason you listed, they should break EVERYONE's top 10.

Let's face it, we deal with WWE pulling the Samoan Stereotype ALL THE TIME now with the Headshrinkers and Umaga. But these two, Afa and Sika, were among the originals and yes, truly set the tone for others to follow. They almost fashioned a new style of professional wrestling - high impact savagery. And they are a classic, longevitous tag team. Great post.

 

[KillaCam29]

\They Dudleyz win hands down, they were the teamto beat everywhere! Form ECW to TNA they can draw heat better then most singles wrestlers ever could! if there faces or heels they get way over, most loved or most hated. dudleyz win hands down.

The Wild Samoans- I feel that they have been overlooked so far. Afa & Seka held tag team gold in the WWF, NWA, and Stampede wrestling, as well as other territories throughout the 70s and 80s. They were one of the most brutal, unorthodox, & effective tag teams of all time. But their greatest contribution to this business is their family tree. Look at the names on it: The Rock, Rikishi, Umaga, Rosey, Samu, & others. Truly 21 tag team titles, their family tree, & their successful training facility (Batista is an alum) gives them a place on the list of greatest tag teams.
Feel free to throw in your opinions, but hey, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK!

The wild samoans were shafted by not being put on this list! they were such a great team, i would still pick the dudleyz, but they should have been put on the list. what's up wit dat bambam?

 

[Tomko]

Based on the list, I have to go with the Dudley Boyz. They were always great heels and I enjoy watching them. The 3D is a great Tag-Team finisher. I kinda wished they'd come back to the WWE though, as the Tag-Division needs a boost.

 

[hardyisgod]

As much as the rest of you think the Dudleys are the greatest tag team, just think that if the Hardys and E&C hadn't started the classic TLC matches then the Dudleys would not be the respected tag team they are today. Once they leave that second rate show TNA, they will only then be even eligable to be in the list of the greatest tag teams of all time. They are great though dont get me wrong, and i would once agian like to see them shine again in the WWE.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I really don't know how anybody can say The Dudleyz. Yeah they were always very entertaining. But come on. How many good non gimmick matches have they had? They are like the fat versions of Jeff Hardy. Give them a gimmick and they'll put on a hell of a match. But without they're lost.

They were brilliant in ECW. Great promos, great matches. But the matches were weapons based. In WWE they again had great matches, but all were gimmicks. In TNA they've probably had one great match and a couple of ok matches.

I wouldn't say they're overrated but they certainly aren't the best tag team ever.

 

[Papa Shango]

Well, I'm gonna stick to tag teams that have been around since I've watched wrestling. That helps narrow it, but there are so many still. If I had to pick the greatest tag team based on what I"VE seen, and not what other people say about them, I gotta go with Edge and Christian. I didn't watch the original ECW, I was too young, so I'll take everyone's word that they knew how to work the crowd. But in the WWE, they were a very good tag team who were enhancement to the Hardys/E&C rivalry. They weren't truly the top tag team in the WWE until the Hardys and E&C went to singles competiton. And I never saw a great Dudleys match that didn't involve a table. When they were seperated for a time, both floundered. It justs seems to me like the only reason they've stuck as a tag team, is because they're useless alone. D-von more than Bubba tho. At least Bubba Ray can cut a promo. D-Von can only say "WHAT?!?' and "OH, MY BROTHER, TESTIFY!!!" They were perfect for ECW, I'm sure, but everywhere they've gone since then, there's been at least one or two other teams overshadowing them.
Edge and Christian were a tag team for three years. Those three years absolutely reeked of awesomeness!! They easily had the most heel heat for any tag team I've ever seen. Those guys new how to make the crowd hate them, without getting stale. They broke the record for tag team title reigns, with 7. And how many teams get to hang with the main eventers. E&C had moments with HHH, The Rock, Mick Foley, Kurt Angle,Chris Jericho, and others that I'm sure are just slipping my mind. Tag team of the year by Wrestking Observer Newsletter, an establishment known for heavily favoring Mexican and Japanese promotions, an award the Dudley Boys never won. Two time match of the year winner by Pro Wrestling Illustrated, two matches in which E&C emerged victorious, winning the tag titles in both matches. And both of them went on to great singles careers, something that can't really be said of many other tag teams, and no other Tag Team has had both members go on to win multiple World Championships. Their contribution to both tag team and world championship history is unparalleled.
'Nuff said.

