Top Ten Tag Teams of the 90’s
By: Rhett Davis
10. Doom (Ron Simmons & Butch Reed)
Although these two may not have been together for a very long time, it’s hard to deny just what they accomplished. They debuted as two hulking African American men wearing masks after Woman claimed that The Steiners were to see their doom at Halloween Havoc of 1989 and defeated The Steiners although through nefarious means. They would then go down the card until they would eventually be defeated by The Steiners in 1990 causing them to unmask. After they revealed who they were, they were able to utilize their full move set without trying to hide their identities. They slowly became more and more dominate until they defeated The Steiners for the NWA Tag Team titles. They would hold the gold through the rest of the year and until they were defeated by Sting and Lex Luger. They may have only had one title run, but they were a hugely memorable team that demolished their opposition.
9. The Nasty Boyz (Brian Knobbs & Jerry Sags)
One of the most unconventional teams of all time, The Nasty Boyz were just exactly what their name states, ‘Nasty.’ In fact, one of their signature moves was called The Pit Stop and involved ramming their opponent’s head into their armpit. They also were one of the first hardcore-centered tag teams. Despite their outlandish wrestling style, they were highly successful in the early 90’s. They won one tag team championship in WWE before moving to WCW and proceeding to win three titles there. You knew you were in for a stiff match when The Nasty Boys came out to take you on a Trip to Nastyville.
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8. Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & Irwin R. Schyster)
The Million Dollar Man and The Taxman were a match made in heaven surprisingly considering their gimmicks. You may think they are a big high on the list of great tag teams from the 90’s, but they had some pretty big feuds during the early parts of the 90’s. They feuded and bested The Natural Disasters, The Steiners, The Legion of Doom, and The Mega-Maniacs which consisted of Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcakes. How many teams can say they did that? They also were three time tag team champions. There was a price to pay and the opposition to Money Inc. were the ones who would pay it.
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7. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley & Devon Dudley)
It may be weird to see The Dudleys instead of Edge & Christian and The Hardy Boyz, but the fact is that the other two teams just hadn’t done much by the end of the 90’s. The reason The Dudleys are on this list has to do with their work in ECW. There were two teams in ECW that could’ve been considered the top. The Eliminators and The Dudleys were the two teams. The Dudley Boys however were tag team champions eight times in ECW, and they had debuted in WWE by the time the century had ended. The Dudley Boys were a big group of illegitimate children of ‘Big Daddy’ Dudley which makes Buh Buh Ray and Devon half-brothers. These two men were tough as nails and are one of the greatest tag teams of all time. However, at this point, they are just number 8 in the 90’s.
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6. The Miracle Violence Connection (Terry Gordy & Steve Williams)
In Japan, behemoths like these two men did fantastic. Look at how well A-Train was received over there. However, these two men dominated the AJPW scene and went on to hold five titles there as well as winning the World’s Strongest Tag Determination League two years in a row. That league was a huge round robin tournament in which points were allotted for wins, draws, and losses. The two men would then leave AJPW to head to WCW. Once they arrived in WCW, they defeated The Steiners for the WCW Tag Team titles and then proceeded to win the vacant NWA Tag Team Championship. They were a brutal team that weren’t to be trifled with.
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5. The Outsiders (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall)
Hey yo. The Outsiders were a team of guys who switched over to WCW from WWE in a move that many perceived to be a takeover by the WWE. In actuality of course, it was Kevin Nash and Scott Hall who had just happened to sign contracts with WCW after leaving the WWE. These were two of the hottest stars in WWE before they left, and they came in and literally took over WCW. The nWo took over WCW and these two men were big parts of that. They were six-time WCW tag team champions, and they were a huge factor no matter where they ended up on the card.
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4. The Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal)
Hawk & Animal, as I stated in the Top Ten of the 80's, are, in my opinion, the greatest tag team of all time. They dominated everywhere they went and defeated every team they ever competed against. That being said, this is about who is the greatest tag team of the 90’s, and The Legion of Doom were primarily in WWE and Japan during these years and didn’t have the kind of impact they had in the 80’s. In the early 90’s, they were dominating the WWE tag team scene by taking on Demolition and winning the tag team gold from Money Inc. They would disappear as Animal was injured and Hawk was touring Japan. After their tour, they would return to WWE to win one more tag team title and feud with teams like the New Age Outlaws. The Road Warriors are one of the greatest teams of all time, but they didn’t have quite the decade that the next three teams did.
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3. Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray)
The two real-life brothers were a fantastic tag team in WCW that went on to hold ten WCW Tag Team Championships. Ten. That’s enough for Booker to look at both hands before doing the spinarooni. They debuted as a heel tag team with Sister Sherrie as a manager. Booker T was the more athletic of the duo and Stevie Ray was the muscle. They were together in WCW for nearly seven years with a few times apart. Altogether they held the titles for 470 days, which, if you’re good with math, means they held the belts for an average of 47 days each reign.
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2. The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn)
Oh, you didn’t know? The New Age Outlaws would be number one on this list if it only accumulated entertainment factor. Road Dogg and Billy Gunn were a highly entertaining duo that would do anything they could to hold onto their beloved tag team championships. They were also an integral part of the infamous D-Generation-X group as the tag team focus of the faction. I originally had this duo as third behind Harlem Heat, but the New Age Outlaws held the titles for almost as many days (468) but half the number of title reigns. That means they won the gold and held onto to it for long periods of time which admittedly is far more impressive.
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1. The Steiner Brothers (Scott & Rick Steiner)
The Steiners are the number one team of the 90’s. I know you’re probably looking for The Hardys or Edge & Christian, and, if we were doing the early 00’s, then they definitely would top that list. However, both of those teams debuted in mid to early 1999 and most of their success happened after the turn of the decade. That leaves only Big Poppa Pump and The Dog-Faced Gremlin. The Steiners debuted in 1989 and won their first NWA tag team title at the end of the year. They would go on to win 2 WWE Tag Team Championships, 7 NWA/WCW Tag Team Championships, and several other championships. They would also be dubbed Tag Team of the Year in 1990 and 1993 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated. They had a unique move set including the devastating Frankensteiner, the Steiner-Liner/German suplex, Steinerizer, Steiner DDT, and well you get the idea. The Steiners were one of the greatest tag teams of all times, and the 90’s were where they thrived.
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Honorable Mentions:
- The Rock n’ Sock Connection (The Rock & Mankind)
- The Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff Hardy)
- Edge & Christian
- The Public Enemy (Rocco Rock & Johnny Grunge)
- The Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon)
- The Enforcers (Arn Anderson & Larry Zbyszko)
- The Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Janetty)
- The Acolytes (Bradshaw & Faarooq)
- The Eliminators (Kronus & Saturn)
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