All Time Favourite/Best Tag Team and Why?

[JaymeFuture]

So for this week's podcast we're taking a look at great tag teams, and are looking to get a sense of which teams come to people minds when the question is posed:

Do you have an all-time favourite tag team, or a combination that you firmly believe are the best tandem to ever grace the squared circle? If so, why them, and what is it that sets them apart to you as favourite, or what is the defining element that makes them the best you've ever seen?

I think there's a murky line between 'favourite' and 'best', so tackle this one however you wish, but I find it interesting to narrow it down to the one team you set above all others. As always the best answers will be read on the podcast, and you'll be credited accordingly.

So who is that one team for you, and why?

 

EDIT - The podcast discussing your nominations and reasons for selecting them is now available to listen to at the following link: http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/play/i3h5p2/SCGRadio41-AllTimeFavouriteorBestTagTeam.mp3

[victory]

The Road Warriors would be my favorite. I don't consider them the best or anything, just my favorite.

 

From the first time I saw them in a magazine during their Georgia run they just looked so different and cool to a 10 year old kid.

 

Once they came to the AWA and I was able to see them on TV they instantly became my favorites ( High Flyers were prior).

 

The muscles, face paint, spiked collars, haircuts, being billed from Chicago were all reasons I loved them. Their interviews were also a thing of beauty.

 

Nothing like a good Roadies squash either. Those were and still are a blast to watch.

[JerryvonKramer]

The Funks

 

 

The Funks compliment each others' characters very well, Terry is fire, Dory is ice. Terry's the life of the party, Dory's no-nonsense. Terry's the madness, Dory's the method. And they'll both kick your arse.

The Funks!

 

Terry-ah Funk-ah

Doryeee-ah Funk-ah Juni-ah

 

In his own quiet way, Dory has a lot of personality. He's stoical, but on occasion he can snap.

 

The problem a lot of people have is that he sometimes doesn't show a lot of urgency, but that's not generally his style. In brawls, however, when Dory needs to bring it, very often he does.

 

The Funks are surely contenders for GOAT tagteam and he more than carried his share of the load.

THE FUNKS!!!!

 

I've not finished my Dory stuff yet, but it's already safe to say that these guys should by rights be top 5 at the very least and probably top 3 or higher. Very probably they will be my #1.

 

I've talked about the "fire and ice" dynamic elsewhere, but just think about how cool this team is: two former NWA champions, brothers, one the brawler, one the technician. Both insanely respected in the business and both probably "legends" by the time you get to 1980. The closest thing we have to a long-term "super team". It's not a perfect analogy but it's almost like a 70s equivalent of, say, Bret Hart (Dory) and Stone Cold (Terry) teaming up. I think it's easy to forget that they were both legit stars in their own right. Dory was NWA champ from 69 to 73 and talked about everywhere as the best technical wrestler in the world. Terry was Terry. It's neat how they were able to get over independently and then tour the world as this super act.

 

Whatever you make of the Abby/Sheik tags, they have some terrific matches in the 70s with guys like Baba / Jumbo and Bockwinkel / Lanza and others. I have really really enjoyed some of their mid-80s stuff so far and am looking forward to matches that were left off the AJPW set like those vs. Hansen/Brody and Hansen/DiBiase. Even if none of them are 5-star affairs, those matches surely can't be bad and the work from both Funks is never less than really solid.

 

Just such a cool and legendary team who should be #1 contenders. They were arguably bigger stars than The Road Warriors. They were together longer than Arn and Tully. Unlike some teams, they were a "proper team". They have great matches, great feuds and many amazing moments.

 

The key advantage that they have is that they were kind of their own bosses. No booker was ever going to make them turn on each other. They never had to split up. If Dory or Terry wanted to go on a singles run for a few months working an angle with Lawler in Memphis here or a run as Florida champ there, fine. If the other brother decided to make their way to the same place, then great they could work a few tags. They were able to maintain separate identities and careers while still legitimately being a regular tagteam. And somehow, they did so without appearing to be attached by the hip. THAT is truly unique. There just isn't another team who had runs in so many different places and contexts. In this case, blood is thicker than money.

 

 

 

 

 

[goodhelmet]

Lawler & Dundee are both near the top of my favorite and best.

