10 Biggest Tag Team Specialists In Wrestling History
Tag team wrestling is a dying art? Nobody told these guys...
Tag team wrestling might not be as prominent as it used to be, but it'd be a stretch to call it a dying art. Teams like The New Day, Sheamus & Cesaro, and American Alpha prove that tag wrestling is still very much alive and well, and The Revival vs. DIY was recently named WWE's official match of the year. Sure, the tag scene has experienced more than its fair share of ups and downs of the years, but it's in good health at the moment.
The best tag teams transcend their members' respective individual qualities, and are defined by their chemistry, cohesion, and slick double-team moves. Finding the perfect tag partner can take a struggling singles wrestler to stunning new heights, and while every athlete enters the business with dreams of becoming world champion someday, some are just better suited to tag work.
A number of wrestling's all-time greats have served as part of at least one highly successful tag team during their career, but who are the true tag team specialists? Who are the wrestlers who wouldn't have been half as successful if it weren't for their tag runs, and whose legacies won't be defined by their solo work?
Wrestlers like Edge and Kane are just as well known for their singles work as their tremendous tag resumes, which excludes them from the conversation. This one's for the purists, and the purists alone.
Here are the 10 biggest tag team specialists in wrestling history.
10. D-Von Dudley
Bubba Ray Dudley found great success (and critical acclaim) while working as a solo act in TNA, but his storyline brother was never as fortunate. TNA and WWE both tried to turn D-Von Dudley into a credible singles act at various points in his career (the less said about Reverend D-Von, the better), but it never clicked for a variety of reasons, despite his two reigns as TNA Television Champion.
Despite his singles failings, D-Von was part of one of the most iconic tag teams the business has ever seen. The Dudley Boyz debuted in 1996 and remained active until D-Von's eventual retirement last year, and their list of accolades is almost unparalleled. They're the only tag team to ever hold championship gold for NJPW, TNA, WWE, ECW, and WCW, and along with Edge & Christian and the Hardy Boyz, they're responsible for one of tag wrestling's biggest boom periods.
Tag wrestling has rarely been as hot as it was in 2000 and 2001. At the height of their popularity, WWE's top three teams were as over as anywhere else in the company, and their interactions were a highlight on any show. Their long-term rivalry produced countless classic matches, birthed the iconic Tables, Ladders, and Chairs stipulation, and made each of them a legend.
The Dudleyz will always be best known for the 10 titles they won while competing for WWE, but they did enough in TNA to enter that company's Hall of Fame in 2014. It's only a matter of time before Bubba and D-Von follow Edge into WWE's own HOF, and it'll be nothing less than what they deserve.