Stuart James: The Briscoes began their career only seven years ago, competing in CZW as mainly a job team for many months. However, after an impressive performance at Best of the Best, the Briscoes finally solidified themselves as a serious team, and to this day that is seen as their breaking out. The match would impress so many that it propelled them to the top of the CZW Tag Team Division in the summer of 2001. They would appear in several other independent promotions, but none as beneficial to their career as Ring of Honor.
The Briscoes are one of the few wrestlers that have been in Ring of Honor since the very first show, and have been there ever since. Like in CZW, they mainly began as Jay Briscoe simply losing to most teams, but after a short feud between the brothers, their talents shone through. They were and still are regarded as masters of tag team wrestling, introducing a fast-paced, high risk offence with hard hitting manoeuvres which would then help them gain the ROH World Tag Team Titles in November 2003.
The Briscoes would go on to have great match after great match, including some bloody brawls with the likes of Samoa Joe, or just traditional fast paced title matches with the Second City Saints, which would make them the epitome of tag team wrestling on the independent scene. Their high risk style has often been emulated but never quite duplicated to the standards of the Briscoes.
Their breakout year to become the most famous and biggest draw in the tag team independent scene was 2007, when they won the ROH Tag Team Titles twice more to become four time tag team champions, as well as competing in some of the best matches of 2007, with a "who's who" of independent tag teams such as the Motor City Machine Guns, the No Remorse Corps, Age of the Fall.
Their talents soon escalated them to broader stretches, as they won the FIP Tag Team Championships and even Pro Wrestling NOAH's GHC Wolrd Tag Team Titles in the years of 2006 and 2007 respectively.
Perhaps their most crowning achievement was when ROH appeared on pay-per-view, and the Briscoe Brothers concluded their four month feud with El Generico and Kevin Steen in the Ladder War, Ring of Honor's first and possibly last ladder match, where they raised the bar to levels that TLC matches and Money in the Bank ladder matches could only dream of, and became an instant classic match, filled with hatred and destruction.
The Briscoes will likely always be remembered as the biggest drawing independent tag teams in the world, and one of the best never to have competed in any of the major wrestling companies. They have innovated tag team wrestling to new heights, mastering a new high-flying system which elaborates on the style already influenced by the likes of the Hardys. Their insane spots in matches and willingless to put their lives on the line make them one of the most respected and admired tag teams in wrestling today.
Jerome Cusson: In 2007, NFL thug "Pacman" Jones was allowed to hold the TNA tag team titles with Ron Killings. The stale Team 3-D also held the tag titles. Hell, Samoa Joe held the belts by himself. In WWE, both tag team championship belts were rarely even defended on Pay-Per-View or regarded as anything of importance. And despite the fact that they don't wrestle in a major company, the Briscoes were named the best tag team of 2007 in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards.
In Ring of Honor, Jay and Mark Briscoe defended their Ring of Honor world tag team championships on main events throughout the territory. When legendary superstar Mitsuharu Misawa came to New York City, the Briscoes were the main event. On Ring of Honor's third ever Pay-Per-View, the Briscoes defended their tag team championships in the first ever "ROH Ladder War." They had countless match of the year candidates and proved that tag team wrestling is not dead.
Jamin Pugh (Jay Briscoe) and Mark Pugh (Mark Briscoe) were born a year apart and have been the finest brother team of the decade. It's amazing that they share the same wrestling name as Jack and Gerry Brisco. They could not be more different. Jack and Gerry were amateur wrestlers and masters of psychology. The Briscoes are not.
Jay and Mark, what they lack in psychology, make up for by going balls to the walls in every match. They put their bodies on the line. They have accomplished so much in a short amount of time. Yet they are only 24 and 23 years old respectfully. What they've done is take what The Eliminators of Perry Saturn and John Kronus started and perfect it. They've had some of the best high-flying tag team matches of all time.
The Briscoes made their debut when they were 16 and 15 years old for ECWA. They were more known for football then amateur wrestling. Ever since then, they've had success in almost every place they've gone. Combat Zone Wrestling was essentially were they won their first major title together. Then they made their way into a newly formed wrestling company based out of Philadelphia, Ring of Honor. This is the company they are best known for.
Jay participated in the first ever official ROH match since Mark could not compete in the state of Pennsylvania. The real-life brothers feuded for a few months before the tragic death of one of Mark's best friends. When the friend died, they had one more singles match before vowing never to feud again. While they've met once since then, they've always been together in every wrestling company they've participated.
The Briscoes have won five ROH tag team titles. They own the record for longest title reign. The fans have embraced them as almost being one of them because of their reckless style and penchent for drinking beer. Despite all of their wonderful accomplishments in Ring of Honor and a one year title reign in Full Impact Pro, their best title win may have come in Pro Wrestling NOAH in the early part of 2007.
On their first tour of Japan ever, Jay and Mark Briscoe defeated the team of team of Takashi Sugiura and Yoshinobu Kanemaru to become the junior tag team champions. Even though they lost the belts two weeks later to Ricky Marvin and Kotaro Suzuki, a gajin team even holding the belt is a huge deal. For the Briscoes, they're road may have just began.
It's hard to put their popularity into perspective since they've spent all of their time on the independent scene. But they've certainly contributed to Ring if Honor's growing popularity over the years. Even at such a young age though, they've done so much for the world of professional wrestling. They've kept tag team wrestling alive during a period of great de-emphais of this great dimension of wrestling. They will undoubtedly be remembered for their crazy matches, their willingness to do anything, but they're careers are really only beginning. They could still conceivably adapt their style and jump into WWE or TNA to continue their success. They may even decide to split and go their separate ways toward winning singles gold. One thing is for sure: When the true history of pro wrestling in the 2000s is written, the Briscoes should be considered the best team of this decade.
