Tag teams for me:
Top: Tie between the Rock N Roll Express and the Midnight Express-years of great matches, huge draws and the quintessential babyface team vs the quintessential heel team.
These guys drew massive crowds in every territory they worked and never got stale. Cornette helped keep the pot stirred and Ricky Morton was the best babyface wrestler in the business. When they train wannabe wrestlers, they talk about "Sell like Ricky Morton." Morton would have people screaming for him to make the tag, so Robert could come in and clean house. Bobby Eaton could do anything and make it look like the average person just sitting down. Dennis Condrey portrayed tough as rawhide, while Stan was smooth as silk, with the ladies or in the ring.
2. Road Warriors
(Back when they were rookis, as the National Tag-Team Champions, in GCW)
Greatest monster tag-team ever; but, not the greatest workers ever. A lot of people had to bump for them to get them over; but, they made the most of it when they were on top. Great promos. Fans just wanted to see them hit the ring and pummel people; they didn't need matches.
3. British Bulldogs & Hart Foundation (tie)
(International Tag-Team Champions, in Stampede Wrestling, for Stu Hart)
(WWF Tag-Team Champions)
Highly innovative and fantastic workers. Dynamite changed the face of wrestling and crippled himself doing it. Davey added the power. Dynamite was a natural heel (and a real a-hole, behind the curtain, while Davey Boy was a natural babyface. Bret was a technician and made it look like a wonder of science. Neidhart was all power and that maniacal laugh and charisma. These guys had off the chart matches; but, influence was confined to the WWF (though bret faced Dynamite in Stampede). All were related by blood or marriage: Dynamite & Davey Boy were legit cousins, Dynamite's ex-wife was the sister of Bret's ex-wife, Davey Boy was married to Bret's sister Diana and Neidhart was married to Bret's sister Ellie.
4. Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood
(NWA World Tag-Team Champions, in Mid-Atlantic)
You had to be a fan before Hulkamania to know these guys. probably the best pure babyface tag-team in the country, at the time, massive draw for Mid-Atlantic. Steamboat was the technician and added a martial arts flair. Youngblood was a great worker and could mix styles. Both could sell and make the hot tag comeback. Fantastic matches against Sgt Slaughter & Don Kernodle and Jack & Gerry Brisco. Youngblood died way too young of a heart attack (cocaine will do that to you). Steamboat when on to be Intercontinental Champion in the WWF, with the show-stealing match, against Randy Savage, at Wrestlemania 3, and was NWA World Heavyweight Champion, defeating Flair, and have a great series of matches, that people still talk about, yet weren't as good as the matches they had at house shows, in the late 70s, in the Carolinas.
5. Fabulous Freebirds
(Georgia Tag-Team Champions)
Massively groundbreaking trio team, originating in Mid-South, in 1979. Hayes and Gordy started out together (Gordy was 14 when he wrestled for the IWA, as Terry Mecca), working Gulf Coast and georgia, before Watts put them with veteran Buddy Roberts (of the Hollywood Blonds, with Jerry Brown, managed by Sir Oliver Humperdink). They immediately set the territory on fire, as any two of the three might wrestle, which became known as the "Freebird Rule." Hayes was the talker, Gordy the worker, and Roberts was the guy who would sell for the babyfaces and do the job, when it was time. They went from Mid-South to Georgia, where they were big stars on WTBS, then on to Texas, for the legendary Freebirds vs the Von Erichs feud, which was probably the biggest drawing program in the country. They briefly worked the WWF, but didn't like the politics and the schedule and ended up working shots for the AWA, against the Road Warriors. They headed back to Texas and Mid-South, before Gordy went solo and spent more and more time in Japan, in tags with Stan Hansen and Steve Williams. Hayes worked Mid-South/UWF as a manager/wrestler/commentator, then came to Crockett and teamed with Jimmy Garvin, as the New Freebirds, eventually joined by Gordy. Hayes moved on to working as a commentator (as Doc Hendrix) for Vince and as an agent and booker, helping develop the Hardy Boyz, among others.
