EOTR Tag Team Tuesdays: 5 Favorite Tag Teams

(Compiled By @Phranchize19, @AmeenKnows, and @TrueGodImmortal)

Introduction
Today, Ameen wanted to bring a whole new idea for Tag Team Tuesdays. A roundtable of sorts. We are here to discuss our 5 favorite tag teams of all time and compare our lists. Surprisingly, most of us don't have the same choices and Ameen decides to put three teams in one selection, but this is his article, so we will allow it. Now, let's take a look at the 5 favorite tag teams from the squad.

@Phranchize19
These are my 5 favorite tag teams of all time. I'll keep it brief.

*Road Warriors

-The most prolific tag team in wrestling history. While not the most technically sound, these brawlers from Chicago defined tag team wrestling. Holding the NWA, WWE, and WCW tag titles and being the only team to do so, tag team wrestling is nothing without these two.

*Hardy Boyz

-For a while I had them outside my top 5, but their work in the past year and a half has made me consider them the 2nd best ever. Separately they've both enjoyed success, but they have literally dominated tag team wrestling over the past year and it all parlayed into an iconic return at WrestleMania. They've held almost ever tag title available. I love the fact that they were able to reinvent themselves and become the most talked about thing in wrestling.

*Dudley Boyz

-Bubba Ray and D’Von Dudley were one of the most over acts in ECW then they came to WWF and helped created the TLC match. Their use of tables became a mainstay in wrestling and their rough style was a joy to watch. The Dudleys in my opinion have the greatest tag team finisher in wrestling history. Countless tag titles all over the world makes them one of the most decorated tag teams ever.

*New Age Outlaws

-The most charismatic tag team in wrestling was the New age outlaws. Two guys who were floating aimlessly in WWF formed arguably the greatest tag team in WWF history (meaning WWF made them). Road Dogg’s charisma and Billy Gunn’s athletic prowess made these guys household names.

*The Hart Foundation

-This is one of the best teams ever. Never before had wrestling seen a partnership where the two men wrestled a completely different style from each other. Bret was the technical guy and Jim Neidhart was the muscle of the team. It brought a new dynamic to tag team wrestling that we now see more often.

@AmeenKnows
There's a difference between the greatest and your favorites. With that, I present my top 5 favorite teams of all time.

*The Brain Busters

-The Brain Busters are my favorite tag team of all time. Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard were bullies who grinded and pounded the great tag teams of the late 80's to dust. They were two time NWA World Tag Team Champions and one time WWF World Tag Team Champions. This team represents my two favorite styles of wrestling: Tully's Brawler style and Arn's ability to take opponents to the mat.

*The Miz and John Morrison

-Miz and Morrison are far from the top of the list of all time great tag teams but they had that instant chemistry that made me want to see more and more of them. They had the obnoxious narcissistic gimmick so they could gain heat on the mic. Morrison's versatility made it easier for Miz, who was still working on improving his overall skill set, to work with. They provided a boost to Smackdown and ECW's Tag Team Divisions that were suffering from a lack of credible tag teams.

*E&C, The Hardyz and The Dudleyz 

-I put all three of these teams together because I'm solely focused on what they did for tag team wrestling during the Attitude Era. Edge and Christian captivated audiences with their hilarious pranks and antics including the 5 second pose, but when it was time to throw down these guys shaped up and went to work. The Hardy Boyz stole whatever show they were on with their willingness to push the limits using their High Flying abilities. The Dudley Boys added that gritty rough and tough style to this rivalry and their signature use of tables led to the creation of the TLC match with the other two teams.

*BTE (Tyson Kidd and Ceasro)

-Although they only lasted a short amount of time due to Tyson Kidd's career ending neck injury, Cesaro and Kidd were one of the main reasons I tuned into Smackdown every week when the show had basically zero direction. Kidd's career rebirth in NXT gifted him a new life on the main roster and with Cesaro you were guaranteed a great performance from the two. Cesaro, who struggled to find a way to connect with crowds, was given Kidd's cocky attitude to work with. They both had an extensive skill set to work with so we ended up with unique moves like the giant swing into a drop kick.