Jarrod Westerfeld: Though many will contest that because the Briscoe Brothers have never made any impact on American media television outside of a flailing ROH pay-per-view deal, there can be no other argument to not include Jay and Mark Briscoe as one of the top tag teams of the 411mania era. Since debuting as a tag team on May 20, 2000 in East Coast Wrestling Association, the duo has experienced a run of success the likes of which for any young career would stack as being an impressive resume to establish them as legends of a future generation. Their style of wrestling is the fast paced, mashing buttons caliber that holds roots with the way The Eliminators worked, and that the Hardy Boys would fine tune, and a style that other teams, today, try to emulate in their matches. These two embody the progression of tag team wrestling by stepping up the formula that The Road Warriors were known for and have vamped it for a new generation of fans hungry for fast paced action and constant high energy. Their critics would point to their style becoming too over the top and leading to some anti-climatic finishes as they keep raising the bar with their spots before heading into the finish, but you wouldn't even know these critics existed when you listen to the crowds buzzing throughout their bouts. Decorated 5 time ROH World Tag Team Champions, many see them as the entire tag team division as every year they are the focal point of that division and for good reason as every year they're the team that stands the test of times and remains a constant within the company. But they don't just experience success within the ranks of the still growing independent company owned by Cary Silken, as they hold title reigns in Pro Wrestling NOAH (GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship), Combat Zone Wrestling, Full Impact Pro, Pro Wrestling Unplugged, USA Xtreme Wrestling and NWA Wildside. About the only belts that tend to allude them in their regular touring schedule are JAPW and PWG's tag team titles but even those titles can't remain a mistress yet to be swooned by their charm. A trail of success makes up their shadow and a large following filled with admiration and excitement make up the body as they continue to make such impacts that they're brought back on frequent trips to Japan to work for NOAH and viewed by many to be the tag team of this decade. What they have done for tag team wrestling is forced other teams to match what they do, fit into their formula and match their speed and tempo of matches. Teams either have to adapt or continue to work the previous formula that tends to draw the ire of many non-mainstream fans. Their matches are like sprinting 100 meter dashes stretched out for marathon style runs, and while other teams can't maintain such a tempo as elegantly or as flawlessly, the Briscoe's continue to maintain this style every week, all over the world, and still keep fans on the edge of their seats and always wanting more. So their mainstream appeal doesn't compare to the darling tag teams of The Hardy Boys, Edge and Christian or The Dudley Boys (Team 3D), but that still doesn't stop them from being the most talked about and most highly respected and sought out commodity in the indy market. It's only a matter of time before a company such as TNA or WWE will bring in such a unit to freshen up their tag team divisions, but until that time they'll continue to be the tandem that fans adore and keep as their own little secret.
For your consideration…
6-time WWE World Tag Team Champions
204 points (Average Vote: 7.6)
Scott Rutherford: When you looked at the New Age Outlaw's you would never pick them as a team. One man was a successful tag wrestler who was tall, blonde and cocky but stuck in gimmick hell as Rockabilly, a protégé of The Honky Tonk Man and some say as punishment for dicking Vince around during contract talks. The other was the son of a southern wrestling legend who started out life as a roadie to the "JJ" Jeff Jarrett, singing cowboy character that morphed into a singing character himself. They were chalked and cheese and just didn't "fit" together. What they had however was attitude, an ability to rub people the wrong way and a ring introduction that was more over than they were.
I think the easiest way to look at the New Age Outlaws is to breakdown just what seems to matter when you become a famous wrestling star and people want to judge and compare you to other wrestlers past and present…
Popularity: Whether as heels or face these guys knew how to play the crowd. They originally started on the heel side of the coin delivering verbal servos to their opponents during their walk to the ring. These became highlights of most shows and soon after aligning themselves with D-X they became faces taking crowd popping to new heights. Ill-timed splits and not learning when to say enough-is-enough have dulled them considerable in TNA they still were amazing hot during the 1997-1999.
Draw: Tag teams find it tough to draw during this day and age but they most definitely drew. They became so strong as a tag team that only "super" teams like Mankind/Kane and Shamrock/Bossman where able to beat them for their titles. While they never headlined big shows themselves , they were an integral part of the WWE merchandise machine and vital cogs in the success of Degeneration-X and HHH's ascent to the main event. They made money no doubt.
Influence: Their influence is hard to gauge. While never a classic team to begin with, they didn't have many double-team maneuvers other than the game of rock/paper/scissor at the start of their matches. If anything they resent the high watermark for teams that came after them and helped redefine the tag scene for wrestling in general and the WWE specifically. Also, if you believe the cliché that copying someone is the most sincere form of flattery then that had an incredible influence…since every promoter has tried to duplicate the outside the box success they initially had. Title Runs: Forget TNA, the real deal was their title reigns in the WWE. Surprisingly put over The Road Warriors late in 1997 that maintained a stranglehold on the tiles for over a year before splitting in 1999. During that time they became so string and so over as a team no other "normal" tag team could beat them. Put back together mere months after their split, they were called on to hold the tag scene together until the big changeover in 2000 to the Dudley Boys at No Way Out. For nearly two years they were all Vince had in the way of viable teams as he through any combo of singles wrestlers out there to fill the gap. The fact we can look through the dross they turned into in the last couple of years is testament to just how well received they were during their heyday.