 

[bmk920]

BAMBAM i agree with u for your options you put out but i dont exactly agree they are the best tag team ever i think it would be the hardy boys matt and jeff hardy because they have so much heart and christma and there moves are very uniqe and they risk there bodys for us fans and they give us what we want if its jumping off ladders, going through tables, using chairs or what ever it may be. they are the dare devils of wrestling and in my opinoin the GREATEST TAG TEAM EVER!!!

 

[jpickens]

I'm gonna go with the Sheepherders aka the Bushwhackers and the Moondogs as two of the best overlooked teams of the day along with the Koloff's and Crusher Khrushchev, Ted Dibiase and Steve Williams, and the Irwin's. The later two to me were good because they had the combination of the wily veteran in Ted Dibiase and Ivan Koloff and the young power wrestlers Nikita Koloff and Steve Williams. Another team that no one mentioned was Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody while they never teamed here in the states they were a dominate force in Japan and could have made mincemeat out of any of the tag teams with a few exceptions that are out there today.

 

[8thwotwATG]

The Wild Samoans, in my estimation, were probably the greatest tag team of my time. Their combination of size, power, and unorthodox moveset made them a formidable team at any time, but I believe it was their ability to draw heat, their ability to sell for their opponents, and their excellent ring psychology that put them over the top. Look at some of the work they did with Ivan Putski and Tito Santana back in the late seventies. For better or for worse, the Samoans pretty much carried Putski and Santana in their matches(well Putski, anyway, Santana could work). Don't get me wrong, ther have been a lot of great teams since then, but for me the samoans were probably the best.

 

[jcmichaels42]

I didn't get to read all the pages of this thread, but I have to go with the Steiner Brothers myself. During their time in WWF, WCW, and Japan they were dominant. This was during the time that Scott could do just about anything in a wrestling ring and was a monster. As for some other teams that get overlooked:

The Freebirds: Held numerous titles all over the country
Terry Gordy/Steve Williams: Held numerous titles in Japan and WCW Tag Titles
The Midnight Express: If these guys had gone to WWF/E at any time they might be the greatest ever.
Arn Anderson/Tully Blanchard: These guys were awesome together

I'm sure there are plenty others but they come to mind as some that get overlooked.

 

[mtg712]

Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson. these 2 could go for an hour into matches and still be able to wrestle good. LOD go 5 mins into a match and the coroners on site to pick up the people who have been killed but the lods wrestling. ive seen a few of lods 1983-85 matches and i was very unimpressed. they would hold an opponent over their head then drop them and some slams but they did have a cool finisher though. tully and arn were a very technically sound team who really knew how to work a match. they might not have had as many title reigns as the lod but they are head and shoulders above them in terms off ability.

 

[bambam]

BAMBAM here. First off, GREAT GREAT GREAT post everyone! Every post added to this thread in someway. Some post I need to answer though.

EVERYONE WHO ASKED ABOUT THE WILD SAMOANS: I was really thinking about adding them to the list. They were a great tag-team.
-Calgary Stampede International Tag-Team Champion (73 - 6/08/73)
- Calgary Stampede International Tag-Team Champion(2) (8/31/73 - 9/08/73)
- NWA Canadian Tag-Team Champion (11/25/73 - 12/17/73)
- NWA (Detroit) World Tag-Team Champion (75)
- NWA (Detroit) World Tag-Team Champion(2) (75 - 12/18/75)
- NWA (Mid-America) Southern Tag-Team Champion (10/03/77 - 11/07/77)
- NWA (Mid-America) Southern Tag-Team Champion(2) (11/14/77 - 11/28/77)
- WWF Tag-Team Champion (4/12/80 - 8/09/80)
- WWF Tag-Team Champion(2) (9/09/80 - 11/08/80)
- Mid-South Tag-Team Champion (6/81 - 9/81)
- Mid-South Tag-Team Champion(2) (81 - 10/15/81)
- Mid-South Tag-Team Champion(3) (1/82 - 5/05/82)
- NWA National Tag-Team Champion (8/29/82 - 1/83)
- WWF Tag-Team Champion(3) (3/08/83 - 11/15/83)

