The Most Legendary Wrestling Tag Teams Of All Time

Very first thing’s first: Anytime we put together a Mount Rushmore-ish “most” this or “most” that, especially with numerical limitations, we will catch some heat. Inherently, someone goes to be omitted. And with that in mind, paired with the undeniable fact that FIVE is our dictated max here, we forge forward, fully prepared to catch any and all projectiles thrown about, completely understanding the vitriol, and pleased to take lumps from every one, as we present probably the most legendary wrestling tag teams of all time.

Among the many virtual beatdowns surely headed on this direction that we’re willing to simply accept are from those that didn’t make the cut themselves, so in a tribute to those that make our unofficial Honorable Mention list, we stand poised to get our heads taken off from a Midnight Hour, put to sleep because of a legendary Double Dropkick, flattened by a Rocket Launcher, incapacitated by a Con-Chair-To, decapitated with a Steinerizer, blown up with a Heat Bomb, and even toppled by a BTE Trigger.

So there, with those “apologies” out of the way in which, onward we go. If this list seems a bit WWE-heavy, that is since it is. Whenever you’re talking “legendary,” you are also talking biggest reach and impact, and without that presence on the very top of the heap, you just cannot make that claim as credibly as those that had it. The controversy will certainly roar on because all of those teams—and people who missed the cut here—fostered a “eternally” because of their contributions to tag team wrestling and the industry as an entire.

Might as well rock the boat right off the bat here as, even inside a WWE-only circle, one would expect to get some flak for The Usos over The Latest Day, particularly. While Jey and Jimmy are undoubtedly legends in their very own right, in comparison against Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods, it is easy to easily point on the variety of recognized title reigns for the latter (11), to those for the previous (eight). But it may possibly even be argued that The Latest Day’s frequent utilization of “The Freebird Rule,” allowing any combination of the three to defend/challenge for the championships at any time, gave the trio a definite advantage for the big majority of their time together.

But when it comes to impact and legacy, The Usos’ involvement within the epic saga of The Bloodline, with Jey being a foundational centerpiece and Jimmy an irreplaceable supporting member of the story, suggestions the scales of their favor and secures them their place on this particular list. The epic was born, in reality, with Jey feuding with Roman Reigns during The Pandemic Era, with a pair of unsuccessful title challenges in front of the forgettable partitions of televisions throughout the WWE ThunderDome.

Behind all that lies the formidable prowess of the twins as a tag team, not only when it comes to the variety of title reigns, but with regard to iconic feuds and passing-of-the-torch moments including rivalries with The Wyatt Family, The Dudley Boyz, The Latest Age Outlaws, The Street Profits, and naturally, The Latest Day.

Before “The Excellence of Execution” became recognized for as much forevermore, Bret Hart was teaming with real-life brother-in-law Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart as The Hart Foundation. Though they were paired together on joint cards for NWA and Stampede Wrestling prior to creating their method to the then-WWF, they got here together under that umbrella as being managed by “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart, first as a heel team in 1985, before eventually turning babyface in 1988. Bret, having been double-crossed by Bad News Brown, who hit him together with his patented Ghetto Blaster just because the two looked as if it would comply with be co-champions of a 20-man Battle Royal at WrestleMania VI, was supported by “The Anvil,” resulting in a rift between the team and Jimmy Hart, who would go on to administer several burgeoning rivals. The split led to feuds with a murderer’s row of memorable teams starting from iconic to not less than memorable, akin to Demolition, The Rougeau Brothers, Rhythm & Blues, The Brain Busters, The Rockers, and The Nasty Boys, with Jimmy Hart involved in several instances over the course of three years.

Though the duo had sporadic runs as individuals, Neidhart had a couple of personal issues that took him away for multiple periods of time, and the interactions with The Rockers eventually contributed to Bret delving into his legendary rivalry with Shawn Michaels, their time as a tag team holds up within the annals in history, with a pair of WWF World Tag Team Championship runs, and a 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction, where the late Neidhart was represented by his daughter Natalya.

