411's Top 50 tag Teams Of All Time: #5-#1

Posted by Scott Rutherford on 02.07.2006

Who is our top tag team of all time?

So it ends. This was a massive effort to put together in a short space of time. I'm sure the last five teams on this list offer no surprises since by process of elimination you have already guessed who they are. What you need to find out is who placed where in the top 5. You will find an attachment below discussing the facts and figures of this here Top 50 and hopefully it will shed some light on the voting process for you all.

I also need to thank again everyone who helped but a special thank you at this end of the top 50 for all the guys that made comments about each team. Meehan, Napier, Csonka, Melchor, Byers, Dunn and Hayhurst all made sure we had plenty to read and to make this feature work.

And now…the top 5!


#5: The Rock ‘n' Roll Express – 685 Votes
NWA Tag Team Champions - 4 Times
USWA tag Team Champions - 2 Times
Mid-South Tag Team Champions - 3 Times
SMW Tag Team Champions - 9 Times
AWA Southern Tag Team Champions - 2 Times
NWA Georgia Tag Team Champions - 1 Time
CWA Tag Team Champions - 1 Time
Manager(s): None
Finishing Move: Double Drop Kick

Generally speaking, knockoffs don't go over that well. However, when Memphis bookers paired up Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson to be a new version of the Fabulous Ones, they inadvertently created one of the greatest tag teams of all time.

Not long after their formation, the team picked up the Memphis territory's Tag Team Titles and immediately began feuding with the Midnight Express of Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey. The individual matches were incredible, and the feud as a whole was fantastic. With wrestling still being in its territorial days, only one thing made sense: taking the feud on the road. Bill Watts' Mid-South wrestling was next, and the rivalry continued with Gibson and Morton earning themselves three reigns as the promotion's champions. Finally, after many years of working against one another and honing a formula match that could whip almost any crowd in to a frenzy, the Express headed to Jim Crockett Promotions and national television exposure thanks to Ted Turner's TBS.

It wasn't just the Midnights that caused headaches for the RnR's in JCP, though. Ricky and Robert actually beat the Russians for their first NWA Tag Team Championship and feuded with that group before moving back to the other Express, who by this point had replaced Dennis Condrey with Stan Lane. Now that the old rivals were in the second largest wrestling promotion in the country, they were finally able to have matches that would be seen across the country and seared in to the minds of wrestling fans for many generations to come. The cohesion that the duo showed when performing double team moves and Ricky Morton's unparalleled ability to earn sympathy from an audience made the Express in to a rarity in the professional wrestling world. They were a tag team who had the ability to draw a good sized house on their own, absent the help of singles stars. This was proven time and time again, most notably when the team entered in to a memorable rivalry with the Four Horsemen, which saw Ricky's face getting ground in to a concrete floor.

Though the Rock 'n Rolls did manage to win that feud against the Horsemen, the victory would signal the beginning of the end for them as a team. There were a few more matches against the Midnights here and there, but WCW booked Ricky turning on Robert in 1991, killing off what was still a very popular act. The two men would go on to tour the independent circuit, finding their most success in Jim Cornette's Smokey Mountain Wrestling, where they would feud primarily with the Heavenly Bodies to win the SMW Tag Team Titles a record nine times. They also engaged in a controversial feud with New Jack and Mustafa Saed, which helped get that young team on the map before they would go on to greater fame in ECW. Wrestling the Gangstas would be the team's last major feud. They would continue to appear in independent leagues, periodically winning the NWA Tag Team Championship, though that title had been greatly devalued by the mid-1990's. Aside from sporadic appearances in the WWF and NWA-TNA, the Rock 'n Rolls have been largely out of the limelight. Gibson is currently semi-retired, while Morton is in prison for missed child support payments.

However, if there was ever an appropriate case for applying the old phrase "Remember me as I was and not as I am," it would be the Rock 'n Roll Express. Though they have seen better days, Ricky and Robert redefined what a babyface tag team should be in the United States and are still spoken about with almost god-like reverence in parts of the American South. They deserve every bit of it.(RB)

Napier: This team was based sheerly on two things. The first was how well Ricky Morton could sell. The second was the fact that Ric Flair put Morton over in a non-title match. Fans ate them up because of it. Four time champs and for a long time, THE team you thought about when you thought about NWA tag team wrestling.

Csonka: There is, was and never will be a better "babyface" tag team than the R&R Express. They ruled the NWA, when people said they were done they proved they could still go and draw crowds in Smokey Mountain, Top 5 no doubt in my mind and a personal favorite.