But like I said, I went for teams that were named Tag-Team of the year. [PWI]

Hardy's and E&C heads. Both Great teams.
But when I looked at the Hardys, 6 title reigns 6/29/99 - 7/25/99, 9/24/00 - 10/22/00, 10/23/00 - 11/06/00, 3/05/01 - 3/19/01, 11/12/01 - 11/18/01, 4/02/07 - 6/04/07, and there one WCW title reign 10/08/01 - 10/23/01. most were for only days. They were Tag-Team of the Year in 2000. Could they be put in a Greatest of all time, I didn't think so. Both aren't great on the mic, have great matches, but the really great matches were the TLC matches and the Tables matches with the Dudleyz. I can't even remember any other good Tag-team matches they had. I can remember great SINGLES matches they have had.

E & C: 7 Title reigns: 4/02/00 - 5/29/00, 6/25/00 - 9/24/00, 10/22/00 - 10/23/00, 12/10/00 - 12/18/00, 12/19/00 - 1/21/01, 3/19/01- 3/20/01, 4/01/01 - 4/17/01. 2 Day reigns, OUCH! Kinda hurts them. Plus, I started thinking, is it they could be a great tag-team, or are they better apart from each other? Christian, after leaving Edge, was a 3 time IC champ, Hardcore Champ, Euro champ, and tag-team champ with Lance Storm and Jericho. Oh, Plus 2 TNA Champs. Edge, after leaving Christian, was a 5 time IC champ, WCW US champ, Hardcore champ, and Tag-team champ with Hulk Hogan, Rey Mysterio, twice with Chris Beniot, and Randy Ortin. Plus 3 Heavyweight titles to his name. I think they were better apart.

I am very happy with my list i put together, but I know it could always be better. Keep the post coming though. Alot of people picked other, but I'm not getting a lot of post for the others. KEEP UM COMING!

 

[Enigmania]

The Hardyz and E&C are among the greatest sure The Hardyz had short reigns and E&C were better apart put them both together you have great matches. They were the first guys to compete in a Tag Team Ladder Match for gods sakes. Throw in the Dudleyz you got the greatest TLC/Triangle Ladder matches of all time. The Hardyz for me are number 1.

 

[MattButcher]

I'm gonna go with the Sheepherders aka the Bushwhackers and the Moondogs as two of the best overlooked teams of the day along with the Koloff's and Crusher Khrushchev, Ted Dibiase and Steve Williams, and the Irwin's. The later two to me were good because they had the combination of the wily veteran in Ted Dibiase and Ivan Koloff and the young power wrestlers Nikita Koloff and Steve Williams. Another team that no one mentioned was Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody while they never teamed here in the states they were a dominate force in Japan and could have made mincemeat out of any of the tag teams with a few exceptions that are out there today.

That's funny, Dibiase and Williams came to mind as soon as I looked at this post. Dibiase and Hansen had some great matches as a team with Dibiase doing a more technical style and Hansen just knocking the stuffing out of people. No one seems to have mentioned the Funks! So many great matches vs. Abby and the Sheik or vs. Brody and Superfly. Maybe not the smoothest work in the game but definitely emotional and fun to watch.

 

[greenbeast95]

I'm happy to see that some of you have considered to look further back than the last 10-15 years. For you young high school aged fans, there was tag-team wrestling before the attitude era. I agree with all the tag-teams mentioned, that they hold a credible argument as being the best.

