EOTR Tag Team Tuesdays: 5 Legendary Tag Teams Of The 80's

By @TrueGodImmortal

The 80's were an interesting time in wrestling. While Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage were huge in the business, one aspect of the industry that was alive and well was tag team wrestling. Today, I wanted to take a look at 5 legendary teams from the 80s in the WWF and what made them so legendary. Let's get into it.

*The Rockers 

-Whether they were in AWA or WWF, the tandem of Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels were high flying and fun to watch. These two were different for their time, as they were two wrestlers who were on the same path and had mostly the same high flying style, unlike the power and technical prowess of The Hart Foundation, the hard hitting style of The Brain Busters, the power of The British Bulldogs, or the smash style of Demolition. They were the perennial high flying team of the WWF and they excelled at just about everything they did.

*Hart Foundation 

-Anytime you can have one of the greatest wrestlers ever alongside one of the best powerhouses of the era, you have something special. In terms of the tag team division at the time, there was no one better than the Hart Foundation. Bret Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart were at the top of the mountain and they were regulars in the tag team title picture. Whether feuding with The British Bulldogs or Demolition, they delivered time and time again. They are my all time favorite team from the 80's and a top 5 team of all time without question.

*Demolition 

-One of the better teams of the decade has to be one of the longest reigning champions ever. Though their gimmick wasn't my favorite, it's hard to deny Ax and Smash and what they did. They were a viable team that would go at anyone in their path and throughout their time in the WWF, they were at the top of their game. The most memorable feud for this team IMO was against The Hart Foundation. Demolition is a legendary team and they easily are one of the greatest of the 80's.

*The British Bulldogs 

-Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid were two of a kind. They had some great moments, and most of them came in the 80's. They were a strong team with a lot of fire within and they would deliver every time they were in the ring. The truth is, their best moments in the ring came across from their greatest opponents, the Hart Foundation. Sometimes their legacy goes underrated as a team but for the most part, they are recognized as the true legends they were. The British Bulldogs aren't just one of the greatest from the 80's, they are one of the greatest ever.

*The Brain Busters

-Arn Anderson. Tully Blanchard. Two great solo performers who were amazing as a duo. They were the team that became the central influence for teams of today like The Revival, as they were no frills, no bullshit, and they were ready for any challenger. I think they are one of the most underrated legendary teams, as they were unique for the era in a way, and without the fancy gimmicks. They were a hard hitting team who were ready for any fight, and they definitely were one of the best of the decade in the WWF and beyond.

-True 

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Eyes on the Ring 1:54 AM  No comment

EOTR Tag Team Tuesdays: 5 Great WWE Tag Team Feuds

By @TrueGodImmortal

Tag team wrestling was once a foundation that the WWE was built upon. We saw all the legendary tag teams from Demolition to the Hart Foundation to The Rockers, and many more rise through the ranks and become popular. The thing is, these teams all needed a great rival to become who they are. Today, we look back at some of the best tag team feuds in the WWE history. Some of these are more recent, as two of the best feuds of the 2000s for the entire company have come in the last year. With that being said, let's take a look at 5 great WWE tag team feuds.

*The Hardy Boyz vs Edge & Christian 

-Of course, there's no other feud from the Attitude Era that shaped wrestling quite like this. One would argue that the Dudley Boyz should be included but the truth of the matter is, there was no need to include them into the rivalry aside from the tables element for TLC. While that was a big deal and a huge part of the rivalry, this feud kicked off with The Brood (Edge and Christian) splitting from Michael Hayes and The Hardy Boyz taking their spots, then the two young teams fighting over the managerial services of Terri Runnels. Literally, from May 1999 onward, these two teams were feuding with each other off and on for the better part of two years. The feud got heated with the great Terri Runnels Invitational series that culminated in a classic Ladder Match and from there, tag team wrestling was never the same. The two teams would do battle in a very good match at No Way 2000, which is underrated, and then of course, they would have their epic series that included the Dudley Boyz, spawning three classic TLC matches and a classic Triple Threat Tag Team Ladder Match. There are more great matches between just the two teams, along with a ladder Match on RAW shortly after Summerslam 2000, and a great Steel Cage Match for the titles at Unforgiven 2000. There are no two teams that are more synonymous with each other than these two teams, and it's possible this is the greatest tag team feud in WWE history.