How Will They Be Remembered….: Entertainers. Whenever they appeared you knew at the very least you were going to have fun shouting their intro-spiel . While never a great tag team they could provide some entertaining moments given the right environment (WM14 with Cactus Jack & Terry Fuck) and add to any feud they were inserted into (see DX versus The Corporation in late 1998). While nothing but nostalgia now they will always be remembered for providing Vince with copious amounts of "Attitude" and fun.
Michael O: Pre-millennial angst plus oral sex equals...oh, you didn't know?
Eh, to be honest I wouldn't have chosen the New Age Outlaws as one of my favorite tandems of the last decade or so. I mean, they were fun and all for a while, and certainly accomplished a lot, but what have you done for me lately, you know?
But staring at the criteria for voting (criteria that I would largely ignore for the last half of my rankings), I saw that I had no choice but to put them in my top five.
Popularity? They were the most popular tag team during what was arguably the WWE's most popular era, replete with pops that were just this side of Austin in terms of loudness and ferocity. I attended my share of live events in the late-nineties and the sight (and sound) of every single person in a sold out arena shouting along to Road Dogg's legendary introduction was truly something to behold.
Draw? With great pops comes great merchandisability. In fact, they were the third highest in sales behind Austin & Rock at the time of their peak. Of course, being a part of DX didn't hurt, but that statistic is impressive for anybody and has to be an extra fancy feather in the cap of the Outlaws considering that their very formation was an act of randomness.
Influence? You largely have The Real Double J and Rockabilly to thank for the inundation of thrown together pairings that has comprised the lion's share of WWE tag-teams in this decade. After feuding, both with going-nowhere, pseudo-country gimmicks, the two wound up in a going-nowhere tag team that actually went somewhere. The "E" has attempted to capture this particular brand of lightning in a bottle several thousand times since, with varying results. Varying in their terribleness, but I digress. If Carlito & Santino wind up skyrocketing in the future, you better believe there will be muffin baskets on the doorsteps of Kip and B.G. the next morning. Or at least there should be. I'd also say that judging from the way Mister Kennedy begins his matches, the Outlaws influence has transcended the tag team ranks.
Titles? Five WWE tag title victories over the course of their original run, which lasted from late '97 to early 2000, with victories coming at the expense of such luminaries as a-past-their-prime Legion of Doom and The Rock 'n Sock connection. I did read on wiki that they captured the MCW tag team titles in 2006, though I'm not sure if that adds to or detracts from their legacy, so we'll just ignore it. No offense Baltimore, and thanks for John Waters btw.
How will they be remembered? Now, this one is a little trickier. The New Age Outlaws carved a niche with charisma, relying more on Road Dogg's pre-match spiel and the ubiquity of D-X than memorable match-ups or innovative offense. They may have helped sell a whole lot of sodomy reference laden t-shirts, jerseys and tea cozies but I doubt we'll ever see high demand for a New Age Outlaws DVD.
I suppose the term "tag team specialist" would be the best fit for summing up either man's career as both found other successes in that realm, though nothing approaching the heights of their "Outlaw" days. Pre and post "New Age", Mister Dogg and Mister Ass struggled to make an impact in the singles division. On his own, Billy Gunn's biggest run was an aborted attempt at breaking into the WWE main event, beginning with a King of the Ring win in '99 and more or less ending with a loss to The Rock in a "kiss my ass" match at that year's Summerslam. Roadie fared no better, with the exception of unexceptional intercontinental and hardcore championship wins. Eventually both would leave the WWE, bang-less, and later reform in TNA as The James Gang, or Voodoo Kin Mafia for fans of unfunny acronyms, which excited few.
The fact is they will most likely be remembered for having been in just the right place at the just right time and if that's the case, I'd say that is selling the New Agers a bit short. I think they should be remembered for making the most of what was given to them as two bottom rung misfits and running farther with it than anyone could have imagined. While they may now be enjoying what I would generously refer to as the faintest echo of their former glories, there is no doubt that the former Outlaws left one of the biggest footprints in the 411 era.
Gavin Napier: Sometimes, when you combine two things, you get exactly what you expect. For instance, throw together some sodium and some chloride, you're going to get salt just like the formula says. Yellow and blue, you get green. Throw together two capable, charismatic veterans (Arn Anderson and Larry Zbysko, for example) and you get a quality tag team. Combine two struggling mid-carders who really don't have anything better to do and what do you get? An overnight sensation. Something that really does exceed the sum of its parts.
The Roadie and Rockabilly went together like peanut butter and jelly. Within months, "Oh you didn't know? Your ass better call somebody!" would become not only a recognizable entrance theme for a tag team, but one of the most iconic catchphrases of a defining generation in WWE history. They weren't the British Bulldogs, they weren't even The Killer Bees. But in their own way, they revolutionized tag team wrestling. Not necessarily for the better, mind you, but they did it all the same.
The New Age Outlaws proved that you don't have to be better than average in the ring to make a great tag team if you have boatloads of charisma. They proved that you don't have to have innovative double teams, or even a real finisher for that matter. They reaffirmed the Tully and Arn Principle, that two singles wrestlers in a stable are an integral part of making that stable work. Most importantly, again not necessarily a good thing, they showed that you can indeed just cram two singles wrestlers together and get a functional tag team out of it. Vince Russo was paying attention.
The New Age Outlaw's involvement with D-X is a catch 22. Did the Outlaws help D-X survive or did D-X keep the Outlaws from fading away relatively quickly? Honestly, both. A team that started out stealing the shoulder pads from the Legion of Doom parlayed that into a "fluke" win for the tag team titles and ran with the ball they were given. It's hard to say that the Outlaws alone put WWF/E over the hump in taking back the ratings war from WCW. However, their immense popularity, marketability, and participation in D-X certainly added to the momentum that WWE was building.
