By @TrueGodImmortal
WCW isn't the greatest memory I have of professional wrestling. Be that as it may, I still have an appreciation for the company and what they've done in terms of wrestling history. That extends to the tag team division as well. Today, I wanted to briefly discuss a few of the best tag teams to come through the WCW landscape. There are many legendary teams, but these are the teams that I felt deserved being discussed. Let's take a look.
*Nasty Boys
-Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags have probably the most underrated team in WCW history considering accomplishments, but they deserve a mention here. After a mostly mundane run in the WWF, they came to WCW in 1993 again after a mildly successful run in 1990 didn't pan out, and instantly they became favorites and winners. After defeating Paul Roma and Arn Anderson for the tag titles, they would feud with Marcus Bagwell and 2 Cold Scorpio, Cactus Jack and Max Payne, and then Cactus Jack and Kevin Sullivan, before finishing their dominant run by feuding with the Blue Bloods and Harlem Heat. As 1996 rolled around, they lost a bit of relevance, but during their tenure in WCW, they were one of the absolute best teams in the company.
*Sting And Lex Luger
-It is very rare that you see two singles stars come together to become a near legendary team, but that happened with these two. Real life close friends and two stars in their own right, Luger and Sting worked together through multiple eras in WCW. When WCW became official and stepped away from the NWA more (a reason why Doom, The Rock and Roll Express, The Road Warriors and The Midnight Express aren't on here), Sting and Lex were right there continuing on. They were a part of the NWA wave as well, but they sporadically teamed during the WCW transition including the classic they had with the Steiners at Superbrawl 1991. In 1995, these two would reconnect and become a team again, having the strangest dynamic of any team as Luger had turned heel and Sting was still immensely popular. They won the WCW Tag Team Titles during this period and had solid feuds and matches with the Road Warriors, the Harlem Heat, and The Steiner Brothers. Though they aren't the greatest WCW team, Sting and Luger still have a nice legacy together and their tag team days really never ended until they were officially separated by company when WCW got bought out by WWF.
*The Steiner Brothers
-As far as the greatest teams of all time go, this team is right at the very top. The Steiners were so good at what they did, and they changed the pace of tag team wrestling. In WCW, they would have their most success, and once the rebrand went through and the company was away from the NWA label, they would stand above most of the other teams until 1992, when they decided to head to the WWF. After a few years in WWF and a year in ECW, The Steiners would come back to WCW and finalize the chapter of their team run. They would feud with the Road Warriors, Harlem Heat, Sting and Lex Luger, and of course The Outsiders, winning the tag titles multiple times before their eventual breakup which spawned the birth of Big Poppa Pump. Regardless, The Steiners are probably the very best of the best period.
*The Outsiders
-I could have selected another team but this team deserves the mention. I never expected Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to become a legendary tag team together considering the fact that they were singles stars and didn't need each other at all. However, much like the Sting and Luger team, they had the chemistry and would work together very well. The result would end up being very interesting and one of the more engaging teams of the era. They would win the tag team titles a total of 6 times, defeating the best of the best from Harlem Heat, The Steiners, Lex Luger and The Giant, and Sting And The Giant. Through their run, they were one of the more popular teams and acts in the company, and while they weren't responsible for too many classic matches, The Outsiders made their presence felt on wrestling and WCW, marking their spot as one of the greatest in the company ever.
*Harlem Heat
-There was no way that I could talk WCW tag teams without talking the greatest team in the company's history. Stevie Ray and Booker T. Two brothers who would end up with Sensational Sherri as a manager and dub her Sister Sherri. As a team, these two were magnetic in the ring, utilizing their chemistry to lead them to multiple tag team title reigns and a legacy that is nearly unmatched in the history of WCW. The 10 Time WCW Tag Team Champions would feud with so many teams over their 4 year run as a top tier team that it only enhanced their legacy. They would feud with Dick Slater and Bunkhouse Buck, Stars And Stripes, and The Nasty Boys through 1994 and 1995 before the golden era of WCW Tag Team wrestling came along. Through 1996 and 1997, they would feud with The Steiners, The Road Warriors, Sting And Lex Luger, American Males, Public Enemy, The Outsiders, Faces Of Fear, and more. In 1999, they reunited briefly to win more titles and feud with Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman, as well as Bam Bam Bigelow and Kanyon, but the run wasn't the same and eventually they would break up and feud with each other. This is where Harlem Heat 2000 was born so there's no need to mention that at all. Still, the truth is, Harlem Heat is the best WCW tag team and my personal favorite period. Their impact on WCW is legendary, just like the rest of these teams listed.
-True
this one
ReplyDelete