The Great Eight: 8 Favorite Tag Teams of All Time

We’ve covered my favorite wrestlers and those I think are underrated. Today, let’s talk about my favorite tag teams. Depending on who you believe, tag team wrestling was either invented in San Francisco around 1901 or in Houston, Texas, in 1936. Whichever one is right, tag team wrestling has been a way to add something different to shows, and a lot of future World Champions got their start in a tag team. I’ve always enjoyed tag team matches, and while established tag teams fell out of favor with the WWE, it seems that, at least on SmackDown, they are starting to get a push again. Also, this was way harder to whittle down than my other lists!

My two disclaimers. 1. These are in no particular order, as all of them are great, and my favorite team differs depending on what mood I’m in. 2. Wrestling is an art and, therefore, is subjective. If you disagree with my list, awesome! Please post your list in the comments section. I encourage positive discourse about this silly art we all love. What I don’t encourage is discourse dissolving into insults about people who disagree with you. Remember, we all love wrestling, so have fun and don’t be a dick!

HM: Edge & Christian, El Generico & Kevin Steen, The Dudley Boyz, The Road Warriors, The Rockers, Londrick, Jumping Bomb Angels, Kings of Wrestling, Tencozy, The Midnight Express, The Hart Foundation, The Rock N’ Roll Express, Holy Demon Army, and Harlem Heat

8. The Briscoe Brothers

It’s a shame we never got a Briscoe Brothers run on a bigger stage. They had a 22-year run as one of the best tag teams in wrestling and were an ROH staple for most of that time. They were consistently good to great in the ring, and their promos were always intense, even when infused with their redneck comedy. They had 28 runs as tag team champions across 15 different companies, 13 of which were in ROH. Jay would also win the ROH World Championship on two separate occasions, one of only four men to do this before ROH being bought out by AEW. I have always enjoyed watching The Briscoes; their brand of wrestling had that gritty nature that I love, and they always just seemed to be 100% authentic, and that made what they did believable. I am also glad to see Mark enjoying a great run in AEW now, which has included an ROH World Championship run of his own.

7. Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard

Watching Anderson and Blanchard dismantle wrestlers is an art unto itself. The way they made it look so effortless is a thing of beauty. They also had amazing singles runs on their own. With Blanchard having a great United States run that included the I Quit Steel Cage match against Magnum TA. Arn had great runs as the Television Champion, but when you put them together, it was magic. Whether they were tearing the house down with the Rock N’ Roll Express, The Midnight Express, Dusty Rhodes & Wahoo McDaniel, Barry Windham & Lex Luger, and the Road Warriors in the NWA. Or The Rockers, Demolition, The Young Stallions, and Strike Force in the WWF. When Anderson & Blanchard were in the ring, you knew you were in for a treat.

6. The Hardy Boyz

This really could have gone to any of the three teams that defined the WWF Tag Team scene during the late 90s and early 2000s. The Dudley Boyz, Edge & Christian, and The Hardy Boyz helped to redefine what tag team wrestling could be. If you were a fan during this time, you knew that when any of these teams were in the ring, it was going to be a beautiful train wreck. I personally selected the Hardy Boyz because, as a young fan who was also a goth kid, they were my favorite of the three. I had their poster on my wall, along with Sting and Molly Holly (there is another wrestler for last week’s column!) TLC I at SummerSlam was like nothing I’d seen before, and then they topped it at WrestleMania X-Seven (one of the best WrestleManias ever). As the years went on, it was sad to watch both Matt and Jeff struggle with their addictions. Jeff winning the World Heavyweight Championship felt like a redemption arc, but unfortunately, he would continue to be plagued by his demons for many years to come. Matt reinvented himself in TNA, coming up with the DELETE stuff, which allowed him to finally win a World Championship of his own. That pop when they returned at WrestleMania 33 was huge, and again it felt like a good redemption arc, where the brothers could have a final run and then retire. It now feels like they are there for real, though. Jeff seems to have finally gotten his head on, and they’ve been on a good run with TNA, and I would love for them to get a small NXT run and a final WWE match before their Hall of Fame induction and retirement. The Hardy Boyz have given us a lot of great memories, and while there has also been a lot of tragedy along the way, I will always be a fan of their overall body of work.

