20 Secret Highlights Of WCW That WWE Won't Tell You About
3. A Different Tag Team Philosophy
A quick review of WWE's tag team history betrays a disappointing reliance on formula. Specifically, they love the babyface-in-peril, hot tag combination perfected by the Rock n' Roll Express back in the early 80's, and don't get me wrong: more often than not, the formula works. Unfortunately, that means that at least one person in a WWE tag has to get realistically dominated for the duration. Even when WWE has massive bruiser teams, you get Kane taking a halfhearted beating from Heath Slater while Big Show claps on the apron yelling COME ON. It's not a good look.
WCW, conversely, had a history of strong, powerful, impactful teams that interacted with each other in interesting ways. The Steiner Brothers, Doom, the Road Warriors, Steve Williams and Terry Gordy, Lex Luger and Sting, Fire and Ice, and the Faces of Fear could work the standard matches, yes, but against each other? Four dudes calmly tagging in and out to throw lariats and slams that would kill lesser men until one of the four is close enough to unconsciousness to get pinned.