31. Demolition

They may have copied the Road Warriors aesthetic but it still takes talent to pull that off and still get over as one of the most dominant tag teams in a red hot era for the WWF. They had a major run with the titles and would it be controversial to call the Eadie-Darsow combination better workers than Hawk-Animal? I certainly think there are pros and cons, Eadie was a great hand in his own right. I really don't have a lot to add beyond enjoying their SummerSlam 1990 match with the Hart Foundation. That and I actually prefered the edited Demolition theme without the vocals.

The New Day

I'm glad they made it and they probably deserved to be there over a team like the Golden Lovers. My main contention is that they're in a company that doesn't value tag team wrestling so they just come across like a lower mid-card happy to be there act. Even when Kofi won the championship, it felt more about his failed singles push in 2009 than it did about the New Day to me. It wasn't like there was any rhyme or reason to it, Mustafa Ali suffered an injury, Kofi got his spot and had a marathon run, the fans remembered they liked Kingston and they had a story there with Bryan to play off of.

I do think they're a genuine success story in the company and an even better version of the New Age Outlaws. It was basically the same idea with Woods and Big E doing next to nothing so they put themselves with Kofi Kingston who is virtually just the classic ethnic babyface character and they get themselves over in spite of the gimmick. I know they're not everyone's flavour but what comes across is that they're having fun and they're trying to connect with the audience which the audience appreciated.

I just can't think of too many classic moments they had as a group. Again I consider Kofimania, Kingston's moment so that just leaves the feud with the Usos which had some good matches but in the grand scheme of things they weren't the best matches of the generation or anything like that.

29. The Outsiders

Talking about different perspectives I actually find it difficult to picture them as singles stars after being a WCW fan. The Outsiders revolutionised the industry and took what was really light hearted entertainment and made it grittier and more adult. They were instant stars to the point that one of the biggest stables in history was built off of their attitude and inspired several stables that exist to this day. As a tag team they were stars who main evented tons of show, albeit their peak run was somewhat short-lived due to Hall's short-comings.

I probably could have had them higher. For me they suffered from actually watching them and their matches dragging with the audience. I also felt they were lacking in decent rivalries with only the Steiners sticking out to me.

I had the New Day at 67, like Pete said they don't really have a lot of memorable moments or rivalries. Plus their record long reign seemed to be just a way to validate the current product and as I said made the belts feel more like props. Title reigns felt more real and genuine in other eras with no agendas to push or records to focus on to make the current guys seem better. New Day being ahead of teams like Demolition and Tully and Arn is a real kick in the nuts on this list. But hey, they still placed ahead of Doom on my list so you can't say I was overly biased. Plus they did make chicken shit into chicken salad with the marketing of the gimmick.

Too low for E&C in my opinion , they were an integral act of one of the greatest runs for tag teams in history and 1/3 of one of the greatest rivalries of the era and maybe ever amongst tag teams. Not only that but they more often than not came out on top in the matches.

I don't care that they both WENT on to singles success later in their career , when they were teaming they were clearly a tag team and not just two guys thrown together for the sake of it. Incredible chemistry in the ring , backstage or just on the mic doing their 5 second poses.

Aug 21, 2021 19:23:46 GMT UT said:

Too low for E&C in my opinion , they were an integral act of one of the greatest runs for tag teams in history and 1/3 of one of the greatest rivalries of the era and maybe ever amongst tag teams. Not only that but they more often than not came out on top in the matches.

I don't care that they both WENT on to singles success later in their career , when they were teaming they were clearly a tag team and not just two guys thrown together for the sake of it. Incredible chemistry in the ring , backstage or just on the mic doing their 5 second poses.

I agree 100%.  Had them as my #2 among some highly decorated/esteemed old school Tag Teams.   They were instrumental in rebuilding the Tag division along with the Hardy's and Dudleys in the modern era.  Whatever they were given, they made into gold and yes, while Edge was the breakout star who like HBK experienced the greater singles career, Christian is still wrestling and has also done well for himself inside and outside the E.  They GOT Tag Team wrestling as an in ring and out of ring art.  

No team name hurts them.