*The Revival

-In my opinion the best tag team in all of wrestling today, Dawson and Wilder are two students of the game. They pick apart other teams like wolves. They keep the high flyers grounded and show no mercy with excessive limb targeting. Since coming back to TV full time during the first Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, The Revival has not had a bad match at an NXT Takeover event. There have been multiple times where they stole the show including their final match on the NXT Brand at Takeover: Orlando in a triangle ladder match (Made famous by some of my other picks on this list) against DIY and AOP. My favorite performance was at Takeover: Dallas against American Alpha. They showed off some of the best heel work as a team I've ever seen and showed off the influence that guys like a Tully Blanchard and an Arn Anderson had on their wrestling style in the ring and on the microphone.

@TrueGodImmortal
-For my list, I had to look at the teams I enjoyed watching the most and just go from there. That wasn't a tough task to accomplish honestly.

*Harlem Heat

-My all time favorite team. Booker T and Stevie Ray were amazing together and they helped to usher in an era for black wrestlers that saw Booker and Mark Henry become champions down the line. Harlem Heat gave us great moments, good matches, and epic promos. They are the BEST. Period.

 

*The Rockers 

-When I was really young, The Rockers had just started their breakup. It wasn't until I went back and watched the older WWF tapes that I began to take a liking to Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels, but their fast paced offense, high flying style, and ring awareness made them instant favorites to watch. Their feuds were fun to watch and their breakup was iconic.

*The Steiner Brothers 

-Before Big Poppa Pump existed, this team was the best in the business. The Steiner were great whether in WCW, WWF, or anywhere else over the world. I enjoyed watching The Steiners in their matches over the years and this team remains to be in my top 5 of all time and one of my favorites.

*The Hollywood Blonds 

-My list seems a bit WCW centered and that's for good reason. WCW had tag team wrestling done the right way. I hated the WCW main event scene as a kid, as the wrestlers seemed to be old and not as exciting. Sure, Flair and Sting were great, but Hogan vs Vader, Vader vs Cactus Jack, and all those matches didn't do it for me. However, when the Hollywood Blonds came about, I instantly enjoyed their work. Stunning Steve Austin and High Flying Brian Pillman had amazing chemistry as a team and I could watch their promos and matches for hours then and now.

*The Rock N Sock Connection 

-Keep in mind, this isn't a list of who I think is the greatest, just my personal favorite teams. While two of these teams listed would make my top 5 greatest teams ever, these are the teams that I enjoyed watching immensely throughout my wrestling fandom. The Rock and Mankind had some of the greatest chemistry that not even long term tag teams could replicate. Their matches were fun, their promos were highly entertaining, their dynamic was fun, but most of all, the team itself was fun to watch. This is definitely a favorite team of mine.

Have a list of your 5 favorite? Feel free to list your 5 favorites in the comments below.

-EOTR  

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Eyes on the Ring 10:15 PM  1 comment

EOTR Feud Of The Week: CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy

By @TrueGodImmortal 

2009 was a year that saw a number of interesting moments in the WWE. However, none could have been better than the essential feud on Smackdown for the World Heavyweight Championship between CM Punk and Jeff Hardy. When I first started watching the feud between the two, I remember thinking that this was a great way to push Jeff to a higher level and an opportunity to get Punk to a significant but lower level than Hardy. How wrong I would be is what will drive this article. When CM Punk first won the MITB briefcase for a second straight time, I expect him to set his sights on John Cena, Edge, Triple H, or more likely Randy Orton. It seemed as if he was in prime position to take the belt from one of the top heels at the time, as he was still a face.

When Jeff Hardy and Edge went one on one at Extreme Rules for the World Heavyweight Championship, I was slightly surprised to see Jeff walk away with the victory. I was even more surprised to see the perfectly executed slow heel turn of CM Punk by taking advantage of a beat up and tired Jeff Hardy who had just won the championship. It seemed as if Hardy might have a twist of fate when he kicked out the first GTS from Punk. However, a second GTS sealed the fate of Jeff and he walked away with the title in a huge moment. Punk used the opportunity to walk away with the World Heavyweight Championship and with that, we were off to the races. The truth of the matter is that Punk and Jeff were essentially the perfect opponents for each other, even though they weren't necessarily fond of each other in real life.

Punk, a well known Straight Edge guy was on his way to a monumental heel turn that would change his career, while Jeff was seen as the carefree, Charismatic Enigma who lived life as he saw fit. They were polar opposites in style as well in the ring. Jeff was more flashy and into high flying, while Punk was a bit more well rounded, utilizing a bit of high flying mixed with an unorthodox style of offense and a bit of a submission game. After Extreme Rules, it seemed as if Punk was trying to prolong the heel turn and truthfully, that was the best option. After explaining why he did what he did, it seemed as if the plan for the WWE was to include Edge in for his rematch at some point, but keep the focus on Jeff and Punk. At the upcoming PPV The Bash, Jeff vs Punk was set for one of the main events for the title. Jeff would get his rematch.