I really cannot justify using "titles won" as the best way to characterize success, no matter who you're talking about. How many great tag-teams were made to look great by a promoter/booker? Truly, the Dudleyz, Road Warriors, Wild Samoans, RnR Xpress, and the Freebirds were successful in multiple promotions and deserve the consideration.

Just few names to add to consideration, not saying they're the best...but that they deserve some recognition.

How about the Crusher and Bruiser, Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch, The Blackjacks, and I believe someone mentioned the Koloffs.

 

[Davi323]

The Road Warriors, easily. This shouldn't even be up for discussion. They held the Tag Team titles in every promotion that ever mattered.

But, really, how does the poll include the Nasty Boys, but not the Hardy Boys?

 

[d'lo_brown_kurt_angle]

WGTT? Well its the WGTT..Benjamin and Hass lol.

In all seriousness I'm going with the Dudleyz, I wasn't old enough before to see the other stables wrestle but the Dudleys were very good group. Breaking the Dudleys up in 2002 was a huge mistake by the WWE and they were quick to realize that (They had them reunite at Survivour Series). They're such a great tag team and they made Table Matches a must see now.

 

[CamaroIroc]

You really cant include the James Gang in here.. possibly as the NAO, but by the time the James Gang formed, they were way past their prime, both in ring and out. Their current work sucks. Hard.

The Outsiders were one of the most influential tags ever in the business. Tag teams today use the Outsiders as an influence, and their stroke behind the scenes, both for good and bad, are inarguably important.

The Hardy Boyz are one of the overall best tags to ever hit the ring in the U.S. The intensity, charisma, and selfless sacrifice is just.. insane. The kids can do it all but talk, and theyve both gotten better at that the last year or 2.

WGGT.. impressive talent, too short-lived and ill-used. Possibly with a few more years together, they could be in this poll.

E&C... definatly deserves a spot in the poll. Charismatic, hard-working, good at what they did, funny as all get-out, multiple time champions. Top 5 of the last 20 years, for sure.

Tough Choice, but Id go with the Hardyz

 

[bangsurluna]

After reading through the topic, I can’t do much but laugh at some people’s choices for the greatest team ever. The Hardy Boys? WGTT? E&C? Nasty Boys? Brothers of Destruction? AMW?

I think a few of you fella’s have to look outside the box. There is more wrestling out there, then what Vince McMahon presents.

Anyways to my answer, La Pareja del Terror, hands down! For the marks, that is the team of Eddie Guerrero & Art Barr. You people talk about the New World Order being such a “revolutionary” storyline. Well look no further than this storyline. Eddie and Hijo Del Santo are two of the most loved luchadors in the world, Then Eddie Guerrero not only turns his back on Hijo Del Santo and aligns himself with Art Barr, but Eddie turns his back on his Mexican heritage! Eddie and Art played the crowd so well, bad mouthing Mexico and aligning themselves as American. They were with out a doubt the best heels at the time. Then when Konnan and Madonna’s Boyfriend joined them, WOW! They formed what was the most dominating stable at the time and were what you can call the Mexican version of the Four Horsemen. Then Eddie’s and Art’s feud with Hijo Del Santo and Octagon. Just amazing, one of the greatest feuds of all time! These four men’s bout at “When Worlds Collide” is with out a doubt the greatest tag team match of all time! The crowd went NUTS when Eddie and Art were shaven bald.

Then a horrific tragedy ended the greatest team ever, Art Barr was found dead. The two were on the verge of entering ECW, and considering the abilities of Paul Heyman, they would have made a major splash in the wrestling industry. Eddie would then adopt Art’s finishing maneuver the Frog Splash as a tribute to his lost friend. Now that Eddie is gone, All I can imagine is that the two are back together, wrestling again, up in heaven. RIP Eddie Guerrero and Art Barr. The greatest of all time.