*Los Guerreros vs Rey Mysterio and Edge vs Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit 

-A short lived feud that stands as the best tag team feud of the Ruthless Aggression era. It's crazy, because with all of the other teams from the era, these three teams are the most memorable and their 2 month feud for the Smackdown tag team titles gave us a number of classic matches. First, we can talk about Kurt Angle and Benoit going against Los Guerreros on Smackdown prior to No Mercy 2002 to set up the Smackdown tag title tournament Finals, which was a great match. Or, we could talk Edge and Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle and Benoit in one of the greatest tag team title matches ever at No Mercy 2002. We could also reference the Edge and Rey Mysterio vs Los Guerreros tag team match that took place a week later on Smackdown. That was another great battle. Or, for good measure, we could also talk about the classic 2 out of 3 falls Tag Team Title match between Angle and Benoit vs Edge and Mysterio, another match that absolutely raised the bar. The match that closed out the feud officially was the epic triple threat Tag Team Elimination match at Survivor Series 2002, where Los Guerreros walked away as the winners of the titles and the winners of the feud. This is the greatest short feud of all time in WWE, as there is no three way feud that spawned more classics in two months than this. Not even close.

*Hart Foundation vs British Bulldogs 

-Going back to the older WWF days in the 80's, these were the top two teams in the world. When the wrestling world refused to adapt and evolved, the Hart Foundation and British Bulldogs attempted to make them evolve and their matches were the first sign of the next wave that would actually hit the WWF some years later. Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid made up one of the best yet most underrated teams ever, while the legacy of Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart is solidified. From matches on the MSG Network, WWF Superstars, house shows, Prime Time Wrestling, and Wrestlemania 3, these two teams battled it out for years and would end up having the tag team rivalry of the 80's without question. Their best match however came on Saturday Night's Main Event in a best two out of three falls that finished with a screwed ending, but the action was top notch. These two are the best teams of the 80's, so it is no shock their feud makes this list.

*The New Day vs The Usos 

-Is it too early to call this a classic feud? After what I just witnessed this weekend? No. Not at all. In fact, I don't even want this feud to end. It's the best thing going in WWE right now and I can remember everyone saying they wanted New Day to break up just a few months back... hell even a year ago. Now look at them. The New Day and The Usos are having the feud of the year over on Smackdown and they are the highlight of that show at the moment. The Usos and The New Day have feuded before this year, and their feud then was fun to watch, but once The Usos hit their stride as heels and The New Day found new life by coming to Smackdown, everything changed. Starting with their match at Money In The Bank 2017, their feud seemed to get better and better. Battleground 2017 would see the two teams have another great match, before reaching their peak at Summerslam on the pre-show. They would put on a classic street fight in Vegas at Smackdown, and this would then lead to their most recent battle, and perhaps their best, inside  Hell In A Cell. These two teams have traded the tag team titles back and forth, and despite the title changes, they've made tag team wrestling fun again in 2017. Aside from their awful rap battle with terrible host Wale, these two teams have had a flawless feud, making this one of the best tag team feuds we've seen in years.

*The Revival vs DIY 

-There haven't been many feuds in the WWE this decade that has really hit the mark, but NXT struck gold with their greatest tag team feud in their short history. One could argue that The Revival vs American Alpha is close to this rivalry, and you would be correct in that assumption, but there was something about this rival that we just couldn't get enough of. Whether it was their involvement in the Triple Threat Tag Team Title match at NXT Takeover Orlando, their two out of three falls classic at NXT Takeover Toronto, or their near classic at NXT Takeover Brooklyn 2016, these two teams delivered every time they faced off, and I only wish we could have seen a few more contests between the two. Still, what we've witnessed from both teams is beyond legendary and when we look back on this feud 10 years from now, it'll still be remembered as a classic feud, just like the rest of these listed.

-True 

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Eyes on the Ring 2:37 AM  No comment

EOTR Match Of The Week: Bret Hart vs Mr. Perfect

By @Phranchize19

This month, we will be discussing Intercontinental Championship matches and what better way than to start off with this classic match.

Background

Mr. Perfect had been Intercontinental Champion for a while and after wrapping up a feud with the British Bulldog, it was announced that former member of the Hart Foundation Bret Hart would be the number one contender.

The Match
Bret Hart keeps Perfect grounded with a series of headlock takedowns and a few pinning predicaments. Perfect would then go on the attack by taking Hart out of his game. The action would then spill outside where Perfect mostly maintained control. Once Bret got control of the match, he would set it up as if he was attempting a sharpshooter only to fake out Perfect and stomp on his gut. The newly acquired manager Coach would get involved only to be knocked out by Hart. While Hart was distracted, Perfect would regain control. Perfect would then hit the PerfectPlex only for Hart to kick out at two which was a rarity and I don't think anyone had done that at the time. Perfect would then try to leg drop Hart only to get trapped in the sharpshooter and forced to submit.

