Top 100 Tag Teams Of All Time: 80-61

With the success of our Top 100 Wrestlers Of All Time list, we’ve decided to go even bigger and bolder. We’re going to rank the 100 greatest tag teams of all time!

Our ranking differs from the PWI 500 because we use math. Well, at least we try to. Just as we did before, we all submitted our own list of the top 100 wrestlers of all time, and each ranking represents points. For example, #1 = 100 points, #2 = 99 points, etc. At the end, we’d calculate who had the most points and assign ranking from there.

How do you judge what makes a great tag team? Well, we all have different criteria. Some rely on in-ring ability (which of course, is subjective) and others rely on box-office appeal. In a future episode of The Wrestling Estate Podcast, we’ll all break down the criteria we used in crafting our own lists. We’ll also bust each other’s balls for the names lacking and their absurdly low or ridiculously high rankings.

Here 100-81.

Without further ado, here are 80-61:

80. Kevin Steen & El Generico (109 points)

Even though they’ve become better enemies than partners, Kevin Steen and El Generico did win the PWG Tag Team Titles twice and ROH’s equivalent once. Their chemistry was undeniable as they took on some of the greatest tag teams like the Briscoes and Young Bucks. R.I.P. Generico. – Matthew Smith

79. Edge & Rey Mysterio (113 points)

Unlike the team of Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle, it’s not really known why SmackDown head writer Paul Heyman paired Edge and Rey Mysterio together for the WWE Tag Team Championship tournament in 2002, other than perhaps the idea that these were two talents Heyman had tremendous faith in. The truth is both Edge and Mysterio were red hot during this time and both had something they needed to prove. Mysterio had not been immediately picked up by WWE following the WCW purchase, likely due to reservations over his size and durability. Meanwhile, Edge was out to prove he could stand on his own away from Christian and hold his own as a future main eventer. The chips on the shoulders of both men came together to make one giant chip, and it’s for that reason these two make up one-third of the fabled “Smackdown Six.” In the ring, they went together a lot better than you’d think they would on paper, and Edge’s tag team expertise and experience really came out in his time tagging with Rey. Perhaps most importantly, even beyond the great matches they had, the Mysterio-Edge partnership set both guys up for bigger things to come in their respective careers. – Jack Goodwillie

78. Vachons (119 points)

Paul and Maurice Vachon were a staple of the ‘70s, crisscrossing North America, battling some of the greatest tag teams of the era and collecting plenty of gold. – Juan Bautista

77. Golden Lovers (125 points)

The relationship and journey shared by Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi is almost one of a teenage manga romance. Starting out as partners, then becoming opponents, to then become partners again across Japan, Canada and the U.S., the Golden Lovers were part of a roller coaster which all fans were taken along for the ride. – Steven Jackson

76. Viking Raiders (126 points)

Formerly known as War Machine, Erik and Ivar left a path of destruction before landing in the big time. Of course, their accolades were already impressive before arriving in NXT, having won both the IWGP and ROH Tag Team Titles. Then, they dethroned the Undisputed Era and raised hell in War Games before graduating to the main roster and capturing the Raw Tag Team Titles. – Matthew Smith

75. Los Gringos Locos (135 points)

The foreign invaders storyline is one that has been around since the beginning of pro wrestling. Foreign heels being defeated by national heroes is something straight out of a comic book. Yet, at the start of the ‘90s, when AAA was formed down in Mexico, this classic storyline dynamic was taken to new heights. Eddy Guerrero and “Love Machine” Art Barr brought chaos to lucha libre. If any of you have read my previous article reviewing When Worlds Collide, you will understand just how significant this team was. They had it all: wrestling ability, natural chemistry, off-the-charts promo skills and molten hot charisma which teams today can only dream about. – Steven Jackson

74. Heavenly Bodies (138 points)

With Dennis Condrey having retired in 1990, Jim Cornette created the Heavenly Bodies for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, presumably to fill the void left by the old Midnight Express. And this is another tag team that will confuse fans from time to time, just because there were so many different incarnations of it. But, at least to begin with, the Bodies were Midnight Express in Midnight Express clothing, with Stan Lane, Bobby Eaton and Jim Cornette all being part of it, along with Dr. Tom Prichard. When Eaton got rehired by WCW and Lane got scooped up by WWF for a broadcasting job, Jimmy Del Ray entered the picture and the Bodies as we knew them in the ‘90s began to take off with stints in ECW, Jerry Lawler’s USWA and the WWF. Pritchard and Del Ray were an old-school tag team in a transitional era, but still managed to deliver excellent matches with tag teams from all walks of the world of wrestling. In Smoky Mountain, they continued to be mainstays, and some of the promotion’s biggest angles of the time revolved around them. – Jack Goodwillie

73. Guerrillas of Destiny (148 points)

The Firing Squad, Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa may just be the real lifeblood of The Bullet Club. Currently in their sixth reign as IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, the Guerillas of Destiny removed The Elite from The Bullet Club and never looked back. They remain the gold standard of tag team wrestling in New Japan. – Matthew Smith