2000 tag scene though. E&C was the first team that I loved above the division. So badly wanted big Elton John Christian glasses.

It’s surprising they were only together three years, which I didn’t know until Edge brought it up to dismiss Christian going to AEW instead of an E&C reunion.

They were great fun together but top ten seems pretty good.

Since this was a greatest list I put E&C where I feel they belonged. But if this was a favourites they would have been in my top 3. I absolutely loved them as a team, and it didn't hurt that they were from my home. Edge grew up like 20 minutes away from me.

#10 feels a tad low, but considering who is left it's hard to argue who they should finish ahead of. Yeah, they accomplished a lot in a short time, yeah they were an amazing team, but longevity does play a part in these rankings I feel, and they have certainly been more successful apart than they were together.

1.
2.
3. The Young Bucks
4. The New Day
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. Edge & Christian
10.
11. The Wild Samoans
12. The Von Erichs
13. The Briscoes
14.
15. The New Age Outlaws
16. The Brainbusters
17.
18. Harlem Heat
19.
20. The Minnesota Wrecking Crew
21.
22. The Revival
23. Demolition
24. The Usos
25.
26. The Hollywood Blonds
27. The Outsiders
28. The World's Greatest Tag Team
29.
30. The Bushwhackers
31.
32. The Holy Demon Army
33. The Acolyte Protection Agency
34. The Rockers
35.
36. The Eliminators
37. Miracle Violence Connection
38.
39.
40.
41. The Crusher & Dick The Bruiser
42. Brothers of Destruction
43. The Funks
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49. Beer Money
50.

13. Edge & Christian- Score well in all metrics save longevity. Also agree with 🤯 that they should have had a team name. The internet called them the Canadian Blondes. WWF should have just ran with that. Could have used a proper double team finisher as well. The closest they came was that Stacker Superplex but I'm not sure they ever used it as a finish.

Their big claim to fame is being a Top 3 tag team during a boom period as part of the TLC trio. E&C helped redefine tag team wrestling along with the Hardys and Dudleys. In their way, those TLC matches are just as influential as the Midnights vs. Rock & Rolls. And as UT mentioned, E&C usually came out on top in those battles. They were also notable for their comedic skits. Several E&C lines found their way into the daily lexicon of my friends and I. You could even technically expand their longevity score since they did team together in the indies before making it to the big time.

Another big knock on E&C in certain corners of the internet has always been "they never had a good match that wasn't a gimmick match!" Now this isn't an argument I'd ever make. A good match is a good match. I don't care how you get there. But this line of thought remained persistent. For the longest time my only rebuttal was "the Hardy series in late '99?" But those bouts were only good in a "fun 5 minute tv match" sort of way. Yet within the past year I rewatched their Royal Rumble 2001 match with the Dudleys which thoroughly DEBUNKS this stupid argument once and for all. 

Unlike most of you I was a latecomer to the E&C party. For a long time they were more of a 2nd or 3rd tier fave. The Brood was....pretty cool. E&C as babyface workrate heroes and Friends of the Hardys was....also pretty cool. But I never LOVED them. They were sort of the odd team out coming in at #5 on my Favorite WWF Tag Team list behind the Hardys, Dudleys, Acolytes, and Too Cool. 

Then they turned heel and I hated them! See, I was going through this weird phase during the first half of 2000 where all my favorite WWF wrestlers were babyfaces....and Kurt Angle. E&C got on my nerves in the good way where I wanted to see the Hardys/Dudleys/APA/Too Cool kick their butts. My friends Boo and Will were HUGE E&C fans during this period. We were constantly giving each other the business over E&C vs. Everybody Else. Will had a yellow E&C shirt and Boo once bought a pair of E&C-style novelty sunglasses on vacation. Good times.

Anyway, around September 2000 I did a switcheroo and returned to my heel roots, suddenly coming to love E&C (and Triple H) after hating on them for most of the year.

The British Bulldogs are overrated. I think many have been brainwashed to rank them high because of the internet telling them how great Dynamite Kid was.