So what's become of the 5 time WWF/E tag team champions? Over the last couple of years in TNA, they've tried to catch lightning in a bottle and it hasn't worked. Like so many things from the "Attitude" era of WWF/E, the New Age Outlaws don't hold up ten years later. Fans have seen so many teams follow the standard they set - singles wrestlers team up, win tag titles, lose tag titles, feud - that their act has grown stale. With teams such as London and Kendrick, Cade and Murdoch, Styles and Tomko, and the Motor City Machine Guns, fans have seen somewhat of a rebirth of more "traditional" tag teams…that can also provide high quality matches. For now, at least, the days of two midcard singles talents earning a main event push as a tag team by way of a catchphrase and basic ring work seem to be over.
The next time you see two midcarders flounder around for months with ridiculous gimmicks, only to end up in a tag team, though, remember the New Age Outlaws. You may be watching the next big thing come together right before your eyes. Oh you didn't know?
For your consideration…
6-time NWA World Tag Team Champions
231 points (Average Vote: 8.6)
Larry Csonka: When people ask me about my favorite tag teams I usually go straight to names like the Rock and Roll Express, Midnight Express, The Miracle Violence Connection, hell, the list is a long one because I am such a fan of tag team wrestling. If you's ask me about my favorite teams in the last 10-years or so, one of the first name to likely pop into my head would be America's Most Wanted. The story of how America's Most Wanted formed is one I love, two guys busting their asses on the Indy scene, guys that were feuding with each other! But they caught the eye of TNA management, and were given a shot as a team. Sometimes you have to have to make the best of your situation, and they did just that.
TNA decided that since WWE was largely ignoring tag team wrestling, that they would embrace it. America's Most Wanted would become the cornerstone of that tag team division, and they would embark on a 5-year run that found tremendous success. The early days saw some struggles, but after a good and brutal feud with the New Church, America's Most Wanted was an established commodity for the company. They would battle different incarnations of Team Canada, the 3LK, and any other miss matched team that would be thrown in their way. For a large part of their career they feuded on and off with the Naturals, and even though the Naturals underachieved, they performed well with AMW. The two teams also engaged in the first ever Six Sides of Steel Cage match.
In a time when TNA didn't abuse gimmick matches, America's Most Wanted and Triple X were charged with having the company's first cage match. A match that didn't take place until a year into the company's existence. It was a tremendous bout that stole that weekly PPV show, but would eventually be outdone. It was at Turning Point 2004, America's Most Wanted and Triple X were set to do battle once again, inside a cage once again, but this time they were set to engage in another TNA first. In the company's second ever monthly PPV, these men would main event the PPV in a 6-sides of steel cage match. Not for the tag team titles either, they would do battle for survival. America's Most Wanted would win the bout, for the time being end Tripe X and continue to rule the TNA landscape.
The one thing that tend to hurt America's Most Wanted's credibility here is the "draw factor," and that is no fault of their own. The company for most of their run never charged for admission, so assessing their drawing ability is a hard thing to do, but Turning Point 2004 did just as well as any of their early PPV's headlined with NWA Title Matches, so they did something right. Another element that seems to hurt them is the fact that they never stepped foot in a WWE ring. But I disagree there, as I think that is the reason that they are looked on so fondly. TNA embraced tag team wrestling and America's Most Wanted was a success story. James Storm and Chris Harris were and are still students of the game, and while they didn't always get along they were able to make it click in the ring; seemingly with ease. The were new age wrestlers, with the respect for the old school parts of the business. They merged new style with the classic southern tag style, and in a time when the tag team seems to be a throw away, they were seen as essentials. In my opinion, the work of America's Most Wanted is a vital part of TNA's history. It's just a shame it had to end.
Steve Cook: When TNA started out, they knew that they had to present something different from what WWE was doing in order to have any chance of success. One such thing was the X Division, which for most of TNA's history has been the highlight of their programming. But not far behind that was another thing that WWE has neglected for the majority of the past decade…the tag team division. Thing is, it's tough to find a good tag team these days. And once a good tag team develops, they split up because there's more money to be made from singles wrestlers. I have to tell people this all the time in the Ask 411 Wrestling column, and they hate me for saying it.
There are few recent exceptions to this rule, and one of them was a tag team that TNA built it's tag team division around for the first five years of its existence. Chris Harris & James Storm got their start with TNA after the higher-ups saw a match that they had with each other in Nashville on June 1, 2002. Both men expected to come in as singles wrestlers, but TNA decided that if the two men could work well together in a match against each other, certainly they could form a solid tag team. Thus, America's Most Wanted was born. Harris & Storm would go on to hold the NWA World Tag Team Titles on six separate occasions from 2002-2006. Other teams came and went. Triple X. The Naturals. The Disciples of the New Church. Team Canada. 3 Live Kru. All would challenge and occasionally overcome AMW, but in the end the Wildcat & the Tennessee Cowboy would always stand tall as lords of the ring and masters of the TNA tag team division. Their popularity with TNA fans was rarely in doubt, and when they turned heel late in their run they became two of the most over heels in the company. When a tag team was able to defeat them, it made that team in the eyes of the fans, because AMW was seen as being so far above any other tag team in TNA.