Highlights
-The entire match because Perfect’s back was in pieces and he went out there and performed gracefully

-Perfect attempts to leave the match only for Hart to tear off his wrestling gear

-Perfect kicks the ring rope to low blow Bret Hart

-Perfect attempts a leg drop that gets reversed into a sharpshooter which is one of the best reversals I’ve ever seen

Grade and Analysis
This entire match was a testimony to how dedicated Mr Perfect was to this business. With a shattered back, he still went out there and gave the performance of a lifetime. The psychology was excellent as it showed the veteran champion vs the rising up and comer. Having Hart’s parents in the crowd was also a great piece of psychology. The moves performed in this match aren’t supposed to be done by a man with a bad back. Bret Hart also showed how great he would become with this breakout performance. Great match.

Rating: 10/10

-Phranchize

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Eyes on the Ring 2:18 AM  No comment

EOTR Tag Team Tuesdays: Stone Cold Steve Austin and Dude Love

By @TrueGodImmortal

At one point, Stone Cold Steve Austin was getting ready to become the man in the WWF. He was on the path to the Intercontinental Title, but after an interesting tag team title run with Shawn Michaels as his partner, that team dissolved due to Michaels' injury, and Austin was left without a partner. With Austin having to go at it alone against Owen Hart and British Bulldog in a match for the WWF Tag Team Titles. At the time, Austin was hellbent on going at it alone, but Mick Foley (portraying Mankind at the time) was insistent on being a friend and partner to Austin. Austin kept telling Foley no, and he even gave him a Stone Cold Stunner for his trouble.

However, when the time came for the match to go down, Austin was clearly overmatched by the tandem of Owen and Bulldog. 

As the match went on and on, all of a sudden, we were treated to an appearance by an alter ego of Mick Foley, better known as Dude Love. Austin was completely shocked, but this time, he didn't reject the help of Foley. Dude Love and Austin worked together to take Owen and Bulldog to the limit and when the final bell sounded, Dude Love and Stone Cold were now the new tag team champions. It was the typical odd couple tag team booking, with Austin being hesitant to trust Dude Love, and not fully accepting him, but the dynamic was really interesting. The plan for these two wasn't clear honestly, but one could imagine they would have held on to the tag team titles for a little while longer than they did.

With a tag title reign of over 55 days, most of which the tag titles weren't even defended, Austin and Dude Love were in the history books as tag champs, but they didn't get much of a run. They did have some house show matches defending against Owen and Bulldog, and when Austin defeated Owen Hart for the Intercontinental Title, Foley had alternated back to his Mankind persona. The Austin and Dude Love tag team is one of those that could have had some potential to be great if they continued into the rest of the year against teams like Triple H and Shawn Michaels as they created D-Generation X, The Road Warriors, and maybe even Brian Pillman and someone else, or the original Hart Foundation of Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart.

Yes, this was a very short lived tag team, but the possibilities are what made me cover this team. Much like with Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold, the what ifs are so important and very intriguing. Could Austin and Dude Love have been a solid team up until the Royal Rumble when Austin was due for his huge meteoric push leading into Wrestlemania 14? That's what I believe, but still, we have their initial tag team win, the 6 man tag team match the next week on RAW (they teamed with The Undertaker to take on Bret, Owen, and Bulldog), and their various segments (including the one that led up to them teaming) to always remember. Stone Cold Steve Austin and Dude Love will not go down as one of the greatest teams ever for obvious reasons, but they are without a doubt an interesting makeshift tag team that had a temporary impact during the summer of 1997.

-True 

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Eyes on the Ring 2:20 AM  No comment

EOTR Match Of The Week: British Bulldog vs Owen Hart

By @Phranchize19

It's always exciting to see new championships created, but the European title was the first new title introduced in the WWF in over 18 years (at the time). Titles can be made or broken by their first champion and they way that they won that title.

Background
The European Title was introduced in 1997 and a tournament was held to determine a new champion. The tournament was held in Germany and came down to the British Bulldog (who's actually from Europe) and Owen Hart (Bulldog’s brother in law). In an ironic twist, these two men were not only brother in laws but tag partners and the reigning WWF Tag Team champions. The story practically wrote it self. Hints of jealousy were dropped in as well as their family ties were used to sell this story.

The Match
Owen and Bulldog would start out with basic wrestling holds. Both men sold each other's offense as well as showed great athleticism. There was chain wrestling, brawling, high flying, and taunting. Owen would eye rake his brother in law much to the dismay of the Germans. British Bulldog would come out on top after a reversal on a roll up attempt.

Phranchize Rating And Analysis
This match was perfect. The crowd was hot for Bulldog and it showed. These are two of the greatest technicians ever and they went out there and put on a show. Bulldog coming out the victor was the right move and it didn't damage Owen's credibility. The announce team did well by selling their history and selling the tension the two have had (Could've done without Honky Tonk Man even though I'm a huge fan). This was the perfect match for a new title.

Rating: 9.5/10

-C. Yates

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Eyes on the Ring 1:05 AM  2 comments