1.
2.
3. The Young Bucks
4. The New Day
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. Edge & Christian
10.
11. The Wild Samoans
12. The Von Erichs
13. The Briscoes
14. The British Bulldogs
15. The New Age Outlaws
16. The Brainbusters
17.
18. Harlem Heat
19.
20. The Minnesota Wrecking Crew
21.
22. The Revival
23. Demolition
24. The Usos
25.
26. The Hollywood Blonds
27. The Outsiders
28. The World's Greatest Tag Team
29.
30. The Bushwhackers
31.
32. The Holy Demon Army
33. The Acolyte Protection Agency
34. The Rockers
35.
36. The Eliminators
37. Miracle Violence Connection
38.
39.
40.
41. The Crusher & Dick The Bruiser
42. Brothers of Destruction
43. The Funks
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49. Beer Money
50.

Don't like them finishing in the top ten personally but they were one of the top teams in an era that was full of amazing tag teams so what can ya do. Is what it is.

Someone find me one thing the Bulldogs did that was better then what E&C did.

Aug 22, 2021 17:00:57 GMT KING KID said:

Someone find me one thing the Bulldogs did that was better then what E&C did.

Had good-great matches with everyone. Also incredibly influential on even teams like E&C I’d imagine.

They are both great.

17. British Bulldogs- Score well in kayfabe success with a lengthy tag title reign in Golden Age WWF. Also score well in longevity with runs in Japan and Stampede as well as WWF. Score well in match quality too. Were basically the babyface WWF version of the Midnight Express when it came to.....Midnight Expresses, while their feud with the Hart Foundation has long been considered the WWF equivalent to NWA's Midnight Express vs. Rock & Roll Express. Also earn points for influence. A whole lot of wrestlers around my age were forever putting the Bulldogs over in interviews. The occasional ROH tag team of Jack Evans & Roderick Strong even went a step further by having a move called "Ode To The Bulldogs." Their only real downside is they couldn't cut a promo to save their lives.

Bulldogs had instant credibility with me by being the tag champs when I started to watch wrestling. Their LJN figures even came with the belts! My brother was a huge Bulldogs fan. Only wrestler he liked more was The Hulkster. So I naturally became a Hart Foundation fan. It was one of the things we argued about.

My lasting memory of the Bulldogs is when they lost the tag titles to the Hart Foundation. It's also my first wrestling markout moment and one of the things that really got me hooked on this crazy business. I've told this story before, but it's a good one so I'll tell it once more...

I was so new to wrestling that I didn't even know titles could change hands. I just assumed champions were champions....forever. I mean, the Bulldogs figures came with the belts! No way they would lose them. Even as a dumb kid I knew that. Then the Hart Foundation won! And WWF paid off the awesome Danny Davis angle in the process. This was HUUUUUUUGE to 1987 me. Like I thought it was every bit as important as the stupid Mets winning the World Series, Penn St. winning the college football championship, or the Giants winning the Super Bowl. We're talking lead story on the news levels of importance. That's also what solidified the Hart Foundation as my first favorite wrestlers.

I don't have a ton of Bulldogs memories beyond that- really just their Wrestlemania appearances and the Summerslam '88 match with the Rougeaux. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't a Bulldogs guy growing up. And even though I was one of the world's biggest WWF fans, I weirdly watched a lot more NWA tapes than Golden Age WWF ones during my tape watching heyday. Bulldogs are obviously a great team. Just not one I ever did a deep dive on.

Aug 22, 2021 17:00:57 GMT KING KID said:

Someone find me one thing the Bulldogs did that was better then what E&C did.

Completely different teams.   E&C are the greatest comedy heel team ever who also happened to excel at gimmick matches, while The British Bulldogs were more of a straight up technical team featuring one of the greatest technicians ever in The Dynamite Kid.   Both teams were awesome.

Wasn't an active fan during the Steiner run but they seemed awesome. Scott esp with his insane athleticism and head drops.

I love the Steiner's and they are definitely a team that you have to watch outside of the WWF to get the full feel , even though in the WWF they were some of the most entertaining squashers ever - its just a shame that the division around them really couldn't allow them to reach their potential whilst there.