Meehan: Here's your million dollar question: If Ricky Morton couldn't sell like a champ (take note, HBK), would the Rock 'n Roll Express have been as popular as they were? Teams like Matt & Jeff Hardy owe a lot to the RnRE, because the Rock 'n Rollers redefined how teams could "take a licking" and STILL come out looking like the victor even if they wound up losing the match. Classic babyfaces and probably the best pure face tandem in wrestling history.

Dunn: How appropriate is it that the Rock and Rolls and their eternal foes, the Midnight Express, should be so close together. Ricky Morton helped redefine the concept of what tag team wrestling became in the 1980s. It's a formula that still gets used to this day, and Ricky's name has become synonymous with that style, so much so that "playing Ricky Morton" has become shorthand for a babyface in trouble.

Hayhurst: Face in peril. The hot tag. The false dawn. The comeback. The Rock ‘n Roll Express perfected the tag team formula. They wrestled the same match every night, but it was a great one. They could work with power teams, brawling teams, high flyers, technically sound guys, you name it and make them all look great. I don't think I ever remember these guys in a true squash, because they let everybody get offence in on them. If you play around with ideas they were kind of the anti-Road Warriors. They were the epitome of the ‘pretty boy' tag team, because they just weren't pretty (not that I would call Gibson and Morton pretty anyway).

Melchor: Melchor: People mostly remember the Rock & Roll Express for being the origin of phrases like, "playing the Ricky Morton role" and "face in peril". Looking past that, the R&R Express could take an incredible shitkicking, yes - but they could always hand one back with pinpoint teamwork and moves that had never been seen before. Their place in history is set, but it may be for the wrong reasons.





#4: The Midnight Express – 689 Votes
NWA tag Team Champions - 2 Times
US Tag Team Champions - 3 Times
Mid-South tag Team Champions - 2 Times
NWA American Tag Team Champions - 1 Time
Manager(s): Jim Cornette
Finishing Move: Rocket Launcher, Veg-O-Matic, Double Goozle

The Midnight Express - Take your pick between Eaton and Condrey or Eaton and Lane. One was as good as the other, and both did incredible things for tag team wrestling in the second half of the 1980's. Whether it was World Class, the UWF, or NWA, the Midnight Express could be counted on for a certain number of things. First of all, they were going to take double-teaming to a whole new level. It started with the Rocket Launcher, and grew in to Divorce Court, the Double Goozle, the Veg-O-Matic, and the Double Flapjack. Make no mistake about it, the Midnight Express were the greatest double-team artists of all time. Secondly, they could be counted on to be upper card and main event heels. Whether feuding with Magnum TA and Bill Watts, the Fantastics, or the Rock N Roll Express, they were going to draw a ton of heat. Finally, you knew you were going to get tremendous matches out of them every single time out. Right up to the end of the team, they were putting on top notch matches with Pillman and Zenk on their way out of NWA/WCW. Somewhere between their debut in Mid South and their last match in WCW, you could see the Midnights feud with the Fantastics, Mr. Wrestling II, the Rock N roll Express, The "Original" Midnight Express, the Samoan Swat Team, the Dynamic Dudes, Pillman and Zenk, the Horsemen, the Road Warriors, Ronnie Garvin, and the Freebirds. In every feud, as important as what went on inside the ring was what was going on outside the ring. Jim Cornette became the prototypical heel manager by playing a loudmouthed, bragadocious, cowardly heel that got his men into some hot water. He was never afraid to bail them out with a well placed tennis racket shot, either. Whichever two men were in the team at any given time, along with Cornette, came together to work a magic that's never been duplicated since. Incredibly, on December 11th, 2004, Eaton and Condrey reunited to win the IWC tag team titles from Tracey Smothers and Chris Hamrick. (GN)

Csonka: There are no Midnights with out the R&R and vice versa. A great heel team, and they had the PERFECT manager in James E. Cornette. Whether Condrey and Eaton, or Eaton and Lane they were a damn good team and a personal favorite. Top 5 no doubt.

Dunn: One of the teams that redefined tag team wrestling. At that particular point, it was rare to see a team and a manager travel together when they left a territory, and it was partly that loyalty to the MX brand name that kept them so successful. The other part is being in the right place at the right time with the right team to oppose them.