 

Condrey & Eaton could be #1 or 2 on both lists.

 

Morton & Gibson are a lock for Top 5 on both lists.

 

Kawada & Taue is probably #1 for best and #2 for favorite.

 

PG-13 are high on the list of both.

[goc]

My favorite tag team right now is The Nightmares. I think it sucks how under the radar they are since their best run was in Continental. They were just really versatile; a very good masked heel team, really fiery babyfaces, they could brawl and they could fly. Not great promos but they were good and they could carry a feud.

 

My pick for the best would probably be the Rock N Roll Express. Amazing longevity. Unfortunately their gimmick just looked really dated after 1988 or so and that kind of hurt their ability to work in WCW & WWF. They were still great in SMW though and definitely helped keep that promotion alive as long as it did. The list of teams that they had good matches with is probably as long or longer than any other team's.

[jpchicago23]

My pick for favorite would honestly have to be the Briscoes. Pg 13 would be a really close second but speaking from a strict favorite standpoint I'd have to say Mark and Jay. Everything they do entertains me. Their country ass promos, their innovative moveset, their ability to bleed and brawl, they have everything I want in a good team. I find it harder personally to rate absolute bests against what I deem as favorites but if I really thought about it Condrey and Eaton along with Arn and Tully would be the teams I considered the best

[Mr. Lacelle]

Favourite & best are The Funks. Not including Jimmy Jack Funk, that must be stated.

[Wade Garrett]

Mix of best and favorites.

 

Ole & Gene Anderson

Terry & Dory Funk

Flair & Valentine

Condrey & Eaton

Roberts & Gordy

[Dylan Waco]

If we are talking favorites my pick has to be Buddy Rose and Doug Somers. They were only together for about a year, and came around as the AWA was really collapsing, but they are still one of the great teams of all time. Their feud with The Rockers is every bit as good as the Midnights v. RnR's and Fantastics feuds, and the 8/30/86 match from Vegas is one of the all time classic tag matches in the history of pro wrestling. The dynamic of the team was absolutely outstanding as you had the scummiest of all scrubs "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers, with the annoyingly athletic (but not as athletic as he thought he was) fat ass "Playboy" Buddy Rose, decked out in robes, with skeezy as fuck Sherri Martel treating them like the sexiest men on Earth. Both guys were excellent bumpers and stooges, but also really good working on top. I've seen every taped match in the teams existence and not a one of them was less than good. They aren't the best team of all time because they weren't around long enough, but there is no team I would rather watch.

[Johnny Sorrow]

The Awesome a Twosome, The Real R n R, Ravishing and Raging....Rick Rude and Manny Fernandez.

[BlueGuy]

Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. I think even Bret Hart once conceded that Arn/Tully put together all of the best elements from previous southern tag teams. Not only were they technically sound, but I'd say they were also easily the best talking tag team ever. The only strike against them is that they didn't have the longevity of some of the other top notch teams like the Road Warriors or Funks.

[ohtani's jacket]

The Funks!

Terry-ah Funk-ah

Doryeee-ah Funk-ah Juni-ah

 

Teri Funku and Dori Funku Junia.

[Tenese Sarwieh]

Mine is The Midnight Express (The Eaton/Lane version). I love this team mainly because they have awesome matches and they compliment each other very well. The pretty boy martial artist who wants all the women paired with the stoic high flyer who can throw a mean right hand with a loud mouth carrying a tennis racket. Also I’m a big mark for Bobby Eaton, one of wrestling’s truly underrated performers. One match of there’s I never get tired of watching is their match against The Southern Boys at GAB 1990.

[JerryvonKramer]

 

The Funks!

 

Terry-ah Funk-ah

Doryeee-ah Funk-ah Juni-ah

 

Teri Funku and Dori Funku Junia.

OJ is that legit? If so awesome.

[Matt D]

At this very moment, I'd have to see Negro Casas and El Hijo del Santo. When they teamed reguarly in 00-02 there was just so much history behind them and I love the interplay between them and they're, you know, two of the best wrestlers of all time, which helps.

[khawk20]

Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell. They were either chasing the AWA Tag straps or holding them from my earliest memories, and their feuds with Blackwell and Kaissie, Adonis and Ventura, Patera and Duncum, Patera and Blackwell and the rest of Sheik's Army were long-running battles filled with dramatic matches.