72. Headshrinkers/Samoan Swat Team (153 points)

The SST was a fresh ‘90s take on the Wild Samoans, and while reheating 20+ year old gimmicks rarely works, this one did. Managed by Paul E. Dangerously, the SST was an unstoppable two-man wrecking machine. Managed by Afa in the WWF, the Headshrinkers were workhorses who didn’t always get the star treatment on TV but worked with the greatest tag teams and rising stars of their era. – David Gibb

71. Rated RKO (154 points)

Edge and Randy Orton were both coming into their own as main eventers when Rated RKO formed. Usually, when two main event guys are paired up, they don’t really feel like a team, but Orton and Edge were different and had great chemistry. Their feud with DX had the duo on top of their game in promos and in the ring. – Chad Gelfand

70. MNM (174 points)

Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro and Melina were the perfect trio for the time period. In an era where TMZ was in its infancy and shows like The Hills and Laguna Beach were some of the most popular, MNM reflected that era. Melina was a great manager while Mercury and Nitro gelled together. – Chad Gelfand

69. Kings of Wrestling (175 points)

It’s amazing that almost nine years since their last match together, people are still calling for The Kings of Wrestling to reunite in WWE. Claudio Castagnoli, perhaps better known as Cesaro, and Chris Hero, perhaps better known as Chris Hero than Kassius Ohno, were total badasses. Think about the expectations you have to meet to call yourselves The Kings of Wrestling. And yet, Castagnoli and Hero absolutely lived up to the moniker. Between 2010 and 2011, this was the clear-cut BEST independent tag team on the circuit, setting an incredibly high bar for all the teams in their orbit. Ironic, considering the name of Cesaro’s future alliance with Sheamus, a great team in its own right. The Kings of Wrestling could do it all, though. They could work well with teams like The Young Bucks who would bump for them, go toe-to-toe with hard hitters like the Briscoes and work a technical masterpiece with the likes of World’s Greatest Tag Team, which are coincidentally among my favorite matches for both teams. – Jack Goodwillie

68. The Blackjacks (181 points)

While originally managed by Bobby Heenan, Blackjack Mulligan and Blackjack Lanza are most revered for winning the WWWF Tag team Titles with Capt. Lou Albano. Ask your dad who are the greatest tag teams of all time, and The Blackjacks will come up instantly. – Juan Bautista

67. The Assassins (182 points)

The greatest masked duo of all time, Jody Hamilton and Tom Renesto held titles more than a dozen times in nearly every territory they invaded, from Australia to Japan to California to Georgia. They hid foreign objects in their masks and spoke like college professors, never shouting about their devious plans. – John Corrigan

66. Paul London & Brian Kendrick (183 points)

The longest-reigning SmackDown Tag Team Champions never got their due. Perhaps a decade too soon, their high-flying, risk-taking style wasn’t appreciated by WWE in the mid-2000s. When they were drafted to Raw, they made an immediate impact by beating Charlie Hass and Shelton Benjamin, but they never matched the success they had on the blue brand. – Matthew Smith

65. Too Cool (184 points)

On paper, Too Cool shouldn’t work: Two white guys who look like the embodiment of The Offspring’s “Pretty Fly for a White Guy.” However, Scotty 2 Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay fully committed to their roles and created one of the most entertaining and memorable teams of the Attitude Era. Add in Rikishi and you have magic. – Chad Gelfand

64. Team Hell No (190 points)

Daniel Bryan and Kane shouldn’t have had the chemistry that they had together, but that’s what made them so great. A bearded vegan. A seven-foot monster. A match made in Heaven (or Hell). Team Hell No’s segments are some of the best vignettes that WWE has done. – Chad Gelfand

63. Jeri-Show (192 points)

Another unlikely pairing that paid crazy dividends, Jeri-Show came together after Edge needed surgery following an Undisputed Tag Team Championship victory with Chris Jericho as his partner. We’ll never know how that one would have turned out, but JeriShow ended up getting so over, they 1.) Reigned for more than a third of 2008 2.) Got their own entrance mix and 3.) Became the top heel unit on Raw for a time extending past their championship reign. Making it work meant both guys having to make concessions on their characters. Make no mistake, this was not Big Show and Chris Jericho simply mashed into a tag team. The Big Show changed up his look to make him feel more like a mercenary, and Jericho’s No Country for Old Men gimmick fit perfectly with having a heavy. He just needed to realign his focus from a single to a tag, but because he’s such a good promo, it seemed like there was nothing to it. And the matches were all fantastic. Jeri-Show worked matches with legit teams like The Colons, Cryme Tyme, and Legacy, alliances like Mark Henry & MVP and Batista & Mysterio, and of course, D-Generation X. It’s an impressive resume to say the least for two of wrestling’s most prominent figures. – Jack Goodwillie

62. Triple H & Shawn Michaels (197 points)

DX’s initial incarnation in 1997 had HBK and Triple H in two different places in their careers. Triple H was the mid-card youngster and Shawn Michaels was the established main eventer. When the two reunited in 2006, they were both established main eventers and on level playing fields, they had their best run as a tag team. The humor was edgier back in the ‘90s, but the matches were better in the 2000s. – Chad Gelfand

61. Money Inc. (198 points)

There couldn’t be a more perfect pairing then The Million Man and IRS. The tandem would experience three championship reigns. – Juan Bautista