What was their secret? In an era where tag teams often last no longer than a few months, maybe a year at the tops, Chris Harris & James Storm remained a tag team for the better part of four years. Other than a brief period in 2003 where Harris received a singles push and even received shots at the NWA World Title, Harris & Storm almost exclusively worked in tag team matches alongside each other. When you saw Harris, you saw Storm. When you saw Storm, you saw Harris. It was a throwback to an era where you actually saw competitors that only wrestled in tag team matches as part of a regular tag team. AMW's stronghold on the NWA tag team titles and the fact that people actually wanted to see their matches helped TNA stand apart from WWE in the aspect of tag teams. People usually had a hard time remembering who the tag team champions in WWE were at any given time, because the tag champs usually didn't appear on TV. Heck, they still have that problem now. TNA fans had no such problem, they knew that Harris & Storm were more often than not the champs, and more often than not their match would be among the highlights of any given show.
Unfortunately, I fear that AMW's accomplishments have been overlooked by a great majority of the wrestling fanbase for the simple reason that they weren't in WWE. TNA is in a weird place because they don't get respect from the mainstream fans who only watch WWE, yet they also usually don't get respect from the hardcore fans either. They're basically damned if they do, damned if they don't. But for all the things that TNA has done wrong in their short existence, one of the things they did right was establishing America's Most Wanted as the cornerstone of their tag team division in their early years. TNA's tag team division remains a major part of their product, and a lot of that has to do with the work of "Wildcat" Chris Harris & the "Tennessee Cowboy" James Storm.
Shawn S. Lealos: America's Most Wanted was a God-send for fans of tag team wrestling. The WWE had some of the best tag teams in the world and pushed them to the moon. The battles between The Hardys, Edge and Christian, and the Dudley's set the world on fire. By 2002, the WWE was giving us tag teams mixed with random singles wrestlers and seemed to be only a way to push the wrestlers individually. Today, the tag team division in the WWE is almost dead.
However, in 2002 a national alternative was given for the first time since WCW closed their doors. TNA opened shop and in association with the National Wrestling Alliance, crowned new champions. While the first champions were individuals (Jerry Lynn and AJ Styles), the second holders of the NWA World Tag Team Championship under the TNA banner would be an honest to God tag team with a name, matching outfits and theme music. As a fan of old school tag teams like The Rock n Roll Express, The Midnight Express and The Fantastics, this was a glorious time.
America's Most Wanted was not in the planning stages when TNA first started up. James Storm and Chris Harris were originally slated to be singles wrestlers, but were told they would be paired up as a tag team on the company's second pay-per-view. While neither man wanted to be a part of a tag team, they reluctantly agreed and ended up as one of the greatest tag teams in NWA history. After Jerry Lynn and A.J. Styles vacated their tag team titles, a Gauntlet for the Gold was held and America's Most Wanted became the new face of the NWA tag team scene.
While the WWE continued to flounder and waste their talent, TNA emphasized their great tag teams. People point to the X-Division as what made TNA special, but the tag team scene was also significant in making TNA something different. Over the years, TNA continued to promote their great tag teams and delivered some of the best matches in that division seen since the WWE's heyday. The Naturals, The Disciples of the New Church, The 3-Live Crew and Team Canada would soon be joined by veteran teams like The Harris brothers and Team 3D to help build a tag team division only rivaled by the WWF in the 80s.
The one team I failed to mention is Triple X (Christopher Daniels, Elix Skipper and Low Ki). That team was the Midnight Express to America's Most Wanted's Rock n Roll Express. The two would have a series of matches that were unparalleled in the history of TNA wrestling. These bouts were the best I had seen in years and they have not been equaled since. These matches included a brutal last man standing contest in November 04 before finally ending in December 04 with a fantastic six-sides-of-steel, loser breaks up match. It was an amazing spectacle that solidified America's Most Wanted as the best team in the NWA.
There was not a lot left for the team to prove. They had teased a breakup off and on, but as the face of the TNA's tag team division, they still had much to offer as a team. The logical next step was a turn to the dark side. They would join forces with Jeff Jarrett and Team Canada as the most powerful force in TNA. The three men would rule the title scene with the help of new valet Gail Kim and the assistance of Team Canada. This formation would give America's Most Wanted a new lease on life and they would continue on as a heal unit, but remained the best team the federation had to offer.
They would finally break up in December 2006, with James Storm playing the role of the heal to Chris Harris' face. They would have a series of great matches leading up to Harris finally signing with the WWE, marking the end of an era. The five years that America's Most Wanted were a tag team reinvented tag team wrestling for a world that it seemed had passed it by. It gave fans of the division a reason to take notice and provided people wanting an alternative to the WWE something to cheer for. Yes, the X-Division made TNA something special, but between America's Most Wanted and Triple X, the tag team division was just as important for the early success of the new federation.
But this shows the state of tag team wrestling over the past decade.
Posted By: Garry (Guest) on June 18, 2008 at 11:08 PM
3) Edge and Christian
2) Dudley Boyz
1) Hardy Boyz
Kinda dissapointed Los Guerreros ( Eddie and Chavo) wont make this list....
Posted By: NICK (Guest) on June 18, 2008 at 11:15 PM
Edge and Christian should easily be the #1 team.I don't even have to explain why.
Posted By: jasonJericho (Guest) on June 18, 2008 at 11:28 PM
Replace Steiners with Los Guerreros and you pretty much nailed it.
Posted By: Your Own Personal Jesus (Guest) on June 18, 2008 at 11:29 PM
yea, Los Guerreros should be on here
Posted By: Litas Biggest Fan (Guest) on June 18, 2008 at 11:35 PM
Edge and Christian should easily be the #1 team.I don't even have to
explain why.
