Hi there, I’m everyone who’s ever written a list about tag team matches in WWE.
Here’s some of my favourites. TLC2, Triple H & Austin vs Benoit and Jericho, Edge & Mysterio vs Angle & Benoit, The Wyatts vs The Shield, The Calgary Stampede Gigantic Tag, The Rhodes vs The Shield, DIY vs The Revival 2 out of 3 Falls.
All of these matches are great of course, no complaints there, but the internet can be a small place, with the same topics repeating over and over and why click on a list if not to either learn something new, or remember something that’s sat in your memory covered in more dust and cobwebs than the concept of tag team wrestling in modern day main roster WWE.
Seriously guys, why are there no teams please. Let’s look at some forgotten classics and remind ourselves of some good times, also hey if you haven’t actually forgotten any these matches and feel like mentioning that in the comments, please instead channel that energy into walking into the sea.
Let’s start with some good old wrasslin, with The Revival’s dads taking on the Young Bucks’ dads in Madison Square Garden in 1989 in a match that’s every bit as good as a match involving these four men should be.
Tasked with taking The Rockers and making them look like the hottest of s**t, Anderson and Blanchard, during their brief vacation away from their true home of WCW, bump their t**s off for Michaels and Jannetty, including a double superkick spot that genuinely wouldn’t look out of place 30 years later.
One of the best things about this match is that it’s a showcase for the fact that sometimes the most important narrative tool in a tag match isn’t any of the wrestlers, but rather the referee, and more specifically, where the referee’s attention is. The Brain Busters use the ref like a Shakespeare uses a massive f**king feather, laying on distraction after distraction, making both the rules and the breaking of the rules clear as day to the rapt audience.
It’s a subdued but wonderful match and surreal to see such staunchy southern wrestling in WWF’s home New York venue.
Shawn Michaels was really good at two things. Wrestling and hair. And goddamn here’s a sumptuous helping of both.
Returning to active wrestling for the first time since embarking on a four-month journey to find his smile, Shawn instead found Stone Cold Steve Austin, which is the opposite.
1997 was truly the year that the WWF began to make strides in pulling itself out of the financially disastrous mid-90s and in this match are most of the reasons why. Owen’s as good as he ever is, Davey Boy’s a brickhouse dumping Michaels onto the top rope in a hilarious spot, Austin is hot fire and still super nippy because he hadn’t busted his neck yet, and Michaels is a miracle showcase of timing and being a big springy f**ker considering he hadn’t wrestled in four months.
Not only are the tag straps on the line, but the rest of the Hart Foundation, including the WWF Champ Bret Hart are looming like wolves at ringside. Everyone’s got their working boots on, the crowd LOVE it, and the WWF manage to resist ramming it full of interference. Really great stuff.
Not sure if you know this, but tag team 2 out of 3 Falls matches are f**king brilliant, and the Hart Foundation are f**king brilliant at 2 out of 3 Falls matches.
They’ve put on 2 out of 3 falls clinics with the Rockers, in a match that WWF infamously retconned because the ring ropes broke, against Demolition at SummerSlam 1990, in the best match Crush ever had, and this oft-overlooked gem from all the way back in 1987, making it the only match on this list that’s older than me.
It took place at Saturday Night’s Main Event 11, and saw the Hart Foundation working heel, defending their titles against the British Bulldogs, Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid. First of all, Matilda attacked Jimmy Hart before the match and I enjoyed that, second, holy hell the crowd enjoyed this match.
It’s a WWF match so it’s more bells and whistles than some people might like. Danny Davis and Tito Santana are at ringside and that’s a sentence that’s rarely said with enthusiasm, but this is a grand showcase of the two most athletically and psychologically accomplished teams in WWF’s golden era of tag wrestling, and the pop when the Bulldogs win after a rare two straight falls is so loud that the building shakes, and it f**ks the audio mix all to hell.
7. The Hardy Boyz vs Edge & Christian
Unforgiven 2000 is a real sleeper hit of a PPV in a year full of them. Not only did Steve Austin return giving Shane McMahon two of the greatest stunners ever committed to film, bloody LOOK AT THAT, Raven debuted, and the card had a whole bunch of fun matches.
Funnest of them was a steel cage match pitting the Hardyz against the champs Edge and Christian. What makes the match so great, to me anyway, is that it’s booked so well.
Clear, simple beats, one step leading to the next, in a match layout that’s exciting and makes total sense. Edge and Christian have attacked Lita before the match so she’s missing, they dump Jeff out of the cage, leaving Matt trapped in a double team situation, which they really milk for all the heat they can.
Jeff uses a ladder to get back in because he’s a Hardy and he was raised by ladders, Jeff does a crazy thing to get back in the cage, damn Jeff you crazy, Christian is taken out by a returning Lita, Hardyz flip the script and double team edge, Hardyz win a huge feel-good victory.
It’s rare to see a story play out so logically and satisfactorily in the WWE, but this is one that just clicks all the way down the line.
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