[dawho5]

Three words. Holy Demon Army. Kawada and Taue are my best and favorite tag team ever. Also, perhaps the coolest Japanese team of all time.

 

They are both great at being their characters, which only makes the team work better because their characters have a lot in common. They are not traditional American heels, but they definitely have the "win at all costs" mentality. Also, there are few teams out there that are as fun to watch when they start kicking the shit out of somebody.

[Zoo Enthusiast]

Rock 'n' Roll Express.

 

I just love their match. Ricky Morton selling and making the hot tag is one of my most favorite things in wrestling.

[KrisZ]

After watching the Memphis set, there was no other team that I was more impressed with and immediately thought that they should be ranked higher than the RnR Express as far as historical purposes go. They could do it all from brawling to straight wrestling. Eaton & Sugar also rank really high with me as well but these guys are the best.

 

[Karl]

Its a toss up between Condrey/Eaton MX and the Rock n Roll Express...would probably lean towards MX simply due to Cornette - both teams had everything I want to see for a team, could do everything.

 

Honorable mention to Kawada & Taue for sheer volume of quality matches.

[GOTNW]

 

 

The Funks!

 

Terry-ah Funk-ah

Doryeee-ah Funk-ah Juni-ah

Teri Funku and Dori Funku Junia.

OJ is that legit? If so awesome.

 

Tehnically it's ドリー・ファンク・ジュニア/Dorii Fanku Junia & テリー・ファンク/Terii Fanku. Japanese phonology is simple and logical, unlike its english counterpart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kawada and Taue win my heart.

 

[ohtani's jacket]

 

 

The Funks!

 

Terry-ah Funk-ah

Doryeee-ah Funk-ah Juni-ah

Teri Funku and Dori Funku Junia.

OJ is that legit? If so awesome.

 

 

Well, GOTNW is right about the vowel lengthening at the end of Dorii and Terii. The extended katakana for Fa is just a way to cater for a foreign sound not present in Japanese. I was trying to make it easier for you to pronounce as fan-ku would be odd. In Japanese, the tag team is called Za Fankusu.

[topropepodcast]

I think my favorite team might be the Steiner Brothers. Just this team unlike anything else I'd ever seen whenever I started watching, just these two jacked up dudes in singlets who would drop dudes on their fuckin' heads. It was great. Yeah, as an adult I can go back and look at match structure, selling, etc. but the kid in me says SUPLEX, SUPLEX, TOP ROPE DDT. Just love it.

 

As far as best, I tend to lean MX version 2. Not that Bobby and Loverboy aren't great, but I like the extra speed that Lane added.

[Parties]

I'm surprised no one's said the Freebirds (Hayes/Gordy/Roberts) yet. They may end up being #1 on my Top 25. Great matches as both a team and singles, incredible promos, famous angles, could carry people to make them look better than they were. Prodigies who were great immediately, especially Gordy, who I think should go down in history with Mysterio as the two ultimate prodigies in wrestling history. Notorious figures in the business. Worked everywhere. Pioneers in their videos and overall presentation. Very influential in all aspects. Truly one of the hottest acts of the 80s: aside from Hogan, Savage, Flair, Piper, Road Warriors, Von Erichs, and maybe JYD, I'd be hard pressed to name many of the era who had Freebird-level heat.

 

I do wonder if trios in general won't get what they deserve in the Tag poll, as people often forget about them or don't classify them as "true" tag teams. But the Cerebros, Infernales, Freebirds, Misioneros, Cadetes, Brazos, Villanos, the Shield and others deserve to make lists. To say nothing of groups like the Bucaneros, Intocables, Hermanos Dinamita, and Trio Fantasia who have their own avid supporters.

[Wade Garrett]

I dropped Roberts and Gordy as one of my best/favorites . No knock on Hayes as I think he's underrated by some. As a trio they're my absolute favorites. The only other group of guys I liked as much if not a little more as a group were Flair, Blanchard, and The Andersons.

 

I always thought it woulda been interesting to see the Freebirds get a rock solid 4th guy to go along with the originals in 1986 for Watts.