5. Beer Money, Inc.

Damn, Beer Money, Inc. was such a special team and a big bright spot during a low point for TNA. I love James Storm and wish he got more of a run at the top, and also wish he had chosen to join NXT when he had the chance. But I also understand his reasoning for not doing it. I also love Bobby Roode. I’ve been a fan since his days in Team Canada, and getting to watch his rise from a tag guy to a multi-time TNA World Champion, to the NXT Championship, and now his work as a producer has been so awesome. The Beer Money, Inc. run helped both of these guys grow from their former teams, and they put on some absolute barn burners during their run. I think the 2010s TNA Tag scene was on fire, and it gave us so many classic matches, a lot of which involved Beer Money, Inc., and if you don’t agree, then I’m sorry about your damn luck! (Sorry, I had to do it; that really was a great catchphrase.)

4. The Bar

This is probably going to be the one that gets the most controversy. But I absolutely loved The Bar. I have already talked about my love of Claudio Castagnoli. I also love Sheamus, and I have been a fan of his since he first showed up on ECW.  After a Best of Seven, Sheamus and Cesaro decided to start a team, and that started three years of absolute smashmouth bangers. They’d go on to have great matches with The New Day, The Shield (including the match that saw Cesaro get his teeth knocked up into his skull), The Bludgeon Brothers (a team a lot of people sleep on), The Hardy Boyz, and The Usos, I will always enjoy watching the snug European style that both Sheamus and Castagnoli use, it is why I also love watching Pete Dunne matches. I know their run was short, and it was during a low point in the WWE, but The Bar, like Beer Money, Inc., were a bright spot during dark times for their respective companies.

3. The Motor City Machine Guns

MCMG is the third team in a row that is made up of two wrestlers I loved before their team started. Another bright spot during the horrible 2010s era of TNA, MCMG were right there alongside Beer Money, Inc., and helped provide a reason to keep tuning in. Alex Shelly doesn’t get the credit for being an incredible technical wrestler. He gets overlooked due to his contemporaries, but the man can flat-out go with the best of them. Sabin is in the same boat, but for high flyers, his floating corner dropkick is still the best I’ve ever seen; he seems to defy gravity before finally connecting. Even with Shelley taking a few years off to be a paramedic, MCMG has put together one of the best tag team resumes of all time, and I am hoping they get another Tag Team Championship run before the end of their careers and move into a backstage role.

2. The New Day

The New Day has been together for 11 years; while that run isn’t the longest for a team, it is up there. And it isn’t just that they’ve been together for 11 years, it’s that they have consistently had a prominent spot on the card for 11 years. They’ve also been consistently entertaining. Their recent heel turn started rough, but I’m loving their current “period of mourning.” But that is mainly due to Wood’s goofy hats and how over the top he has been. Starting as a heel gospel esque group, and morphing into the fun-loving, pancake-throwing longest reigning WWE Tag Team Champions. The New Day has spent over a decade entertaining us. Not only as a team, but without The New Day, we probably never would have had Kofimania. Big E may have found his way to the top, but it wouldn’t have been as heart-warming, and Woods probably would have been released a long time ago. Which isn’t a knock on his abilities; I just don’t think Vince McMahon would have gotten behind him, and the fact that he has never had a singles run probably proves that. A team that, like The SHIELD, brought everyone in it to a higher level than they would have achieved on their own, and a team that has entertained me for their entire run, and sure-fire future Hall of Famers, I thank God for the New Day!

1. The Steiner Brothers

I absolutely love the Steiners; they were Suplex Machines made before Taz. Lesnar may have moved to Suplex City, but the Steiners founded the damn town. It is so fun to watch Scott and Rick just throw people around the ring with ease. Everything they did looked so effortless, crisp, and clean. While Rick gets overlooked due to Scott’s later accomplishments, he was just as good as Scott. Scott just had a better look and more charisma. Watching the video really reminded me of how much of both brothers that Bron Breakker takes from. He has Rick’s look and mannerisms, Scott’s athleticism, and both of their power. And now I want to see Bron start breaking out some Butterfly, Saito, and T-Bone Suplexes. The Steiners had an amazing career; they were on top wherever they worked, and have 16 reigns as Tag Team Champions over several companies. Scott would go on to be a WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and Rick would have a few reigns as Television Champion. While the Dudley Boyz are more decorated and Booker T holds the most Tag Team Championships, the Steiners take the top spot as my personal favorite team.