At Full Gear 2020, FTR wrestled The Young Bucks and everyone rejoiced.
As predicted by Cash Wheeler in 2018, the two premier tag-teams put on an instant classic at Full Gear. Since 2010, tag team wrestling has experienced a rebirth. While most promotions still favour their singles divisions, its very common for the match of the night to be a 2-on-2 encounter.
There’s nothing like trying to keep up with two synchronised teams battling for supremacy. Here are 10 tag team matches from the last 10 years that will make your jaw drop.
10. Ricochet and Tessa Blanchard vs. Will Ospreay and Bea Priestley – WCPW Loaded
By 2017, Ricochet and Will Ospreay’s feud was red hot. Not only had their rivalry reached UK wrestling rings, it had also extended to include their partners.
From bell to bell this bout was electrifying. These talented athletes had the crowd jumping to their feet with innovative offence. Surprisingly it was Blanchard and Priestley who stole the show. Ricochet and Ospreay’s talents were well documented, so this was Bea and Tessa’s opportunity to show what they could do.
This match didn’t have crazy stakes but the four competitors fought like their lives depended on the win. If you love non-stop high octane action, this is the bout for you.
9. Authors of Pain vs. DIY vs. The Revival – NXT TakeOver: Orlando
This is technically a 2-on-2-on-2 encounter, but it’s too good to leave off the list.
In early 2017, The Authors of Pain were unstoppable. After destroying DIY in San Antonio, Akam and Rezar walked into Orlando as the NXT Tag Team Champions.
AOP not only were challenged by Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, The Revival also wanted to reclaim the tag titles.
This Elimination Triple Threat match was unpredictable from the get-go. The Revival and DIY were sworn enemies, so their temporary alliance had fans stunned. Akam and Rezar’s ability to survive two of NXT’s greatest tandems demonstrated why the champions were so formidable.
With all the action, It became easy to forget that this match had an elimination stipulation. When the dust settled after the final pin-fall, everyone in attendance realised they had just witnessed an instant classic.
8. Undisputed Era vs. Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan – NXT TakeOver: Chicago II
Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan were the undisputed underdogs heading into their NXT Tag Team Championship contest. After giving Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong hell for almost 20 minutes, the unlikely duo became stars overnight.
Burch and Lorcan’s tenacity was perfectly illustrated in their hard-hitting offence. This clashed beautifully with O’Reilly and Strong’s textbook grappling to form a beautiful hybrid of wrestling styles.
The addition of Adam Cole at ringside provided an interesting direction for an already amazing match. The odds were stacked against the underdogs, which only made them hit harder.
Recently, Oney and Burch won the NXT Tag Team Championships. If their defences are fought with the same determination as this match, we won’t hear ‘and new’ anytime soon.
7. Ricochet and Aleister Black vs. The War Raiders – NXT TakeOver: New York
This match is proof that if the wrestlers have enough chemistry, two singles stars can form an amazing tandem.
Last year, Aleister Black and Ricochet joined forces to compete in the annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. After winning the prestigious tournament, the duo challenged The War Raiders for their tag titles in this impressive encounter.
Erik and Ivar are better known to WWE audiences as The Viking Raiders. In NXT, despite the different names of Rowe and Hanson, their dominance was the same.
Having won titles all over the world, Rowe and Hanson were forces to be reckoned with. Black and Ricochet knew they needed to outsmart the seasoned team, leading to this cerebral and athletic contest.
Both teams’ attempts to outdo the other duo lead to some sequences that will leave you stunned. If you’re a fan of really close near-falls, Ricochet and Aleister’s NXT swan song is the match for you.
6. The Shield vs. Cody Rhodes and Goldust – WWE Battleground 2013
This match can be summed up with one word: legacy.
After an altercation in the summer of 2013, The Authority fired Cody Rhodes from WWE. After Cody’s brother, Goldust, also butted heads with Triple H, The Game issued an ultimatum.
If Cody and Goldust could defeat Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, they’d both be reinstated in WWE. If The Shield were victorious however, Cody, Goldust, and their father Dusty would be banished from WWE forever.
Cody and Goldust hadn’t wrestled as a team prior to this bout. The underdogs didn’t back down against the WWE Tag Team Champions, determined to protect the Rhodes legacy.
