The Road Warriors
The Road Warriors are, arguably, the greatest tag-team of all time, having held every major tag team championship title in wrestling during their fifteen-year career.
Launching their careers on the West Coast, they eventually relocated to Georgia where they joined with Paul Ellering, the Spoiler, Jake "the Snake" Roberts, King Kong Bundy and Buzz Sawyer to form the Legion of Doom in 1983. This combination proved invincible until fame and fortune drew the group apart to seek individual glory. The Road Warriors kept the nickname, eventually adopting it as their team handle after an apparent copyright conflict with the WWF years later.
Completing their tour as NWA champs, they moved on to the American Wrestling Association (AWA) a short time later. They continued refining their skills before returning to the NWA where they continued to garner top honors in an unparalleled reign of terror. Four Horsemen reps Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard held the titles for a considerable time during the LOD's tenure but in head-to-head competition the interim champs proved woefully overmatched. In 1990, after years of negotiations, they signed with the Worldwide Wrestling Federation (WWF), winning the world championship against the Nasty Boys at the Summer Slam in Madison Square Garden on August 26th, 1991. A tailbone injury forced Animal to the sidelines some time later, Hawk going on to compete in Japan for nearly three years. It was a derailment from which they never completely recovered.
Hawk and Animal reappeared in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) before returning to the WWF once again in 1997. They regained their titles against the Godwins, yet their days in the limelight seemed numbered. The return of Ellering in their corner never materialized. Going from the LOD to LOD 2000 with swimsuit fluff Sunny in their corner, they lost their identity and their prestige as winter began setting in on their illustrious careers.
The untimely death Roadwarrior Hawk brought the Warriors' legacy to an end. Yet their fans will always remember their glory days as the greatest tag team of all time.
Sammartino and Arion
Bruno's partner-of-choice against Red Berry's Stable of Champions was the Golden Greek, Spiros Arion. They were the only team able to defeat the Orientals during their WWWF reign of terror, the win coming via 'TKO' decision over a cut on Monsoon's head at Madison Square Garden. Arion displayed little of the Greco-Roman skill he was hyped on, but at 6'2 and 270 he was more than enough backup for the Living Legend. Spiros grew tired of Bruno's shadow, like so many before and after him, and eventually signed with Fred Blassie in an unsuccessful bid for the WWWF crown. They didn't have the continuity to stop the LOD, but had Bruno aboard to take care of anyone else in wrestling history.
Stevens and Bockwinkle
Stevens' understudy, Nick Bockwinkle, eventually went on to succeed Verne Gagne as ringmaster of the AWA. Although Stevens was past his heyday as West Coast king of the WWA, he had more than enough to take this new team along a trail of glory. The team was able to defeat all comers under the guidance of upcoming manager Bobby Heenan. They didn't have the muscle to take on the LOD or Bruno/Spiros, but had the ring generalship to steal a win from anyone else in the history of the game.
The Orientals
Red Berry's standard bearers never got the honors they deserved, mostly because of tight-fisted WWWF policy that allowed for nothing other than their version of the world title as the prize for top performers. Gorilla Monsoon was, next to Bruno, the top wrestler in the world; a match between him and Thesz would have literally been a shootout. Paired with Professor Toru Tanaka, a 275-pound fireplug with black-belt karate expertise, the two gave place only to Sammartino-Arion during their reign of terror on the East Coast. Tanaka didn't know how to take a step backward; tagging off to Monsoon was committing the other team to utter disaster. Only the sheer genius of the Stevens-Bockwinkle ring generalship would have given the AWA champs a narrow edge in a 'dream match' confrontation.
Monsoon turned 'babyface' as WWWF 'spoiler' before his retirement, which came shortly after Bruno's. His resulting 'feud' with Tanaka was a sham and a farce, an ignominious end to the fourth-best tag partnership of all time.
The Megapowers
It was a tired plot: champ makes pal, champ loses pal, champ and pal end up in bitter feud. Only bringing Hogan together with his eventual successor, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, created the fifth-best team of all time. Hogan was the immovable object, Savage the irresistable force. With Miss Elizabeth in their corner, they had enough charisma to fill two stadiums. It was a tribute to their capability that the only team the WWF had worth throwing at them was the Twin Towers, the gargantuan team of the Big Bossman and Akeem (the One-Man Gang). Yet Hogan in his prime was enough to send the both of them running when Hulk got carried away in there. Savage, a tremendous athlete and wily ring general, could keep things going when Hulk set off on his frequent outside-the-ring expeditions.
They were unstoppable during their short stint as WWF monarchs; unfortunately the partnership was just another Corporation sideshow for Wrestlemania. In a 'dream match' scenario, the key would have been a shootout between Hogan and 6'6", 400-lb. Gorilla Monsoon. The Gorilla would probably not have been as self-effacing as Andre the Giant. Savage and Tanaka would have been an ideal pairoff, but Tanaka's destructive versatility would have given him the edge.
The Graham Brothers
Dr. Jerry Graham, Eddie Graham, Crazy Luke Graham, and later, Mike Graham and Superstar Billy Graham comprised one of the greatest families in pro wrestling. Of the Family, it was the former three who established tag team wrestling in Madison Square Garden and throughout the world. Dr. Jerry Graham, a 300-pounder whose deceptively rotund build belied formidable power, was a master showman whose outside-the-ring activities contributed greatly to the Graham legend. He teamed with brother Eddie, a legendary technical wrestler, to rule the WWWF during the early 60's. The big-spending, high-profile Grahams built a reputation in the Big Apple for their nocturnal activities; Jerry was known for his daredevil skills as an aviator, among other diverse interests.