It was in this match that the heel turn was further clarified as Punk cheated to hold onto the title and lost by DQ. After taking a cheap shot at the referee that led to him being injured, the growing boos that Punk had started to receive were becoming more and more justified. Truthfully, during this period, I was never a fan of Jeff as I felt he was overrated. His promos were awkward, he wasn't believable as a singles competitor mostly, and his matches were just good at best. We hadn't seen Jeff find an opponent with such a disdain for him that it felt real. That would change with this feud. The promos that Jeff cut after The Bash were pretty good and there was one instance where you could feel their real life issues spilling over into their work. Jeff and Punk would get another match set for Night of Champions, as Punk claimed that his DQ was the result of an eye injury that caused him to kick the referee. Granted, no one really bought that excuse, and it was clear that Punk was the heel, they still tried to drive home that maybe Punk was actually innocent.

He wasn't. 

As Night of Champions near, Punk and Hardy would engage in promos where they went from talking about one man taking shortcuts in the ring to one man seemingly taking shortcuts in life. Punk would begin his descent into the Straight Edge Messiah persona that many would come to love him for. He would criticize Jeff for making so many mistakes and using drugs as a crutch and his carefree disposition as an excuse for his lack of drive and motivation. As a fan, watching Punk get so real with Jeff was a mix of uncomfortable and welcoming. Punk shines best when he's being real and his promos seemed to be completely believable. After telling Hardy that he was a failure and had suffered through multiple failed drug tests and suspensions, Punk became the heel we all needed at the time. As with most heels, Punk wasn't wrong in his criticism of Jeff, someone who had many opportunities and let them go to waste numerous times due to his bouts with drugs. Punk geared up for Night of Champions and he kept on laying into Jeff until the moment arrived. There would be no false finishes or nonsense to close their Night of Champions match out however, and this is where the feud almost took a turn for the worse.

Jeff Hardy won the World Heavyweight Championship back. 

I didn't think that was the right move. Jeff beat Punk cleanly, and the feud continued on, but I felt as if Jeff winning the title was only done to prolong the inevitable. The rumor mill was buzzing about Jeff supposedly leaving the WWE soon, so I didn't think he needed one final title run, but the WWE thought so. Be that as it may, Jeff won the title back, and he was now in the driver seat. However, there was one last turn in this story before we arrived at the end and it featured the man who was beside Jeff his entire career: his brother Matt. Matt had recently betrayed and feuded with Jeff earlier in the year and seemingly the deck was stacked now against Jeff with Matt being used as a special enforcer for the Jeff vs Punk rematch on Smackdown. However, a funny thing happened.

Matt Hardy turned face to help his brother. 

After Matt turned face again to help Jeff, there was one FINAL contest set to finish off the Jeff vs Punk feud and it was fitting. TLC. Tables, Ladders, and Chairs. At SummerSlam. The TLC match was amazing between the two and Punk would end up regaining the belt in a great main event. With Punk regaining the title, the feud would basically be at an end, and with the return of the Undertaker to feud with Punk going forward, one would think this spelled the end for Jeff. It was definitely the end for Jeff and the end of their feud, but not before one final encounter, as Jeff got his rematch on Smackdown a few days later.

The rematch on Smackdown was a Steel Cage match that had the huge stipulation of "Loser Leaves WWE" and Punk would send Jeff packing. Punk retained his title, and came out of the feud looking like a nearly unstoppable heel. Punk was able to tear apart Jeff on the mic, go toe to toe with him in the ring, and take his title from him two times and run him away from the WWE for years. The real issue seemed to come after Hardy left the WWE, as Punk would take more shots at Jeff following his departure, causing more of a rift between the two, of which I'm sure Punk was not worried. Still, the real life issues between the two combined with a nice build to Punk's heel turn and the great matches and promos made this a truly great feud and my favorite feud of the year in 2009. Though Jeff has had some great opponents in matches, I think in a feud, his best work was with CM Punk. CM Punk vs Jeff Hardy was one of the greatest feuds of the WWE in the recent era.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 1:41 AM  No comment