Throughout the match, Reigns and Rollins’ brutality was constantly neutralised by the brothers’ iron wills. A masterclass in emotional storytelling, fans were jumping to their feet at the conclusion of this contest.
A spiritual prequel to Cody and Dustin’s AEW battle, this match holds an important place in wrestling history.
5. Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. The Young Bucks – AEW Revolution 2020
When All Elite Wrestling was founded, many expected Hangman Page and Kenny Omega to flourish as singles stars. After setting aside their differences, the unlikely friends became the second ever AEW Tag Team Champions.
Matt and Nick Jackson, who believed they were the superior side, quickly became number one contenders to Omega and Page.
What made this bout amazing was the internal conflict reflected in each athlete. Page felt left out, with opponents Matt and Nick knowing his own teammate better than he did. Kenny had already fought The Young Bucks in Japan, so was reluctant to fight with his friends again.
Matt and Nick felt they had chips on their shoulders, however. The Young Bucks expected to lead AEW’s tag division, a position that Omega and Page were occupying. All these complex emotions erupted, resulting in half an hour of friend vs. friend action.
This contest was always destined to be entertaining, with four gifted athletes meeting in one match. The progression of each wrestler’s internal conflicts is what elevated this match to the next level.
4. Undisputed Era vs. Moustache Mountain – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV
Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong vs. Trent Seven and Tyler Bate is one of the most underrated rivalries in NXT history.
Moustache Mountain first met Undisputed Era at the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament in 2018. In a huge upset, the UK based duo bested Kyle and Roderick for the NXT tag titles.
The rematch saw Undisputed Era target Seven’s knee, causing Bate to concede the NXT Tag Team Championships to save his friend.
This rubber match was the best of the trilogy. All four men had become familiar with one another’s offence, so the two teams were playing their greatest hits.
Every competitor in the match had won titles across the globe, both in singles and tag competition, and it showed. This contest was a masterclass in grappling, a must-watch for any wrestling aficionado.
3. The Usos vs. New Day – Hell In A Cell 2017
The Usos and The New Day became the talk of the wrestling world in 2017, and for good reason.
Jimmy and Jey Uso vs. Big E and Xavier Woods tore the house down during the SummerSlam Kick-Off. A rematch was granted, but the stakes were raised. The Usos would challenge The New Day for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships inside the Hell in a Cell structure.
Throughout their careers, The Usos and The New Day have been proving doubters wrong, and that didn’t stop in this match.
Many thought they’d seen every stunt there was to see inside The Devil’s Playground. Xavier, and an inventive use of kendo sticks, proved those fans wrong.
An emphatic end to one of Smackdown’s greatest rivalries, this showing proved that tag wrestling has a place in WWE.
2) The Golden Lovers vs. The Young Bucks – NJPW Strong Style Evolved 2018
After being kicked out of Bullet Club in 2018, Kenny Omega began to team with an old friend, Kota Ibushi.
The Young Bucks felt abandoned by Kenny, so they challenged their former friend in their heavyweight division debut.
This contest was emotion-filled from the first bell. While Ibushi was willing to do anything for the victory, Kenny was unwilling to hurt his Elite family. Matt and Nick Jackson didn’t believe Kenny’s reluctance, so they fought with bitterness in every strike.
There were many homages to this bout in AEW’s Omega and Hangman Page vs. The Young Bucks match. Despite the similarities, Golden Lovers vs. Young Bucks had an unmatched level of brutality. A vicious war between four friends at the top of their game, this tag team bout is unlike any other.
1. The Revival vs. DIY – NXT TakeOver: Toronto
The final shot of this battle has became one of the most iconic images in NXT history.
The Revival were unrivalled throughout most of 2016, until DIY issued their challenge. Fan favourites Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa had came close to defeating The Revival in the summer. DIY claimed Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson wouldn’t be so lucky in their 2/3 falls rematch.
The two friends were willing to go through anything for the NXT Tag Team Championships. The Revival were cold and calculating in attempts to retain their titles, but DIY couldn’t be kept down.
The team now known as FTR paid homage to Gargano and Ciampa in their Young Bucks match at Full Gear. Utilising their DIY’s signature manoeuvre, FTR paid respects to a team that weren’t willing to stay down for the count.
Even if FTR, Gargano and Ciampa never share a ring again, they’ll always be connected by this iconic match.
What is your favourite recent tag team match? Let us know in the comments on Twitter or Facebook.
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