My greatest wrestling epiphany as I said in the Superstars thread is that the Steiners are largely the wrestlers we emulated as kids with the moves we'd do messing around and playing wrestling in our living rooms or back yards. And I still think it's true. Other teams have done the same , including a few coming up for later generations but when in the 94-98 range it had to be Rick and Scott.

Also find it interesting that they were two of the most feared dudes in any locker room as legit badasses. Nash in a recent interview was talking about them and how there was no one going over the Steiners if the Steiners didn't want you to. Or something to that effect. It's not the end all be all but it adds to the badassery of them to know just how legit they were.

Overall I think #8 is about right. Could be a little higher and I think Shootist is going to expand greatly on why but definitely one of the all time great teams.

Aug 22, 2021 15:23:58 GMT KING KID said:

The British Bulldogs are overrated. I think many have been brainwashed to rank them high because of the internet telling them how great Dynamite Kid was.

The Bulldogs were right before I started watching wrestling. If the internet has influenced me, it’s in just how awful a person Billington was which has kept me from ever going to look back at their work.

5. Steiners- Surprised and disappointed to see them finish outside the Top 5. They're like a better version of the Bulldogs when it comes to checking all the boxes save mic skills.

I consider them the definitive WCW team and the numbers bear that out with them holding the titles for more combined days than any other WCW tag team. UT's bit about the Steiners being the most emulated team when it came to wrestling our pillows rings true. They were simply the most fun team to watch during their early 90s heyday (even though I didn't actually watch WCW at the time lol). That early 90s run got them over huge with my friends. Even though I wasn't one of those huge fans, being a heel guy and all, I still considered them a cut above the normal duo. Meaning they were already legends in their own time. The Apter Mags furthered their cause when I started reading them in 95-96 and had it drilled into my head that the Steiners & LOD were the 2 greatest teams of all time along with being potential gamechangers in the burgeoning Monday Night War. 

Scott Steiner was an athletic marvel with his suplexes, frankensteiners, and more, which made him the most must see wrestler of the early 90s. And as we've shown in the gif thread, Rick wasn't too far behind Scott while also giving the team some all important personality. 

Steiners throwing hosses around in sub 10 minute actionfests is one of my favorite match types. Their bout with Sting & Luger is my personal favorite Steiners match but they had a lot of good ones. 

Too low IMO. The Steiners to me are easily a top 5 tag team. Great ring skills, great mic skills and some of the greatest double team maneuvers you'll ever see. They were a huge part of what I believe is the greatest tag team era of all-time.

Aug 13, 2021 14:46:49 GMT UT said:

New Age Outlaws were easy Top 10 for me , very few tag teams in my lifetime have managed to be more over. Their schtick pre-match was one of the most fun you could ever have watching wrestling and still pretty iconic and holds up as was proved by their return to the WWE in 2012 and instantly became over and the most popular tag team in the company.

Their joining of DX was game changing for me. Such a perfect fit too and it put the actual stable over the top IMO. The Outlaws version with HHH , Pac and Chyna is the best version and they were such a huge part of that.

Road Dogg is one of the best pure talkers ever too , I don't care what anyone tells me and Gunn was a solid worker but they were mostly their to be the NAO and not wrestle classics.

I always think of them as the bridge team to the TLC era too. Probably not exactly right on the timetable but I think they really helped bring tag teams back to the WWF with their feud with LOD and Foley/Funk.

I could listen to Road Dogg talk for hours but once the NAO stepped in the ring they were utter dogshit.  They also competed in what was easily the weakest tag team era ever. I've never seen any other team go so far just off mic skills and booking.

Aug 24, 2021 1:19:47 GMT thereallt said:

Aug 13, 2021 14:46:49 GMT UT said:

New Age Outlaws were easy Top 10 for me , very few tag teams in my lifetime have managed to be more over. Their schtick pre-match was one of the most fun you could ever have watching wrestling and still pretty iconic and holds up as was proved by their return to the WWE in 2012 and instantly became over and the most popular tag team in the company.

Their joining of DX was game changing for me. Such a perfect fit too and it put the actual stable over the top IMO. The Outlaws version with HHH , Pac and Chyna is the best version and they were such a huge part of that.

Road Dogg is one of the best pure talkers ever too , I don't care what anyone tells me and Gunn was a solid worker but they were mostly their to be the NAO and not wrestle classics.