Posted By: jasonJericho (Guest) on June 18, 2008 at 11:28 PM
would that be due to the fact that they reek of awesomeness(and for the benefit of those with flash photography...... the five second pose............)
Posted By: frank (Guest) on June 18, 2008 at 11:57 PM
Dear WWE,
You have a draft coming up. Please do the following.
Since ECW will be with Raw now have the tag team division drafted to ONE BRAND. Bring in the Briscoes and spice up the division that is the crowd pleaser.
Regards
Lovers of Tag Team wrestling.
Posted By: Bobbay (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 12:02 AM
Well the Hardys, Dudleys and E&C are pretty much set as the top 3 which TBH considering the time frame that this article is for was always going to happen.
The order however is the interesting thing.
I'll go with
3) Dudleys
2) Edge & Christian
1) The Hardys
Mainly because it's about what they did as tag teams only not what happened in their singles careers, and as a TAG TEAM and considering how the voting was done looking at the Popularity (with fans), Draw, Influence, Title Reigns, How They Will Be Remembered
I just get a feeling the Hardys come out slightly ahead
for one big reason
Even today the Hardys tag team draws, sells merch and is popular with fans.
The Dudleys aren't no matter how much TNA try to make people think otherwise.
E&C might so really it's down to them or the Hardys for #1.
Posted By: John (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 12:03 AM
E&C #1
Posted By: Joe (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 12:07 AM
WHERE'S HEAD CHEESE!? =(
lol
But yeah, E+C #1.
Posted By: BFG08 (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 12:07 AM
"Edge and Christian should easily be the #1 team.I don't even have to explain why."
I can explain why they aren't, one reason: The Dudleys
Posted By: JD (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 12:11 AM
Briscoes are u serious?.
Posted By: DP (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 12:20 AM
Great list, kinda sucks to see how the NAO have gone from *that* entertaining and awesome to complete *get off my TV crap*.
#1 has to be E&C or Dudleyz, period! Im not mentioning the other team.
Posted By: Brad (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 12:27 AM
"Bring in the Briscoes and spice up the division that is
the crowd pleaser."
Posted By: Bobbay (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 12:02 AM
Yeah bring them in to please 4 people in the crowd.
Posted By: Guest#4281 (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 12:30 AM
Hey noway, what did you say, I think I called the Briscoes yesterday.
Posted By: condrab (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 12:33 AM
Pretty good list. but one thing that pisses me off is that there is no LOD. i would appriciate someone leaving a comment on why they aren't on this list.
but everything else looks good. i really don't know where i would put the Hardyz, E&C, and the Dudleys. they pretty much all could be #1. way too hard to decide a clear-cut winner. Nice column!
Posted By: Jordan (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 12:41 AM
Jordan- I could be mistaken, but I think it *might* have something to do with the fact that L.O.D.'s accomplishments post '96 equate to jack and shit.
Unless L.O.D. 2000 really rocked your face, in which I case I'll leave you to the jackals...
Posted By: Michael O (Registered) on June 19, 2008 at 12:57 AM
hardys
dudleys
e&c
Posted By: Joe (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 01:15 AM
Briscoes this high in the list? They have been a top tier team team in ROH for what a couple of years?
WEAK!!!!
AMW over NAO? That is just stupid.
I guess 411 writers have extremely short term memories.
NAO was one of the most successful and popular tag teams in WWF history. Possible the most in the 90's as a whole.
Posted By: stown (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 01:23 AM
Yea, from a "factual" standpoint, NAO was only big for 16 months, but still... ... they were a HUGE part of the WWF's revival in the oft-referenced "attitude era". They should be at least four and Harlem Heat should be 5.
But... that's why these lists are fun to read.
Posted By: Patrick (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 01:34 AM
There is no reason for the Briscoes to be over the Steiners. The end.
Posted By: Guest#5278 (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 01:37 AM
I ripped off the name of my column from Edge and Christian's reeking of awesomeness, so I'd be mad as hell if they weren't number one. You can blame me on them, I guess.
Posted By: 411's Own Elmo Machete (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 01:40 AM
Why isnt LOD on the list? Because the only memorable moment they've had in the last 12 years was when Hawk got drunk on RAW?
Posted By: Guest#4708 (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 01:56 AM
THE NAO? Rated *that* high? Because of a fuckin ring entrance that wasn't that entertaining in the 1st place? They should have been LAST! DEAD FUCKIN LAST!
Posted By: Mr. Workrate! (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 01:57 AM
Briscoe Brothers?
AMW over NAO?
This list needs a lot of fixing.
Posted By: Seriously? (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 02:09 AM
Rock and Sock Connection, FTW.
Posted By: Taylor (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 02:35 AM
To be fair, the same logic used to exclude LOD out of this list should also apply to the Steiners and Harlem Heat, who didn't do anything in the 411 era.
Posted By: KM (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 02:45 AM
I don't see why people think teams like the Briscoes and AMW shouldn't be ahead of the NAO and Steiners. The NAO had about a year and a half of being great in the last 12, AMW however had a solid 5 years as the cornerstone of the TNA tag division with many titles reigns, many memorable fueds and great matches. The Briscoes have done the same in RoH, just because they were in other promotions it doesn't mean they weren't great.
I really think 5-6 good to great years should rank a team higher than 1-2 good to great years and 2-3 terrible years.
Posted By: Curtis (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 03:05 AM
Wow.just because they're not in wwe they don't deserve to be on the list.
Posted By: Ed (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 03:05 AM
Top 3
3) 2.0
2) Up in Smoke
1) Kings of Wrestling
Posted By: Smelak (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 03:11 AM
Much as people love to hate on them now, you can't deny the achievements and popularity of the dudleyz - so anything less than top 2 and we riot!