Meehan: Did Jim Cornette make the Midnight Express or did the Midnight Express make Jim Cornette? Either way, the two entities will forever be intrinsically linked in the book of professional wrestling history, as the success of the individuals was nothing when compared to their successes when combined (think Matt & Jeff Hardy, if you will). Awesome stuff through Smokey Mountain and NWA, and a bang-up resume of other non-WWF accomplishments to boot.

Hayhurst: The Eaton and Lane version is my all time favorite tag team. They didn't invent the tag team formula, they didn't perfect it, but man did they work it almost better than anybody. Their matches with the Rock ‘n Roll Express probably did popularize the tag formula and made it recognizable to the casual wrestling fan. They could work an extended heat segment on a face that had you chomping at the bit for the hot tag. Them versus the Original Midnight Express was one of the hottest and well developed tag feuds ever, too bad it didn't really have a pay off. And when Jim Cornette turned on the Dynamic Dudes to go with the Express and it basically made them faces because the fans hated the Dudes it was so awesome. They had signature entrance music and signature outfits and a great manager in Cornette. They were a solid team that also had the miscellaneous fluff.

Melchor: As good as their long-time rivals the Rock and Roll express were, the Midnight Express - in my eyes, "Sweet" Stan Lane and "Beautiful" Bobby Eaton - were just that much better. Jim Cornette did most of their talking for them because the Midnights were too busy doing their talking in the ring as one of the teams that defined teamwork, even to this day.

Napier: For my money, the greatest team ever. They revolutionized double-teaming, they had the (IMO) greatest manager ever, and they were good enough to get praise from Dusty Rhodes. They never had the sheer marketability of the Road Warriors or the Steiner's or even the Rock and Roll Express, but they were as fun to watch as any team in history. They proved they could play faces late in their run and toyed with going to the WWF for a bit. My 12 hours of comp tapes from the Midnights are probably the most watched in my collection, if that tells you anything.

Rutherford: How much more can I add after all of that? Seriously, one of the greatest tag teams ever featuring three of the greatest wrestlers to ever lace up a pair of boots. They were equal parts talent, flash and charisma and there match against the Southern Boys on PPV many years ago was just the essence of what a tag team match should be.


#3 The Steiner Brothers – 694 Votes
WCW Tag Team Champions - 6 Times
IWGP Tag Team Champions – 2 Times
NWA Tag Team Champions - 1 Time
WWF Tag Team Champions - 2 Times
US Tag Team Champions - 1 Time
Manager(s): Missy Hyatt, "Robin Green" (Woman)
Finishing Move: Frankensteiner, Steinerline

In 1987, Rick Steiner was a young professional wrestler with only four years of experience and not a lot that set him apart from the rest of the wrestling world. Then, one year later, his younger brother Scott followed him to the National Wrestling Alliance, and the two went on to become one of the most popular tag teams in history, both in the United States and across the Pacific Ocean in Japan.

As previously mentioned, the story of the Steiner Brothers begins in the NWA. The two young men were dominant in their early careers, displaying a combination of speed and power that was not often seen in the slower, mat based world of 1980's pro wrestling. The duo was quick to capture its first championship, unseating the Michael Hayes/Jimmy Garvin combination of the Fabulous Freebirds in 1989 and pinning the Midnight Express to win the NWA United States Tag Team Championship in 1990. At virtually the same time, the two men were gaining momentum in Japan, capturing the IWG Tag Team Championship in 1991, defeating Hiroshi Hase and Kensuke Sasaki in the process. A shoulder injury to Scott would cut off that momentum, though, leading to the Japanese titles being vacated and serious booking changes being made stateside. When the team was able to reunite, they continued their dominance both at home and abroad, but changing attitudes in the front office almost tore the team apart. WCW bookers had their eyes on Scott, wanting to make him in to the World Heavyweight Champion, effectively ending his partnership with Rick. Shockingly, Scotty showed great devotion to his brother by refusing the position and jumping to the World Wrestling Federation, where the siblings could continue to compete as a unit.

The WWF welcomed the Steiners with open arms thanks to their impressive physiques and lengthy amateur resume. The brothers put on several impressive matches, working well with the likes of the Hart Brothers, the Headshrinkers, and the Beverly Brothers (Mike Enos and Wayne Bloom). Their biggest feud was against Money, Incorporated and resulted in Rick and Scott earning the WWF Tag Team Titles on two separate occasions. However, despite their impressive win-loss record and their title reigns, the Steiner Brothers never seemed to click in the World Wrestling Federation. The cartoonish, gimmick-heavy style of the company just didn't mesh with the Steiners' straightforward matches and no-nonsense attitude. As a result, they left the promotion after only a couple of years. A brief run in ECW was next for the brothers, as well as more tours with New Japan. Both of these runs were uneventful, though, and it looked like Rick and Scott were going to ride off in to the sunset until WCW came calling once more.