 

[hugeheffner]

No doubt in my mind the best team of all time, period, is Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson. Dominated NWA and WWE when both feds were at their strongest point as far as teams go. And La Pareja del Terror was a close second.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Anybody who watched wrestling pre-1992 knows how good the Road Warriors were. Their promo's (mostly Hawk) were out of sight (I'll never forget when they smashed watermelons onscreen to highlight what they planned to do to the Midnight Express). Manager Paul Ellering was the pefect complement to the group playing the cerbral strategist behind the brute force of the Hawk and Animal. As a package they were easily the best of the 1980's. Heck, Vince McMahon recognized their popularity when he created Demolition as a blatant (though not as entertaining) rip off. With their colorful costumes, hair cuts, and ring entrances they were truly ahead of their time in terms of being characters, already looking and acting like the characters McMahon was creating in his early days as head of WWE. They were trailblazers in a sense but mostly they were the most popular and dominant team during arguably the best era for tag team wrestling.

The Dudley Boyz deserve credit for helping make ECW as popular as it was but when they came to WWE they were not as special. Part of that is poor booking due to the lack of emphasis on tag teams in WWE the last 7-8 years but it is still true. They may be the best SINCE the LOD, but certainly they were not as dominant and entertaining as the Warriors in their prime.

The Rock & Roll Express were the best "teeny bopper" team of the time, they had tremendous team work in the ring and could carry much weaker opponents. If there was no Rock & Roll Express in the NWA then the AWA never would have created the Rockers ([which gave Shawn Michaels his big break in an era when few wrestlers under 240lbs were heavily promoted)[/I]. Remember, the R&R came before the Rockers, who were viewed both in the AWA and WWE as rip offs of Morton & Gibson. Also, the dynamic feud between R&R and Jim Cornette's Midnight Express was the basis for McMahon's British Bulldogs/Hart Foundation feud which was almost as big for WWE as R&R vs ME was for NWA.

Harlem Heat dominated in a time when tag team wrestling was not promoted well (unlike R&R. LOD, ME, Harts, etc). They did not have the impact on WCW that the Dudleys had on ECW. They were entertaining as heels and were pretty good workers in the ring. Again, poor booking plays a role here but they rank below most of these teams in terms of impact and staying power.

The Bulldogs, Hart's, and Midnight Express were all good teams in an era when tag team wrestling was huge. Put any one of those teams 15 yrs later and they dominate like Harlem Heat. They had the misfortune of being in a very competitive environment, kinda like how good the Dallas Cowboys were in he 1970's, they might have dominated the decade if not for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Give The Harts extra credit for helping to launch the career of Brett Hart, one of wrestling's top stars of the 1990's who was part of one of the best tag teams of he 1980's.

The New Age Outlaws were OK in the ring but they were mostly just an extension of DX. They were a great compliment to the stars of that group Michaels and HHH, making DX a great stable. Alone, NOA was not a great team, but they were good. The Outsiders basically was just two singles stars (Hall & Nash) from the NWO who sometimes teamed up. They never wrestled as team on a consistent enough basis to be considered, kind of like Ric Flair and Arn Anderson during the Horsemen days. Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard did team together as a regular duo enough to be considered, and they were the first team to hold both the NWA/WCW & WWE Tag Team titles. They were also PWI's Tag Team Of The Year in 1989. Although Blanchard made his mark as a singles star the two wrestled well with a variety of double team moves. Both were great at selling for their opponents and were skilled enough to carry lesser teams to good matches (like Demolition). Put them against really good teams (like The R&R Express in 1987 or The Rockers in 88-89) and the matches were excellent. They were not duplicated/ripped off they way R&R and LOD were and they did not impact their respective company's the way Dudleys did in ECW. However, they were in several high profile matches during their three yrs together as a regular team and beat just about everybody who was anybody during that time. Put them with the Hart's and The Bulldogs as very good teams during a great time.

The Fabulous Freebirds were VERY entertaining and were the best heels against the classic fan favorite stereotype of the Von Erichs. However, unless my memory is wrong the Freebirds were more a stable, like the Heenan Family or the Horsemen where they wrestled in various combinations while members pursued singles careers. Michael Hayes formed good tag teams with Terry Gordy and Jimmy Garvin at different times but did they wrestle together often enough over a long period of time (at least 2-3 yrs straight) to be considered a great team, or were they more like The Outsiders ? As a stable, the Freebirds were among the best, better than the Heenan & Jimmy Hart stables in WWE and right behind the Horsemen and early NWO (before every second tier guy on WCW's roster was invited so the group would have guys to job out to Flair/Sting, et all).