I always think of them as the bridge team to the TLC era too. Probably not exactly right on the timetable but I think they really helped bring tag teams back to the WWF with their feud with LOD and Foley/Funk.

I could listen to Road Dogg talk for hours but once the NAO stepped in the ring they were utter dogshit.  They also competed in what was easily the weakest tag team era ever. I've never seen any other team go so far just off mic skills and booking.

One could be a product of the other really , I don’t think either were bad workers by any means but it’s not like they had a ton of dance partners.

Give them solid dance partners and I think they put on entertaining matches.

23. Edge and Christian- 120.5 points

E and C made a big impact with those TLC matches with the Hardys and Dudleys but beyond that they really didn't have any other big rivalries which held them back. They did have all the tools though as they were outstanding on the mic and their skits got a laugh out of me more often than not. They also collected plenty of gold and they inspired several tag teams that followed. If they had just stayed together longer and had more varied opponents they might have had a shot at the top 10. 

11. The British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith)- 139.75 points

The Bulldogs were one of the top teams during the WWF's most competitive era of tag team wrestling, scored one of the longest reigns of that time period and were also hugely influential. Their double teams like their power launch drop kick were innovative and made them one of the most exciting teams to watch. Their rivalry with the Hart Foundation provided some of the best tag team matches in WWF history and they could also change it up and match up well with hosses like Demolition. They were also popular in Japan and had a memorable (to me anyway) break-up in Stampede as Davey Boy started to mentor Chris Benoit to Dynamite's dismay. To answer KING KID they are both great but the Bulldogs have E and C beat in longevity, influence and match quality/rivalries. Being the top anything during the Hulkamania era puts you a step above.

4. The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott)- 153.2 points

The Steiners were quite simply the tag team of the 90's which immediately makes them top 10 worthy. They got over everywhere, WCW, WWF, New Japan, ECW and scored gold in nearly all of those promotions. Their innovative offense was buzz worthy as Frakensteiners and Steinerlines became an established part of the wrestling lexicon. They main evented in both WCW and New Japan cards and were an influence on teams like WGTT and American Alpha. Their rivalries covered everyone from the Freebirds to the nWo , pretty much the sweet spot for pro wrestling, so they scored high in longevity as well. They really should be a top 5 team so I am kind of disappointed in this ranking. 

I don't know why I ranked them this low. Oversight on my part. They should definitely be higher.

1.
2.
3. The Young Bucks
4. The New Day
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. Edge & Christian
10.
11. The Wild Samoans
12. The Von Erichs
13. The Briscoes
14. The British Bulldogs
15. The New Age Outlaws
16. The Brainbusters
17. The Steiner Brothers
18. Harlem Heat
19.
20. The Minnesota Wrecking Crew
21.
22. The Revival
23. Demolition
24. The Usos
25.
26. The Hollywood Blonds
27. The Outsiders
28. The World's Greatest Tag Team
29.
30. The Bushwhackers
31.
32. The Holy Demon Army
33. The Acolyte Protection Agency
34. The Rockers
35.
36. The Eliminators
37. Miracle Violence Connection
38.
39.
40.
41. The Crusher & Dick The Bruiser
42. Brothers of Destruction
43. The Funks
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49. Beer Money
50.

As for favorites - Hardy's are in my Top 3 and they made my person #4 of all time. There are very few , probably really only two tag teams Ive seen as over as The Hardy's at their peak in the WWF as babyfaces and one of them I find incredibly weird so I don't give them the credit for being as over as I should.

They perfected the crash test dummy style of wrestling for better or for worse and had the underlying charisma (more so Jeff) to really carry them to the next level in the hierarchy of the WWF. They were in high profile feuds with other tag teams obviously but the WWF also wasn't afraid to throw them in there against a HHH or Taker and it never failed to work and they came off as better for it.

Lita is the wild card , she deserves to be included in the whole aesthetic as well and her ability to fit right into the team while also being a factor inside the ring and not afraid to mix it up really set them apart.