Posted By: blacklodge (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 03:27 AM
Wow, Brad with another anti-Hardy post I never saw that coming
Posted By: Brett (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 03:53 AM
Slim, trim, buff, cut, ripped, chissled and jaaaaaaaaaaacked for no. 1!
Posted By: Maffew (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 03:59 AM
I'm assuming the 3 remaining teams are the Dudleyz, the Hardys, and Edge & Christian.
If Edge and Christian don't get #1 I'll rage.
Posted By: m8 (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 04:42 AM
if MCMG had more expeience (tagging AND on TV) I'd demand a recount.put em near the bottom...oh yeah
HARLEM HEAT BITCHES!
Posted By: doesn't matter (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 05:55 AM
NWA, ECW, WCW, WWE, and TNA world tag team champions. Dudley Boys are doubtlessly the greatest tag team of the 411 era.
Posted By: Mr. Matanzas (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 06:20 AM
Really outta E & C, The Hardyz, and The Dudley Boys any one of those 3 teams could and should be #1 in my opinon. All 3 teams played well off of each othert in the ring and had great matches! Its take your pick!
???
Where the heck is the Impact Players?
Posted By: KD (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 06:42 AM
dont forget, these rankings del with the time period of 1996 to 2008. so teams like LOD and steiners arent high on the list because their careers were already going downhill at 96.
Posted By: rey (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 07:15 AM
It really has to be E&C. The Hardyz, while good, never reached the same level as E&C did. You wanna talk NAO needing 'super' teams to beat them; I seem to remember it finally took Undertaker & Kane to end their E&C's tag dominance
Or as Christian put it "We can beat 'Taker and Kane tonight. We've beaten them before.......haven't we? We've beaten everyone else!"
Posted By: mr_wishart (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 07:15 AM
@blacklodge:
You're going to riot of the Dudleys aren't #2 or 1? Well, hell...assuming that this happens, I feel really bad for the homeowners in your area.
As for myself and all the other 411 Writers that voted on and wrote for this list, I think it's safe to say we'll feel perfectly comfortable in our homes--likely far, FAR away from where you live--as you riot.
But hey, loot me a TV if you get the chance, can you? A nice flat-screen would be good...maybe a PS3.
Thanks for reading!
Posted By: Jeremy Thomas (Registered) on June 19, 2008 at 08:09 AM
The Briscoes over The Outsiders? LOL, get the hell out of here. What a joke.
Posted By: Riiiiighhhhhttttt (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 08:15 AM
much respect for the new age outlaws. i always felt road dogg was one of the most underrated mic workers in the biz.
when he was on, road dogg was every bit as entertaining as the rock, jericho or anybody else in the attitude era.
damn straight, you better call somebody!!!
Posted By: b-rad (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 08:30 AM
New Age Outlaws over Outsiders and Briscoe Brothers?
Posted By: Kevin (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 08:35 AM
Kudos to Csonka and Cook for their reasoning for AMW.
And for all the NAO haters, you have to read what was said. They were as over as anyone at the time in all of wrestling.
Harlem Heat I guess just kinda make it in. I think Booker is much more as a singles wrestler. If anything would disqualify the Heat it would be Stevie Ray's run with the nWo D team. But he was money on commentary fruit booties!
Posted By: JT (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 09:20 AM
If you replace the Steiners with the Los Guerreros the list is completely messed up. The Steiners are 10 times better than the damn guerreros.
Posted By: Anarchy (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 09:55 AM
Obviously the Dudley's will be #3.
Hardyz should be #2... however, the IWC all feels collectively bad for Matt Hardy so the Hardy's will win. But Matt & Jeff's crowning achievements were secondary titles (IC & US), while E&C are both MULTIPLE time WORLD champions.
But-- the Matt Hardy butt monkeys will skew the rating. Guaranteed.
Posted By: M:-X (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 09:55 AM
How the hell are Los Guerreros not on this list? Eddie and Chavo's battles with Benoit/Angle, the WGTT and so many other great teams like Edge/Rey and so on were epic. They played the faces, the heels and their gimmick was one of the best parts of Smackdown week in and week out. They should be in the Top 10 if not the Top 5.
Posted By: Guest#5097 (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 10:13 AM
ECW World tag team champions.
WCW World tag team champions.
WWE World tag team champions.
NWA World tag team champions.
TNA World tag team champions.
Who has best curriculum than the Dudley Boyz to be the best tag team in 411 era?
Posted By: Mr_Matanzas (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 10:13 AM
No Rock N Sock? No Kane and Taker? We put Kanemoto and Liger on here for being a dream team but the Brother's of Destruction don' get any love. That is bullshit. Rock N Sock drew the highest TV rating in the history of professional wrestling. Not having them on this list is a crock. In fact, this entire list is a crock.
Posted By: Guest#4256 (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 10:15 AM
M:-X the thing is singles titles mean nothing for this list it's what they did as a tag team.
Posted By: John (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 10:22 AM
What's with the no LCO?
Posted By: TyrannosaurusELPS (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 10:52 AM
You see? part one of my prediction has happened. AMW made the list in number 4. That leave three spots. E&C, Dudleys, and The Hardyz.
Soon my plan for world Domination will take hold. The one team that could foil my plan would be The Rock and Sock Connection.
Posted By: Toddo (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 11:02 AM
Road Warriors anyone?