It was in 1995 that the University of Michigan alums arrived in Atlanta, just in time for the Monday Night Wars. Rick and Scott were made in to key players, being major rivals of the New World Order during its rise to power. They warred with the Outsiders for months over the Tag Team Championship, repeatedly winning them in a series of Dusty finishes before taking home the straps once and for all in a 1998 match against Nash and Hall. That run would prove to be the last major one of the Steiners' tag team career, though. The duo was split up, with Scott finally turning on his brother and joining the same nWo faction that they used to feud with. The two brothers would reunite for a few tag team matches when they were both part of the Magnificent Seven faction in 2001, but they would never again reach the heights that they did in the 1990s.(RB)

Napier: Like the Road Warriors, they made everyone's jaw drop. The difference is, Rick and Scott did it in the ring, not with their appearance. The first Frankensteiner we all saw is probably burned into our memories forever. Even after injuries and time, the team was viable for nearly a decade. Like most truly great teams, they had success in America and Japan through the years and will always be in the discussion for "greatest ever".

Csonka: The Steiner's were a team that immediately caught my attention. Rick was crazy and looked like he could kill a man (before he was crazy for real) and Scotty was a marvel back in the early 90's before he became a roid freak. I always enjoyed their matches with Harlem Heat, Bret and Owen, The Heavenly Bodies or with about anyone. A great tag team that many don't understand how good they were because of what they became. Top 10 worthy I feel, but possibly a bit too high.

Dunn: Believe it or not, Scott Steiner was once considered the top prospect in all of wrestling. Believe it or not, Rick Steiner was almost as good during his first few years. During a brief time in the early 1990s, Scott and Rick were putting on some the most dynamic, stiff matches on record. They were especially good when placed in the ring with someone who could take a good pounding like Vader and Bam Bam Bigelow.

Melchor: What happens when you take the classic combination of power and finesse to an exponential level? You get two brothers that almost no one could beat. Rick and Scott Steiner both could take people to the mat and tie them in knots, or simply power through them and beat them senseless. Either way, the Steiner Brothers were innovators in a time and place when they were sorely needed and appreciated.

Rutherford: When the Road Warriors started fading these guys came along and reset the benchmark for power tag team wrestling. Hard to believe that the roided up idiots that exist today were the ultra-skilled team that existed all who saw them.

Meehan: "Here's a story of two brothers / Rick and Scott..." Before Scotty sold out to the needle and before Rick became an incomprehensible running joke to feud with an evil puppet, the Steiners *WERE* the single greatest tag team in wrestling history. The decline (and laughable one at that) of their solo careers following their tandem run probably leaves fans with a bad taste in their mouths, but let's not forget just how impressive the Steinerline and the Frankensteiners used to be, folks.

Hayhurst: Rick and Scott are arguably the best brother tandem other. They really had that ‘two men with one mind' element to them. They always knew what the other guy was thinking. I would also say they were the best on apron team. When one guy was on the apron, he just didn't stand there. He clapped, he stomped, he chanted, he yelled at the ref, he worked his ass off and a reason behind that was supporting his brother. It's sad to see how Rick and Scott eroded, but because during their height as a team no one was better at getting a crowd into a match and constructing an entertaining match. A true test of a team is watch their squashes. The Steiners put on energetic, innovative contests with everybody. If they were in there with nobodies you got a five minute suplex clinic and then Scott would do the Frankensteiner and the fans would go nuts.


#2: The British Bulldogs – 708 Votes
WWF Tag Team Champions – 1 Time
Stampede International Tag Team Champions: 2 Time
Manger(s): Cap. Lou Albano
Finish Manoeuvre: Running Powerslam or Diving Headbutt

Created in one of the toughest territories wrestling has ever seen, The British Bulldogs entered the WWF from Canada's Stampede Wrestling where Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid had become one of the hottest and most innovative teams of all time. Not overly big (they were one of the smallest teams of their era in the WWF) they were instantly over thanks to a vast array of impressive moves never seen in the Federations tag team ranks. The Bulldogs were incredibly popular and it wasn't long before they were given the tag team titles defeating The Dream Team at WrestleMania 2 in the nights best match and holding the titles for much of the next year engaging The Hart Foundation in a series of memorable matches around the US before eventually dropping the titles to them in early 1987 when chronic back problems in Dynamite became to much to work through.

