Top 100 Tag Teams Of All Time: 40-21

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 are 100-81.

Here are 80-61.

Here are 60-41.

Without further ado, here are 40-21:

40. Minnesota Wrecking Crew (298 points)

Whether it was Gene and Lars, Gene and Ole or Ole and Arn, the Andersons were a force to be reckoned with for 20 years. They dissected their opponents, preferring steak over sizzle while working as a three-man crew long before it was fashionable. Voted PWI’s Tag Team of the Year in 1975 and 1977, they ran roughshod throughout the Mid-Atlantic territory and usually had gold around their waist. Adding even more luster to the family name, Arn and Ole hold the distinction of being inaugural members of the Four Horsemen. – John Corrigan

39. The Funks (307 points)

The only brothers to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship made one helluva team. Their contrasting styles – Dory Jr.’s scientific approach and Terry’s rambunctious brawling – blended with the knowledge of their father made them a formidable duo in Amarillo, TX, Florida and Georgia. Japan is where they were most successful, winning the NWA International Tag Team Titles thrice and the Real World League thrice, as well as being instrumental in the formation of All-Japan and helping bringing American stars to the Land of the Rising Sun. – John Corrigan

38. Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly (312 points)

Immediate chemistry, unbelievable match quality and impressive longevity have made the former reDRagon/current members of Undisputed Era one of the greatest teams of all time. I find it incredibly difficult recommending a favorite match these two have had, so my advice is any match with them is worth your time. – Steven Jackson

37. The Shield (314 points)

The definition of pack mentality, The Shield not only beat everyone in their path – they destroyed them. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose ran WWE for the better part of two years, capturing the Tag Team Titles and US Title in the process. While they mainly teamed up as a trio, they were still successful in traditional tag matches as well. They split like most tag teams do, but have reformed many times and even recaptured the titles along the way. – Matthew Smith

36. Jack & Jerry Brisco (316 points)

Dominating Florida through the ‘70s, the original Briscoe brothers won gold more than a handful of times. The team was a great second act for Jack Briscoe after his incredible run atop the NWA. – Juan Bautista

35. Rocky Johnson & Tony Atlas (318 points)

Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson are pioneers. The first Black WWE Tag Team Champions, they paved the way for every Black tag team that came after them and showed that it was possible for a Black tag team to make it to the top. – Chad Gelfand

34. Santana & Ortiz (324 points)

Making their start in CZW and House of Glory, Santana and Ortiz got their big break when they signed with Impact Wrestling and joined the rebooted LAX. They dominated the Tag Team Title scene for the next couple years, having thrilling feuds with Lucha Bros and the OGz. They took another leap by jumping to AEW and aligning with Chris Jericho as part of his Inner Circle. – Matthew Smith

33. APA (328 points)

From the ashes of the Ministry of Darkness, Faarooq and Bradshaw formed the Acolytes Protection Agency. Hired to protect refs and wrestlers, they had a makeshift office filled with beer and gambling. Their segments were hilarious, but they were still tough as nails in the ring. – Juan Bautista

32. Miz & Morrison (333 points)

A team that has stretched across two different eras, the friendship of the Miz and John Morrison really shines. The Dirt Sheet showed the duo’s creativity, as they were some of the first people to take advantage of the company’s digital platforms. – Chad Gelfand

31. Usos (358 points)

One might say the Usos are the exception, not the rule, when it comes to WWE tag team wrestling. After all, most teams don’t even make it six months before getting split off into a meaningless feud. However, Vince McMahon, for whatever reason, believes that brothers don’t fight when the reality is this couldn’t be further from the truth. Bruce Prichard tells a great story of Vince having to be talked into a Bret vs. Owen feud over this logic. But no matter what you believe, the Usos are a great story in WWE. Coming into the fold managed by Tuh-Mean-Uh, Jimmy and Jey were FCW standouts (along with the Rotundos, Bo and Duke), but it was apparent they still needed a ton of polish if they were to stick as one of the top teams throughout the 2010s. Luckily, they have wrestling in their blood. The twin sons of none other than Rikishi, the Usos continued to improve and went on to become six-time WWE Tag Team Champions (and counting) while reinventing themselves twice with a Samoan war dance gimmick and West Coast rap gimmick. And while they may not even be the best tag team of the decade, their on-again, off-again rivalry with The New Day can definitely be penciled in as the defining tag team rivalry of the last 10 years. – Jack Goodwillie