Posted By: Bowski (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 11:21 AM
Sorry kids... as much as everyone wants to hate on the Dudleyz for what they've become they will top this list... with the Hardyz and E&C behind them. E&C have accomplished the most as singles wrestlers and- make no doubt... but Bubba Ray and Devon have more gold than these other two teams combined. I'm not a fan, but you have to give these devils their due.
Posted By: Amazing read (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 11:36 AM
So the Briscoes drawing 36 people warrants being the 6th best tag team in the past 12 years? Do I smell bias writers?
Posted By: The 778 (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 11:36 AM
Hmmm. How can I put this. Listing a team like the Briscos, at this point in their career is about as asinine as comparing the WNBA world champions with the NBA world champions. Or the CBA champions with the NBA world champions. You can't do that, because the NBA guys are on a totally different level. Are you going to go watch a minor league baseball team AA or AAA and compare a slugger from there with your favorite MLB player? No your not. They play on totally different stages, with different calabure players, and putting in a couple of guys who can't even be curtain jerkers in the WWE (at this point in their career) is like "Joe Blow" from the local semi pro football team in my hometown deserves to be ranked right up there with Peyton Manning, uh, no. Different league, calabure of competion, crowd, expectation and presures. I'm sure they're a nice little team and they have all of the flippity floppity you can handle, but the reality is, they probably have parttime jobs just to make ends meet because 99% of wrestling fans wouldn't know these guys from the dudes that wash their car. Not trying to hate, just think you guys go a little overboard with your liberal "everybody is on the same playing field" types of opinions when you talk about these teams, I understand you want to elevate them, but it just comes off as pathetic that you are putting the Semi Pro's in the same leauge as real professional wrestlers.
Posted By: Joequando (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 12:47 PM
KENTAfuji must win!
Posted By: PNH (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 01:16 PM
I think you guys were intoxicated in some way making this list.
Posted By: Eddie (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 01:22 PM
Edge and Christan should be number one for ONE simple fact. They were good in the ring AND excellent on the mic. The Hardy's were great in the ring and horrible on the mic. So obviously it would be ridiculas to put the Hardys over E and C.
Posted By: Rupedog (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 02:54 PM
I hate it when everyone puts Hardies over E and C. E and C ALWAYS BEAT the hardies in big-time matches, for example TLC . E and C should be first
Posted By: manny fresh (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 03:29 PM
YESSSSS! Billy and Chuck make the top 3!!!!!
Posted By: Guest#2828 (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 03:36 PM
OK who the hell would put AMW higher than The Outsiders,or The new age outlaws.I mean are you high or some shit?
Posted By: E2S (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 03:57 PM
arn n tully fa sho even if they were both retired in the "411 era"
Posted By: whoo (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 04:44 PM
I am sorry but if you don't get why the Briscoes are on this list, then you may be mildly retarded. I feel they should be even higher on this list. Just because you don't watch ROH doesn't mean it doesn't rate. I don't watch the NHL but they still keep putting on games and this thing called the "Stanley" cup final or something. The brothers have claimed one of the most prestigious tag team titles in the world (GHC). They have won the only american tag titles that actually mean something. They take those titles all around the world and defend them against other promotions tag teams. It's not like when the E goes to Japan and keep the title defenses in house. The WWE titles are not World Titles. They don't take any of their titles to other promotions and put them up. Whew...okay done.
Oh and New Age Outlaws...seriously? really? If you wanted to say most entertaining I would agree with that. But I checked and the article says greatest. But still a great list.
Posted By: Amp (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 05:04 PM
1/ The ROAD WARRIORS
2/ THE HART FONDATION
3/ DEMOLITION
Any other name would definitively mamke this highly SUBJECTIVE and ridiculous list (AMW and the outlaws are BIGGER, BETTER and MORE INFLUENTIAL to TAG TEAM HISTORY than THE STEINERS and The BRITISH BULLDOGS ? Is this a giant APRIL FOOL JOKE ?)
Posted By: Alex Matthew (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 06:18 PM
@Alex Matthew:
Ths list is from 1996 on. You fail at basic reading comprehension.
Thanks for reading, though!
Posted By: Jeremy Thomas (Registered) on June 19, 2008 at 06:42 PM
Like it or not, The New Age Outlaws absolutely deserve to be where the are on this list. Yes, their run may have only lasted barely two years, but it was pretty much the best two years any tag team has ever had. They were main eventing Monday Night Raw when that show had more than double the ratings it does now. It's a bitter pill to swallow for some, but this would be more impressive than five years of quality work for the still-fledgling TNA.
Alex Mattew, and everyone else lamenting the lack of L.O.D., Hart Foundation, etc. :
You should go to the doctor and tell him that you're retarded.
Posted By: Michael O (Registered) on June 19, 2008 at 06:44 PM
Amazing read: True but # of titles don't = high spot on the list as there are other factors that are being looked at like draw, influence etc
Posted By: John (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 07:11 PM
i would like a damn good explination as to why The Briscoes aren't in the top 3, or at least WHY IN GOD'S NAME WERE THEY BEATEN BY THE NEW AGE OUTLAWS?!?!?
Posted By: Thomas (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 07:23 PM
Thomas- There is one about two comments up from yours.
Posted By: Michael O (Registered) on June 19, 2008 at 07:54 PM
Seriously, the Outsiders should have been in the top 5. The New Age Outlaws? AMW? The Briscoes?
If it wasn't for the nWo and the Outsiders, there would have been no Attitude era. Well, I'm ready for a lot of hate comments now. Bring it on.
Posted By: Andrew (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 08:49 PM
EDGE AND CHRISTIAN SODAS RULE!!! E&C#1
Posted By: E TO THE C (Guest) on June 19, 2008 at 09:57 PM
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