Although they quickly returned to action they never again captured the WWF tag titles and after a string of lacklustre feuds the Bulldogs bowed out of the WWF in late 1988 after being eliminated in the Survivor Series and took to the independent scene having one notable match with NWA tag stars The Rock n' Roll Express more known for how disappointing it was than for being the classic is should have been. The Bulldogs ended back up in the ailing Stampede area where they quickly won the tag titles and eventually split and starting a long awaited feud.

Davey Boy eventually came back to the WWF having a successful run as a singles wrestler becoming the Intercontinental Championship, the federations first European Champion and legitimate Heavyweight Titles contender as well as a successful tag team with real-life brother-in-law Owen Hart capturing the WWF tag titles. The legendary Dynamite Kid who revolutionised wrestling as a cruiserweight in Japan and also brought high risk to the World Wrestling Federation now lives in the UK confined to a wheelchair after a career spent pushing his body past it's capabilities.

The Bulldogs were one of the most influential teams of any era that had everything, the look, the talent and the ability to work any match you wanted with almost any wrestler. They combined power and skill like no other and showed the way for generations to come.(SR)

Randle: The ultimate combination of power and technical mastery, not divided between two guys, but contained within both men. They could brawl, they could wrestle, they could do almost anything in a wrestling ring together. Their matches with the Hart Foundation are legendary, and they were renowned around the world as one of the best tag teams ever. If not for the injury that ended Dynamite Kid's career, there's no doubt that this team could have had the longevity to take top spot in the poll.

Rutherford: My only regret as a wresting fan in that Bulldogs era was the WWF never turned them heel. For me that would have been the fucking best thing ever since heel Dynamite was his true calling and Davey made a pretty decent one as well. Hard to believe we never really saw the best of these guys because of injury and personal demons but even a half-speed Bulldogs were better than anyone else.

Hayhurst: It's a shame that Davey Boy Smith suffered the injuries he did. The Bulldogs were just coming into their own in WWE and probably would have been the standard bearers for the division that the Hart Foundation became. You have the classic partner match up of the tough power brawler with the smaller, technical wrestler/high flyer. But Kid could brawl and Smith could wrestle and that's where they excelled. They had no weak element. Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid complimented each other very well. Kid was doing stuff back in the early eighties people still don't do today. Smith really came along nicely under Kid and I think it was this tag team experience that allowed him to develop into a credible singles wrestler.

Dunn: The Stampede Rule kicks in as we get two of the top workers ever to be paired as a tag team. Much like the Eddy Guerrero/Art Barr situation, Davey Boy would go on to have the singles career the Dynamite Kid should have had. Both men had considerable singles success as well: Dynamite in Japan as a junior and Davey Boy as a world title contender from 1993 to 1996. Probably the top "workrate" tag team of all time

Meehan: Had Hawk & Animal not stepped foot in a WWF ring, history would likely still remember them as being one of the greatest tag teams in the world. Sadly for Davey Boy and Dynamite, this is simply not the case - as their tenure in WWF was what put them on the map in the hearts and minds of wrestling fans across the globe. Stampede was good, but their (relatively short) time in WWF was GREAT. Maybe some of thier matches were better in Stampede, but the (inter)national stage of the World Wrestling Federation helped to propel these two boys from Britain to the forefront of wrestling's world stage. The tragic (and abrubt) end to their run is one that will always be second-guessed by fans everywhere, but it's always better to burn out than fade away, I suppose... and nothing cements a legacy better than a fanbase of "what ifs?"

Napier: Davey Boy before the roids and Dynamite before he was crippled. You don't get much better than that. They were clean cut, fun to watch, and marketable at the most marketable era in wrestling history to that point. They played the faces to every signifacant heel team in the promotion for a good long while, and made it work every single time out.

Csonka: What can you say about this team. Dynamite was a freak, he was the WCW's Cruiser Division 13-years before there was one. He and Smith just gelled and looked great together, and took the WWF by storm. They never seemed to get their due there because of their Japan commitments, which they took as more serious. It's amazing that since their WWF run wasn't a big as it could have been that they are remembered so fondly.