The Grahams' war with Antonino Rocca and Miguel Perez were ring classics, and one particular match with stand-in Dick the Bruiser against the Latino favorites resulted in a full-scale riot at the Garden. The Doctor went on to a singles' rivalry with new WWWF champion Bruno Sammartino; despite legendary manager Bobby Davis in his corner, the Grahams failed to capture the big WWWF prize. Jerry still profited from the series of bouts via mail-order memorabilia, a relatively uncharted course in those times.
When Crazy Luke appeared on the scene, Eddie eventually relocated to Florida where he turned 'babyface' and gained several regional titles during a stellar career. The Graham Brothers continued to rule the roost, but Crazy Luke went on to a noteworthy singles career as Dr. Jerry faded into retirement.
The Megapowers would have displayed too much firepower, with Hulk Hogan having met and defeated countless stars far superior to Jerry; yet the Grahams would have had too much continuity and ring generalship for a team like the Varsity Club to overcome.
Undertaker and Kane
The fictional 'brother' team stands peerless in terms of sheer size and ability. It was only Vince Mc Mahon's tunnel vision in allowing "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to go up over them countless times during Austin's WWF reign that devalues their worth as all-time great tag champs. Another detraction is the fact that they were never awarded the tag title enough times due to their stand-alone box office value. Despite this, the grapplers, both standing seven feet, 300 pounds, have proven their skills and abilities throughout legendary careers.
If the Grahams would have vaulted into the 21st century, doubtlessly Mc Mahon would have gotten Taker and Kane to take the fall in their encounters, again due to stand-alone value. Yet the Varsity Club, also a stand-alone indispensable commodity, would have taken a back seat to the Dark Siders due to the sheer fan appeal and physical awesomeness of the duo.
The Varsity Club
Kevin Sullivan saw his greatest success in becoming the Ringmaster, taking on a managerial position and two babyfaces-turned-heel, Mike Rotundo and Rick Steiner, for his standard-bearers. The combination proved so formidable that the Road Warriors abandoned their raging WCW feud with Four Horsemen combo Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard to thwart the new title competition.
Rotundo and Steiner, two of the true 'shooters' in the game, had the unique ability to tie the LOD up in knots with their superb mat skills whenever the Chicago bad boys got too rambunctious. Though unable to match the LOD in strength, their excellent conditioning made them a match for the Warriors' own physical prowess. Their wars with Hawk and Animal were the stuff that legends are made of. Only Steiner pined for his 'babyface' status with his fans, and the Varsity Club split resulted in a predictable feud between the ex-partners.
In a dream matchup against the Undertaker and Kane, the Varsity would put up a valiant struggle but would prove no match for the sheer firepower of the gigantic Dark Siders. However, against Hennig and Race, the AWA champs hadn't the experience at that early stage in their respective careers to deal with the repertoire and firepower the Varsity Club was capable of exhibiting.
Hennig and Race
"Pretty Boy" Larry Hennig and "Handsome" Harley Race broke onto the AWA scene in the late 60's like a storm, though no one suspected the full impact their careers would have on wrestling history. Not only did they capture the AWA world title, but successfully defended it through a bloody vendetta against the promotion's 'top cops', the Crusher and the Bruiser, which lasted to the end of the decade. The Cussin' Cousins dubbed their enemies 'The Dolly Sisters', but it was a derisive smear at best. Their systematic approach to competition included the strategy of frequent tagouts, allowing both men to remain fresh through grueling bouts, and aggravated attacks on weakened opponents that would often concentrate on an injured bodypart. It was an approach that would have great influence on Midwest teams for decades to follow.
Larry "The Ax" Hennig would mature into a 6'4", 300-pounder whose career highlight was an unsuccessful campaign against WWWF champ Pedro Morales in the mid-70's, although having also contended against Verne Gagne and his successor, Billy Robinson, on numerous occasions. Harley Race would go on to become an eight-time NWA champion, one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation. Their historic edge over the devastating duo of the Crusher and the Bruiser gives them the nod in comparison of the two great rivals in pro wrestling tag team competition.
Crusher and Bruiser
Crusher Lisowski, the brawler from Milwaukee, had cultivated a reputation for ring violence long before joining forces with his legendary cousin, Dick the Bruiser, to wreak a path of destruction across the Midwest territory of the AWA. Unlike the Bruiser, the Crusher made excursions into WWWF territory and waged an unsuccessful campaign against Bruno Sammartino in the mid-60's, breaking the champ's nose in one classic brawl.
Upon returning, the Cussin' Cousins leaped directly into their historic war with Hennig and Race, prevailing in time as the Dolly Sisters faded into tag-team history. It was the same for Dr. Moto and Mitsu Arakawa, Dr. X and Mad Dog Vachon, and later the Vachon Brothers as 300-pound Butcher joined the line of the Cousins' nemeses. They outlasted every team that came against them as they jealously defended their turf to the end of their stellar careers.
Though not as technically accomplished as many of their peers, their sheer blood-and-guts brawling ability eroded the endurance of every team seeking to dislodge them from the top of the AWA volcano.