30. Hollywood Blonds (359 points)

We can all agree that the final incarnation of the Hollywood Blonds were the best of the lot. Although their run in WCW was very short-lived, “Stunning” Steve and “Flyin” Brian took the wrestling world by storm, producing some of the best tag team matches we’ve ever seen. Their feud with Ricky Steamboat and Shane Douglas still holds up today, and those lucky enough to see the unrecorded house show matches these teams will forever have me jealous. – Steven Jackson

29. Koloffs (363 points)

In the mid-to-late-80s, the Soviet Union was slowly dying, but if you only watched professional wrestling, you would’ve thought the Cold War was still at Bay of Pigs levels of intensity. The Russians were a staple of Crockett television for years, feuding with everybody from the Rock n’ Roll Express to the Road Warriors. A team much greater than the sum of its parts, wily veteran-on-the-backend Ivan, green physical specimen Nikita and utility man Kruschev were a great example of how being over, having real heat and knowing how to do a finish that pisses people off are the cornerstones of great wrestling. – David Gibb

28. World’s Greatest Tag Team (371 points)

What can I say? It’s in the name! I got skewered on Corrigan’s Corner for my high ranking of World’s Greatest Tag Team, also known as Team Angle, but the fact is Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas have a great story and proved to be a natural combination in the ring. What’s not as well known is how this tag team was born out of two other tag teams in developmental. Charlie got signed to WWE along with his identical twin brother Russ as The Haas Brothers, but Russ died in his sleep in September 2001, leaving Charlie in limbo. Benjamin meanwhile found himself in a similar spot at around that same time. He came into the WWE alongside collegiate wrestling teammate Brock Lesnar as The Minnesota Stretching Crew, a play on another famous tag team from up north. But of course, Brock Lesnar, was, well, Brock Lesnar, and Benjamin needed a new direction. So through loss, The World’s Greatest Tag Team was born and left their mark on the WWE tag team division through technical ability, athleticism and intuition. Their run lasted less than two years, but considering how Benjamin’s momentum halted as a singles competitor in later years, they should have really had a six to eight year run. Any match of theirs against Los Guerreros is a surefire good time, no alcohol required. – Jack Goodwillie

27. Lucha Bros (373 points)

The family trees of lucha libre are long and layered. Father and sons, uncles and nephews, cousins and brothers, the world of Mexican wrestling is made up of many dynasties. The most recent of which is the Lucha Brothers: Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix. Their tag team bouts in AAA, MLW, AEW, PWG and Impact Wrestling are only a snapshot of how amazing these luchadores truly are! – Steven Jackson

26. AMW (378 points)

“The Wildcat” Chris Harris and “The Cowboy” James Storm formed an exciting team in the early days of TNA and are still regarded as one of TNA’s greatest tag teams. – Juan Bautista

25. The Revival (403 points)

If you want to know why they are Top Guys, check out any of their NXT matches. The first two-time Tag Team Champions ran the division in NXT for close to two years before making the jump to Raw. Unfortunately, like most NXT call-ups, their main roster run saw them turn from contenders to comedians. Thankfully, they’ve jumped to AEW where tag team wrestling is appreciated. – Matthew Smith

24. Miracle Violence Connection (406 points)

If Hansen and Brody set the standard for big foreign monsters in Japan, Williams and Gordy raised the bar. Their straightforward physical style and seeming zest for dumping opponents right onto their heads lent them true legitimacy during a time where wrestling, even in Japan, was struggling to find its identity. In the, “Who would you not want to run into in an alley?” competition, Williams & Gordy win every time. – David Gibb

23. New Age Outlaws (413 points)

Billy Gunn and Road Dogg are probably the most popular tag team from the Attitude Era. As part of DX, they blossomed into controversial champions. – Juan Bautista

22. The Outsiders (435 points)

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash finished their WCW careers as six-time Tag Team Champions as a unit, but their ranking on this list actually has very little to do with their work rate and accolades. Instead, it has everything to do with the impact they had on the wrestling industry. Despite having never actually tagged with one another in the WWF, well, you know the story. Hall and Nash jump the barricade, recruit Hulk Hogan, form the nWo and the rest is history. But while there’s really not much for either guy to be proud of as far as their in-ring work goes (since Hall was drunk and high virtually every night and Nash just wasn’t very good), the WCW tag team division always seemed to revolve around The Outsiders for better or worse. – Jack Goodwillie

21. Motor City Machine Guns (443 points)

Best known for their work in TNA, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin exploded onto the tag team scene in the mid-2000s. They struck gold and were named Tag Team of the Year in 2007. They also helped showcase the tag team of the future in the Young Bucks. – Matthew Smith