#1: The Road Warriors – 723 Votes
NWA International tag Team Champions – 1 Time
NWA National Tag Team Champions - 4 Timed
AWA Tag Team Champions – 1 Time
NWA Tag Team Champions - 1 Time
WWF tag Team Champions - 2 Times
Manager(s): "Precious" Paul Ellering, Sunny
Finishing Move: Doomsday Device

(Note: This history is an edited down version of the one that appears in the 411 Wrestling Hall of Fame. Since I wrote that one I figure I can steal from myself)

Ever since Joe Laurinaitis (Animal) and Michael Hegstrand (Hawk) joined forces they were fated to be stars. Big and muscular, they stood out from the regular wrestling crowd with their punk haircuts and face paint. Now if that was all to their appeal they would have fallen off the map with a bunch of other goofy looking wrestlers. They named themselves after the notorious biker gang of the same name and more than proved they were deserving of their moniker.

Animal would sit a battered opponent on his shoulders when Hawk would ascended the top rope and he would launch himself half way across the ring and clothsline his victim to the mat. No one ever got up from this move and defeat was assured. They were violent, original and edgy and gave great promo in their own particular style. Animal would yell and scream full of rage and always end what he said with Tell ‘em Hawk... Well, Hawk would start off, It seems to me, that it seems to be… and he would make his point in a very pointed and cold way. They always meant business.

They were VERY different when they formed in 1983 and created a major stir wherever they went in the formative years. They left Georgia for the AWA because the NWA tried to ban them and even in the AWA they didn't make any friends. One notable occasion was a match where the then rookie Curt Henning was caught in a hangman between the top and second rope and Hawk unleashed with a series of unprotected chair shots to Curt's head leaving him bleeding hardway and the crowd rioted when they tried to leave and were forced to fight there way to safety. This was the norm, not the exception.

They feuded with every major team of the 80's and 90's and had massive runs with the Four Horsemen, The Fabulous Freebirds, The Von Erichs, The Midnight Express, The Russians (whatever combination they had), Demolition, The Hart Foundation, Doom, The Skyscrapers, The Steiners, The New Age Outlaws, The Outsiders and many more. Their versatility and ability to create heat with almost any team was astonishing.

You can read their achievements like an honour role of wrestling. The only team to win the three recognised major tag team championships in North America (WWE/F, WCW/NWA, AWA) when each of those promotions were at their prime and they were a legitimate draw for nearly 20 years. Pro Wrestling Illustrated stroked themselves over Warriors so much they gave them multiple Tag Team of the Year Awards coupled with Tag Team of the Decade and when they couldn't get more over-of-the top, Tag Team of the Century!

Quite simply, they were the cool heels decades before Steve Austin. Even booked as the nastiest heels in whatever territory they wrestled, they were always cheered. Coming to the ring with those huge sliver spikes sticking up from the mammoth leather shoulder pads to the ominous strains of Black Sabbaths Iron Man, they would DESTROY opponents. Their televised jobber matches would rarely break the minute mark. They had an aura of invincibility, so much so that one of them would often headline a house show in a singles match with the NWA champion (usually Ric Flair) and even managed to share title matches against Flair during the Great American Bash cards in 86!

Their time in the NWA was an odd period. So popular they had become they could rightfully claim to be the top faces of the promotion but they were never given the tag titles. For years they would always get close but be denied by some heelish tactic and the Warriors were in danger of losing their aura. Common sense thankfully prevailed.

First they attacked Dusty and then Sting and then any other face they could lay their hands on. Secondly they cut a series of pissed off promo's that announced that the wimpy Warriors were a thing of the past and the old Warriors were back. Third and lastly, the annihilated NWA tag champs The Midnight Express in a match so awesomely brutal that both Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton bladed and had little offence as the Warrior finally became NWA tag champions. As always, they were so awesome they instantly became faces again!

Perhaps seeking challenges elsewhere the Warriors headed to the WWF. They were repacked as the Legion of Doom (in a nod to their old heel stable and a name the WWF held ownership of) they chased immortality and beat the Nasty Boys at SummerSlam to become the first and only team to win the Big Three tag team titles. This was a different Road Warriors however. Gone were the big steel spikes and in there place orange shoulder pads and fake looking smaller black spikes. The WWF was aimed at children and this helped them fit a more cartoon-like image than the violent team they were in the past.

After their tenure in the WWF the Warriors lost their way somewhat and even split for a while but like all good teams, the reformed and headed back to the WWF for one big final run. They quickly won the titles again but it was plainly clear that years of wrestling and abuse to their bodies were taking it's toll and in late 1997 and early 1998 they were jobbed out to the hottest tag team in wrestling The New Age Outlaws and quietly let go by the WWE before years end.