Also like the fact they had success in multiple places and spanned decades. Their return to the WWE was such a huge markout moment for me and that IMO solidified them atop of the Big 3 in the attitude era. Obviously PW disagrees but PW gets drunk sometimes.

Hardyz and Steiners being as relatively low as they are is a bit of a shocker. Pretty much presumed they'd be Top 5ers. Guess Freebirds, RnRx, and Midnights pulled it off after all and secured their rightful top spots as runners-up to Road Warriors.

Aug 24, 2021 16:10:44 GMT 🤯 said:

Hardyz and Steiners being as relatively low as they are is a bit of a shocker. Pretty much presumed they'd be Top 5ers. Guess Freebirds, RnRx, and Midnights pulled it off after all and secured their rightful top spots as runners-up to Road Warriors.

If I had to guess on the order of the finish, it'd be...

6. Freebirds
5. Rock n Roll
4. Hart Foundation
3. Midnight Express
2. Dudleyz
1. LOD

6. Hardys- Largely made it this high by being one the top teams during a boom period with a strong tag team division. They were hugely over in addition to being influential on later generations. As I mentioned when Edge & Christian popped up, the TLC matches rewrote the book on tag team wrestling. The Hardys were a link in a chain that looks something like Rock & Roll Express-Rockers-Hardys-Young Bucks. They earned bonus points for longevity as well. Their Broken stuff in TNA and WWE return a few years back also gave them a little boost. For what it's worth I had them in the same position on my Favorite Tag Teams list.

Negatives: Aren't nearly as decorated as I assumed in terms of title reigns. Had 5 tag title reigns during their peak, but none of them even lasted a full month. Plus they're another team that couldn't cut a promo to save their lives, though Matt did eventually get better.

I've told the story before of how I was a Hardys fan before they were stars, going all the way back to that time Jeff Hardy beat Razor Ramon on Superstars. Then I found out Matt was Jeff's brother. So I liked him too. Followed them as best I could through the Apter Mags, and later online, before they became WWF regulars.

Unfortunately their early WWF run seemed destined for failure. Being 80s style pure good guys wearing inspirational pants was a ticket to nowhere during the raunchy Attitude Era. Plus AE fans cared more about characters than kewl movez. The best I dared hope for was them getting just one proper PPV match, or perhaps a fluke tag title win in the style of Gillberg winning the Cruiserweight Title, before they inevitably got released and went to Japan, WCW, or even ECW where their talents would be better appreciated.

So I marked out when they upset my other boys, the Acolytes, and dropped the straps back a few weeks later on PPV! They had already fulfilled my wildest expectations. And nobody was happier than me when the Hardys actually started getting over in late '99 due to their game changing ladder match with E&C at No Mercy. Within a few months my real life friends were becoming even bigger Hardy fans than myself. My guys had made it. And they kept on keeping on for two decades. 
==================
I'll play along with 🤯's guessing game. But let's first address the elephant in the room. Hart Foundation are too high. No way they should be above the Steiners or Demolition. I had them below the Hardys as well, but I'm at least open to arguments on that front. Yet taking into account how much PW loves Bret Hart...

6. Freebirds
5. Midnight Express
4. Rock & Roll Express
3. Hart Foundation
2. Dudleys
1. Road Warriors

You're both wrong.

As to the Hardy's mic skills , I don't think they needed them. Had they failed to get over as babyfaces or it proved to hinder their characters in any way I might dock them for it but it didn't - they were one of the most over acts on the roster in an era of A TON of really over acts. Which brings me to the next point that maybe they were throwbacks in a sense with the title reigns. They never needed the titles , the fans didn't really care and probably even liked seeing them chase the titles more than holding them.

Hell it even became a storyline at one point with Jeff choosing insane stunts and entertaining the fans over winning the actual matches. For better or worse they just never seemed to care about the titles as much as putting on insane matches and destroying themselves for the sake of the audience and recognition. And as you said they were throwback babyfaces so when you take that approach and the fact they weren't prominent title holders just like so many of the super over faces of old school wrestling.

I would double down on that argument by saying the Jeff's great match and moment of his career was coming up short against Taker. Not any of his actual world title wins to come later but that time on RAW where he almost reached the brass ring and never quit.