6. Fabulous Ones
(Southern Tag-Team Champions, in Memphis)
Steve Keirn and Stan Lane had been top singles wrestlers and tag-team wrestlers, with other partners, in several places, including Florida & Memphis. they were put together as a tag-team, in Memphis, in a special angle. Jimmy Hart had a new tag-team, the New York Dolls ("Dream Machine" Troy Graham and Rick McGraw), who were drawing big heat, as dandified heels. Legendary Memphis wrestler Jackie Fargo, of the Fabulous Fargos, put together the team (storyline) as the Fabulous Ones, to defeat the New York Dolls. Keirn and Lane came out to Billy Squire's "Everybody Wants You,", dressed like Chippendales dancers, in bowties, tails and top hats, with women swooning and guys jealous, then fought tooth and nail in the ring, winning the guys' respect. They had off the chart success in Memphis and were responsible for the creation of the Rock N Roll Express, to have a similar babyface team, for the B-shows. The Fabs would also wrestle the Road Warriors in Memphis and Minnesota, for the AWA World Tag-Team titles. They eventually went their separate ways, with Lane replacing Dennis Condrey in the Midnight Express, remaining until he left wrestling to compete in powerboat wrestling. Keirn went back to Florida and worked off and on, including a brief time in the WWF, as Skinner.
7. Fantastics
(UWF Tag-Team Champions)
Bobby Fulton was a life long fan, friend of Cornette and even teenage promoter. He worked Memphis and a brief team-up between memphis and Georgia, with Terry Taylor, as the Fantastic Ones, a knockoff of the Fabulous Ones. The crossover was done to run East Tennessee and Georgia towns for the Georgia promotion, with Bill Dundee booking and some of the young Memphis talent working. Cornette managed The Angel (Frank morrell), Norman Frederick Charles and King Carl Fergie, as the Dynasty of Champions. they feuded with the Fantastic Ones. Taylor moved on as a single, working for Bill Watts, Crockett, the WWF, and behind the scenes for the WWF, WCW, and TNA. Fulton begam a new team with Florida wrestler Tommy Rogers, calling themselves The Fantastics. They had the misfortune of following the Rock n Roll Express in many territories; but, feuded with the Midnights in Dallas, the Sheepherders in Mid-South/UWF, the Midnights, again, in Crockett, before Rogers moved on.
8. Fabulous Kangaroos
(United States Tag-Team Champions
Probably the first great tag-team and the guys who popularized tag-team wrestling. they were champions everywhere and were seen on network tv, on the Dumont network, during the Golden Age of tv wrestling, for Fred Kohler. They worked the semi-main event for the legendary Comiskey Park card, where Nature Boy Buddy Rogers beat Pat O'Connor for the NWA World title. All other tag-teams trace their lineage from the Kangaroos, Al Costello and Roy Heffernan.
9. Steiner Bros.
(NWA World Tag-Team Champions)
Rob and Scott Rechsteiner (their real family name) were top amateurs at the Univ of Michigan, before turning pro. Rob went first, making a name for Bill Watts (as Rob Rexsteiner, then Rick Steiner), in Mid-South/UWF, before working for Crockett, as part of Kevin Sullivan's group (which became the Varsity Club, since Mike Rotundo was also a top collegiate wrestler). Scott started for the WWA, in their dying days, trained by the Great Wojo, before moving to Memphis, then joining his brother in WCW. They were teamed up and became a dominant tag-team, feuding with Doom, the Freebirds and others. they held the IWGP Tag-Team titles in New Japan and went to the WWF and won their titles, before quickly leaving, working ECW and returning to WCW. Scott had challenged Flair in his early WCW days and became a top heel in the waning days of WCW, as well as the WWF and TNA, before injuries mostly ended his career. Rick moved into local education politics, in Georgia.
10. Ted Dibiase and Dr Death Steve Williams
(Mid-South Tag-Team Champions)
Massively dominant tag-team in Mid-South/UWF, with DiBiase one of the best workers in the business and Williams as one of the toughest and a top collegiate wrestler and football star. They also wrestled for All-Japan and were the top tag-team there. Dibiase suffered a neck injury which put an end to the team, before moving to the WWF, as the Million Dollar Man, eventually moving into more of a managerial role. Williams was UWF champion, before Watts sold to Crockett, then did the job to Flair in a title vs title bout. he worked a bit for Crockett, but spent more time in Japan. He turned up in the WWF, with Jim Ross' aid, and was booked to win the Brawl for All, when they decided not to work the competition and he was legit knocked out by Bart Gunn, ending his push. Cancer then took a toll on his body and his life.