Popular to the end, the Warrior earned the reputation for years of kicking ass and taking names. Hugely respected in Japan for their toughness and respected in American for their popularity and longevity there will never be another team like them. JR used to call them "American Originals" and they were. (SR)

Hayhurst: Their recent DVD set I think has really opened up a lot of people to how good the Road Warriors were. They were often criticized for being over stiff in the ring and wouldn't sell anything, but that was their characters. Sure they would do that in jobber squashes, but you put them in there with big name teams that matched up well with them, like the Steiners or the Freebirds and they could put on great power matches. These guys literally sold out the world and there wasn't a single territory they didn't get over in. They are the only tag team in history to hold the tag straps in the AWA, WWF/E and NWA/WCW. These guys looked and acted like heels, but were often faces and succeeded by being different from other face teams. They kicked ass and took names. They controlled a match from start to finish. You can diss their psychology, but they knew how to get a crowd into a match and could perform their specific match layout better than anyone.

Dunn: Well, this was a pretty easy #1. Unlike many acts that are only over in certain areas or territories, the Roadies were the most over tag team. The first team to win AWA, NWA, and WWF gold. Like Hulk Hogan in the singles ranks, Hawk and Animal were defining what the next generation of wrestlers would look like.

Csonka: It really depends on definitions to some, but even I will say that the Road Warriors are a great #1 pick. AWA, NWA, WWF tag team champions, as well as running wild in Japan makes them easy to select for the top honor.

Napier: Depending on your definition of greatness, they're number one with a bullet. They're the first true megastar tag team, and they took the world by storm. Minnesota, Atlanta, Japan, New York - they were huge successes everywhere they went. They looked the part of killers and were booked as such. Sometimes promoters backed themselves into a corner with them, which was easy to do. You didn't want to book anyone over them, but before long they had cleaned out the division. I could debate the point on these guys as a personal number one, but in terms of overall greatness...not really.

Byers: They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. On that criterion alone, the Roadwarriors deserve to be at the top of this list. They inspired numerous other teams, including the Powers of Pain, Demolition, and the Bladerunners, who would go on to become the Ultimate Warrior and Sting. Not only that, but the Warriors' run was so successful that promoters couldn't help but bring it back in various incarnations like the Hellraisers, LOD2K, and Heidenreich/Roadwarrior Animal. Wrestlers and bookers will be imitating Hawk and Animal for decades to come, which easily qualifies them as the top tag team of all time.

Randle: Essentially the tag team that everybody remembers when they remember tag teams. They were a force of nature unknown before in tag team wrestling. They beat people up, and then they beat more people up. And when they were finished, they beat them up again. They had a unique charisma, and were the original bad-ass faces. They were and are, a tag team that has been unmatched in terms of success and fan support, and well deserving of the top spot.

Melcher: Hawk and Animal gained their spot here because they didn't out-wrestle or out-fight opponents...they simply ran them over. Sure, Hawk could wrestle if need be, but both of them were fearless because, really, what did they have to fear? Instead, with their spiked pads, facepaint, frightening power and viciousness, the Road Warriors carved their niche as the best team in history.

Meehan: Clearly, the best combination of look, chemistry, influence on the sport, international success and overall dominance in the history of tag team wrestling. The Road Warriors are a legend in the world of sports entertainment, and a rare case of a tag team that could have been just as well remembered (and respected) had they never even set foot in a WWF ring. Hawk & Animal were hella-over no matter where they went, and their dominance in the NWA, WWF and abroad is a clear indicator of just how staggering their success was. Titles, feuds, and that "it" factor that so many other teams desperately try to manufacture, The Road Warriors are stuff of legend for good reason, and well worth their weight in (tag team) gold.

Napier: Depending on your definition of greatness, they're number one with a bullet. They're the first true megastar tag team, and they took the world by storm. Minnesota, Atlanta, Japan, New York - they were huge successes everywhere they went. They looked the part of killers and were booked as such. Sometimes promoters backed themselves into a corner with them, which was easy to do. You didn't want to book anyone over them, but before long they had cleaned out the division. I could debate the point on these guys as a personal number one, but in terms of overall greatness...not really.



This is nothing but a companion piece to the top 50 that you have just read about. When you put together lists like this you notice oddities and certain stats that pop out and I though you would be mildly interested in a break down of some of these….

* 169 teams managed to poll votes.

* Only two teams polled over 700 votes (The Road Warriors and The British Bulldogs) and only four teams managed to break the 600 vote mark.