So far as “decorated” tag teams go, Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley can all the time stake their claim to the excellence in nearly as ironclad a fashion as anyone else. Depending on who you ask, specifically WWE or TNA, the Dudleys have amassed anywhere from 18 to 23 reigns as World Tag Team Champions in promotions across the globe. Though it’s truly difficult to even track because of titles being renamed, promotions being purchased, and so forth, the duo also often known as Team 3D has held a minimum of eight Tag Team Championships in each WWE and ECW, held each TNA and IWGP gold on two occasions, and likewise captured the WCW, NWA, HUSTLE, and 2CW belts.

Except for championship accolades, Bubba Ray (aka Buh Buh Ray, BRD, Brother Ray, and Bully Ray) and D-Von (aka Devon and Brother Devon) were innovators of the tag team division overall, perhaps best known for a trio of encounters against each The Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian, and for his or her trademark finisher, The 3D. Despite cementing their legacy way back within the three-way showdowns at WrestleMania 2000, SummerSlam 2000, and WrestleMania X-Seven, Bubba Ray and D-Von recently ran it back with The Hardys at TNA Sure for Glory, bestowing Matt and Jeff with their signature boots, adorned with “3D” after coming up short in a Tables Match for the TNA and NXT Tag Team Championships, seemingly signifying the tip of their run, not less than together, after nearly 30 years.

Teaming together for greater than 30 years, real-life brothers Matt and Jeff haven’t only compiled loads of hardware over the many years but have also reinvented themselves time and time again. From an obscure debut as The Jynx Brothers (Ingus and Wildo), to a run because the Latest Brood (assuming the reigns from soon-to-be rivals Edge and Christian), to their time as Team Extreme alongside Lita, and primarily, simply as The Hardy Boyz, their tenures in WWE headline their illustrious careers; however the impact doesn’t stop there. “The Broken Universe” gave us “Broken” Matt, “Brother Nero,” and a memorable forged of characters and the cinematic innovation used to create that world not only encouraged an outside-the-box ideology for future wrestling creativity, but can have helped save the industry through the Covid-19 pandemic, when crowds were nowhere to be found.

Still, a big portion of the Hardy legacy comes from in-ring work, and the vast majority of that, as a tag team. With the standout runs against their TLC counterparts, The Dudley Boyz, and Edge and Christian, atop the list, there isn’t any doubting The Hardys as bona fide Hall of Famers across not less than two promotions in WWE and TNA. But since we’re counting championship gold here today, it’s price digging into Matt and Jeff’s trophy case to disclose not less than 25 runs with Tag Team Championships (again remembering that tag team title math is weird to say the least), including eight runs as WWE Tag Team Champions, 4 times in TNA, twice each for OMEGA and House of Glory, and singular runs representing WCW, The Crash, Ring of Honor, NWA, MCW, IWC, FULL, and 4th Rope, in addition to recently adding the NXT Tag Team Championships to their collection at “NXT vs. TNA Showdown.”

No list on the best tag teams of all time can be complete without Animal and Hawk, The Road Warriors (also often known as Legion of Doom in WWF). With a finisher for the ages in The Doomsday Device, a glance often imitated but never duplicated, unparalleled intensity, a world class manager in “Precious” Paul Ellering, iconic music and catch phrases, legitimate toughness, and naturally, a crowd response still sought by wrestlers today searching for “The Road Warrior Pop,” Animal and Hawk captivated audiences together for greater than 20 years starting in Georgia Championship Wrestling. After garnering international acclaim through stints in AWA, across Japan, for Jim Crockett Promotions after which WCW, the team arrived in WWF in 1990, adopting the Legion of Doom moniker that was initially used to explain a bigger faction of their early days, which also included Jake Roberts, King Kong Bundy, The Iron Sheik, and others, for a brief time period.

Adorned with spiked football shoulderpads and their trademark facepaint, intimidation was the secret for LOD, who would develop into two-time WWF Tag Team Champions, adding to a group of championships that will also include 4 NWA Tag Team titles, two iGW Championships, and title runs in all of WCW, AWA, IPW, and PCW. Road Warrior Hawk died in 2003 from a heart attack, however the team’s legacy would carry on with Animal continuing to don the normal getup, returning to being dubbed as “Road Warrior Animal” and sometimes paying tribute to his fallen comrade. Animal, who also died of a heart attack in 2020, would wrap up his profession in 2012, appearing on an episode of “WWE SmackDown” to squash Heath Slater, following a Hall of Fame induction for the tag team the previous yr.