 

[Davi323]

Flairfan2003, I agree about the Freebirds...and you are right, they were more of a stable. Had it just been two members, I would had have given them serious thought about being one of the greatest...but you never knew who was going to wrestle, was it going to be Hayes and Roberts? (for the record, I believe it was Buddy Roberts that was a Freebird, not Jimmy Garvin, although they do look alike) Roberts and Gordy? Hayes and Gordy? They switched up so often, like the Von Erichs, I don't consider them a real "tag team". Generally, when I think of the Freebirds, I think of Hayes and Roberts as the two in a tag match, but, when you have members that can switch up, even while champion (The infamous Freebird rule) I have a hard time putting them in the same discussion as the Road Warriors, Hardys, etc, where its just two. That is also the same reason I would disagree with any combination of the Horsemen...It wasn't just Arn and Tully, it was Arn and Tully, and sometimes Ole, sometimes Naitch...Arn and Tully were a GREAT Tag team, had they done what they did by themselves, without being part of the Horsemen, perhaps I would give them more props...The Horsemen were the greatest stable of all time, but as a tag team, I don't think Arn and Tully can match up with Animal and Hawk...

 

[Nev]

I think that there are several teams you forgot to mentioned.
1. DX(2006)
2. Brothers of destruction
3. Rock and Sock connection
4. Edge and Christian
5. Smoking Gunns

Kane and Undertaker is not that much of a good tag team, neither is DX, and especially Rock and Sock. They sure entertain well, work against eachother well, and create awesome storyline twists and turns but can't make the emphasis on a great tag team. No offense to the WWE, but since around the middle of the Attitude Era, you can't examine a tag team that well that's the babyfaces( Choices 1 - 3) because in almost every major televised tag team main event, there is an isolated face most of the match and the bigger face just ends it off with his finisher. But anyway, make more consideration in tag team picking.

Oh, I just realized you were naming the teams as forgotten to mention, not in order from best to worst.

 

[Davi323]

Right on, Nevada11. In addition to what you said, I would also point out that those tag teams were comprised of wrestlers who have for the majority of their career, been singles wrestlers. While Shawn Michaels and HHH have fun together when they are tag teaming, HBK and HHH are singles wrestlers, not really a true tag team. Same can be said of Undertaker and Kane, and the Rock and Mankind. Edge and Christian however, I can't say the same thing about...they were a tag team for years before splitting up, and had very good, consistent success as a team. But, I generally don't consider two singles wrestlers teaming up to be a real tag team anyway...With the Road Warriors/Legion of Doom, Animal and Hawk had wrestled a few singles matches here and there, but for twenty years, they were a tag team together...They were a team in every sense of the word.

 

[bambam]

Hey guys, Great posts!

WWE just did another List This! with the topic being the greatest tag-teams ever. There list goes like this:
10. The British Bulldogs
9. The Rockers
8. The Wild Samoans
7. Harlem Heat
6. Demolition
5. The Fabulous Freebirds
4. Edge and Christian
3. The Hart Foundation
2. The Hardys
and #1. The Road Warriors

Does this list help anyone, or do nothing for you? Do you agree with this list? What is your top 10?

For the most part I would say I agree, with some changes.
I love that Harlem Heat, Wild Samoans, and the Freebirds are on there, but I don't think the Rockers should be on there, and I don't think the Hart Foundation should have been so high. And I probley would have lost The British Bulldogs and Demolition, too.
My 10 would be:
10. Hardys
9. Hart Foundation
8. The Nasty Boys
7. Wild Samoans
6. Rock 'n' Roll Express
5. The Fabulous Freebirds
4. Harlem Heat
3. The Road Warriors
2. The Steiner Brothers
and #1. The Dudley Boyz Hands Down!

Thoughts