Who are the greatest tag teams of all time? Sure, there were many great tag teams during the history of wrestling that made an impact. But I feel these four teams revolutionized the sport so much that they changed the face of wrestling and beyond. It comes down to impact, chemistry, influence, innovation and of course, charisma!! It is in those categories that truly make a great team in the world of wrestling (not titles, which so many think). It's these traits that bring wrestling to the media and the world and capture the imagination of fans that they keep them coming back for more!!
1. Legion of Doom, Road Warriors Hawk and Animal:
They brought in the stylized face paint, haircuts and overall look to wrestling that everybody copied and it became a major fad in the mid 80's onto the late 90's that every promotion was trying to capitalize on. They were the first real deal, scary, steroid-sized monsters that moved and worked like no other team before them (their press and slam had more of an impact on the crowd than any other wrestler who ever did the move before them and only a few since has been able to duplicate it's aura. It should also be noted that both Hawk or Animal had never been pressed by another wrestler due to respect). They had an aura of invincibility that few could ever match in the entire history of wrestling (almost on par with Andre). They didn't lose a match by a pinfall for almost 6 years straight and either Hawk or Animal has never been submitted in a match. They were one of the only tag teams in history that was main event status and the ONLY team ever that promotions had to build their talent around. They were the only tag team rated number 1 in every magazine even when they didn't have any titles and they remained number 1 for almost 10 years straight!!! Not to mention they held every title of every major promotion (NWA, AWA, and WWF) at the time and no other team ever duplicated this feat and never will. They were always cool and loved by everyone as heel and baby face and they never changed there style accordingly. Had one of the top 10 greatest managers of all time, Paul Ellering, guide them and together they had absolutely perfect chemistry with each other in the ring or on the mic. And as amazing as that was, the Warriors were so over that when Ellering didn't accompany them to the WWF it didn't even matter. They had such an impression that they won the Georgia tag titles in their VERY FIRST match together and grew from there. It took every other team in wrestling from ALL OVER THE WORLD almost 5 years to even catch up to them and still they were considered the best of the bunch. There reign of dominance and aura lasted for almost 20 years and even when they slowed down at the end of their career, when they entered the ring you still felt they could win the match regardless of what team they were facing. Only a handful of wrestlers who ever lived had that kind of an aura and even less had it at the tail end of their careers. Simply put, they are the standard for any team to match and this will never change.
2.British Bulldogs, Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith:
This team had tremendous charisma and chemistry and brought a style to wrestling that revolutionized the way people did maneuvers in the ring and as a team. Back in the mid 80's you really believed these guys could walk on water and fly through the air, everything was so smooth and made you drop your jaw. Dynamite was the first extreme wrestler (and what I believe to be the best all around "in ring" worker ever, who just lacked solo charisma) and has been copied and studied by many after him. Davey boy had a perfect blend of power and agility that is tremendously underrated. Their impact and chemistry as a team was so good that they are a blueprint on how to do things in the ring and working as a team for other wrestlers. But because of their groundbreaking moves, Dynamite's style gave him and this team a short lived career (it made him a cripple today). Also they never had the charisma on the mic like they did in the ring. When they first appeared in the WWF, they had to be matched with Captain Lou Albano to help give them personality. They are not as successful as many other legendary teams title-wise, but on innovations and chemistry only the Road Warriors did better and this was because they did it for a longer period of time.
3. The Fabulous Freebirds, Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, and Buddy Rogers:
Coming up in the late 70's in a time in wrestling where all bad guys were booed and all bayfaces were loved. The Freebirds were the very first "cool" heel in the wrestling business period. Hayes knew how to expand their charisma with flashy outfits, attitude, in ring work, mic work (without a doubt he was top 10 on the mic all time) and entrance music (they were the first to do this) that enhanced this team into the public's imagination. They were incredibly innovative and all could work a match and crowd to it's greatest potential. Their feuds with the Von Erich's is one of the the top 10 greatest in the history of wrestling. And this is largely because of the heat and style that the Freebirds brought. They have never rose to the heights as a lot of teams in this business but because of their innovations they were revered and copied on so many levels by other wrestlers after them. If you think I'm wrong, look at the 4 Horsemen, D-Generation, NWO, etc. to see where their blueprints come from. That's how innovative the Freebirds were!!
4. The Steiner Brothers, Rick and Scott Steiner:
No other team since the Road Warriors captured the imagination of fans like these two. It took them a few years to develop, but once they found their groove, they had a HUGE almost 10 year run. And in that run they brought the high impact moves and stylized suplexes to the ring. If you look at all the teams in the 90's you have to give them the edge for that period when they were at their peak. They were the first team to cleanly pin the Road Warriors in a major event at Starcade 89. And they had back and forth matches that both teams would win and lose. Scott Steiner's "Frankenstiener" maneuver also captured the imagination of the crowd and innovated the wrestling world. Their only knock was their lack of mic skills (even though Rick was a lovable character) but their in ring chemistry was so great that it was always overlooked. They had such dominance that they won every major title in every major promotion at the time and no other team had as much success during that period. But as the 90's came to a close so did the Steiners. Scott went on to a mildly successful solo career (who's attitude killed his true potential) and Rick became irrelevant. And despite a few reunions, they never recovered their glory and magic of the 90's. Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked them as the #2 tag team ever (behind the Road Warriors) but I just don't think their impact and innovations can be ranked higher than the other teams on this list.
Just so you think I haven't left out some legends, here are a few honorable mentions:
Dick the Bruiser and The Crusher
Ole and Gene Anderson
The Rock n Roll Express
The Midnight Express, Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton
The Samoans
The Midnight Rockers
The Hart Foundation
Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff
The Outlaws, Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdock
Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody
Abdullah the Butcher and the Sheik
The Funks
The Briscos
Nick Bockwinkal and Ray Stevens
Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson
Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson
I'm sure there's more but I'm tired...
Okay guys let's hear what you have to say!!