* 174 votes separated 1st and 10th position and 619 votes between 1st and 50th.

* The Dudley Boyz were the only team in the top ten that didn't get unanimous support from the panel with two voters opting not to vote for them

* Every team that did get unanimous votes made the top ten

* The Nasty Boys managed to get 15 of the 16 judges to vote for them but still only managed to make it to 18th place with a total of 361 votes while Strike Force managed 12 out of 16 in the voters stakes and only managed 34th with 197 votes.

* The APA were the most voted for team not to make the Top 50 with seven people voting for them for a total of 82 votes coming in 59th place.

* Mitsuhara Misawa & Kenta Kobashi only managed to get four people to vote for them but still ended up in 36th place while Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue got only three sperate votes and came in 47th.

* Two teams managed to get four top places on peoples lists and they were The Road Warriors and The Midnight Express.

* Mitsuhara Misawa & Kenta Kobashi were the lowest placed team to get full votes from one judge.

* The Hart Foundation managed three first places and still only made it to 6th place

* The Steiner Brothers (3rd) were the only team in the top 6 not to get a first place vote and while the Steiners might not have gotten any first place votes they did manage to make the top ten with 14 people and polled no lower 13th place

* The lowest vote for any top ten team (not counting the Dudley non-votes) was The Brain Busters who got a 47th place from one person.

* X-Pac & Kane and The Southern Rockers were equal last in voting both only getting one vote each.

* Chris Benoit made it the most times into the overall list with 5 appearances, Arn Anderson had 4 separate entries while Edge, Billy Gunn, Lance Storm, Christian and Mitsuhara Misawa all had three.

* The teams that finished 51-60 were….

Blackjacks
The Quebecers
El Hijo del Santo and Octago
Badd Company
The Russians
RVD & Sabu
The Von Erichs
Big Van Vader & Bam Bam Bigelow
APA
The Impact Players

* It is somewhat surprising that teams like Bobby Eaton & Arn Anderson, The Smoking Gunns, The Bodydonnas, The Godwins, Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas, The Natural Disasters, XXX and The East-West Connection all failed to make the top 60 despite being successful teams in their day.

* Not so surprising is La Resistance only made it to 94th position despite being multiple tag team champions and ditto for the Basham Brothers at 159th place with their two tag team titles reigns.

* if you averaged out the votes for each team it would look something like this…

1. Road Warriors 45.18
2. Shoehi Baba & Antonio Inoki 45
3. British Bulldogs 44.25
4. The Steiner Brothers 43.37
5. The Midnight Express 43.06
6. Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens 43
7. The Rock ‘n Roll Express 42.81
8. The Hart Foundation 42.43
9. Mitsuhara Misawa & Kenta Kobashi 42
10. The Dudley Boyz 41.21
11. Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue 39.33
12. Shoehi Baba & Jumbo Tsuruta 39
13. Terry & Dory Funk 37.83
14. The Fabulous Freebirds 37.37
15. Edge & Christian 35.35
16. The Brain Busters 35.18
17. The Miracle Violence Connection 34.77
18. The (Midnight) Rockers 34.31
19. The New Age Outlaws 34.26
20. Ray Stevens & Pat Patterson 34
21. Jumbo Tsuruta & Geinichrio Tenryu 34
22. The Hollywood Blondes 33.86
23. Demolition 33.13
24. El Hijo del Santo and Octago 33
25. The Pitbulls 33
26. Harlem Heat 31.66
27. Owen Hart & Jeff Jarrett 31.5
28. The Brisco Brothers 31.3
29. Stan Hansen & Bruiser Brody 31.2
30. Minnesota Wrecking Crew 30.4
31. The Outsiders 30
32. Davey Boy Smith & Owen Hart 29.8
33. Doug Furnas & Dan Kroffat 29.8
34. The Fabulous Ones 29
35. Mistuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada 29
36. Johnny & Jerry Valiant 27
37. The Crusher & Dick the Bruiser 26
38. Los Gringos Locos 25.5
39. The Enforcers 25.33
40. Doom 25.3
41. Blackjacks 25.25
42. Public Enemy 25
43. Money Inc. 24.5
44. The Hardy Boyz 24.06
45. The Nasty Boyz 24.06
46. The Wild Samoans 22.66
47. Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin 22.66
48. Los Guerreros 22.5
49. The Von Erichs 22.25
50. The Sheepherders 22.14

….a different looking top 50 wouldn't you agree?