The Most Legendary Wrestling Tag Teams Of All Time

First thing's first: Anytime we put together a Mount Rushmore-ish "most" this or "most" that, especially with numerical limitations, we're going to catch some heat. Inherently, someone is going to be left out. And with that in mind, paired with the fact that FIVE is our dictated max here, we forge forward, fully prepared to catch any and all projectiles thrown about, completely understanding the vitriol, and happy to take lumps from one and all, as we present the most legendary wrestling tag teams of all time.

Among the virtual beatdowns surely headed in this direction that we're willing to accept are from those who didn't make the cut themselves, so in a tribute to those who make our unofficial Honorable Mention list, we stand poised to get our heads taken off from a Midnight Hour, put to sleep thanks to a legendary Double Dropkick, flattened by a Rocket Launcher, incapacitated by a Con-Chair-To, decapitated with a Steinerizer, blown up with a Heat Bomb, and even toppled by a BTE Trigger.

So there, with those "apologies" out of the way, onward we go. If this list seems a bit WWE-heavy, that's because it is. When you're talking "legendary," you're also talking biggest reach and impact, and without that presence at the very top of the heap, you simply can't make that claim as credibly as those who had it. The debate will surely roar on because all of these teams—and those who missed the cut here—fostered a "forever" thanks to their contributions to tag team wrestling and the industry as a whole.

Might as well rock the boat right off the bat here as, even within a WWE-only circle, one would expect to get some flak for The Usos over The New Day, in particular. While Jey and Jimmy are undoubtedly legends in their own right, when compared against Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods, it's easy to simply point at the number of recognized title reigns for the latter (11), to those for the former (eight). But it can also be argued that The New Day's frequent utilization of "The Freebird Rule," allowing any combination of the three to defend/challenge for the championships at any time, gave the trio a distinct advantage for the large majority of their time together.

But in terms of impact and legacy, The Usos' involvement in the epic saga of The Bloodline, with Jey being a foundational centerpiece and Jimmy an irreplaceable supporting member of the story, tips the scales in their favor and secures them their place on this particular list. The epic was born, in fact, with Jey feuding with Roman Reigns during The Pandemic Era, with a pair of unsuccessful title challenges in front of the forgettable walls of televisions within the WWE ThunderDome.

Behind all that lies the formidable prowess of the twins as a tag team, not just in terms of the number of title reigns, but with regard to iconic feuds and passing-of-the-torch moments including rivalries with The Wyatt Family, The Dudley Boyz, The New Age Outlaws, The Street Profits, and of course, The New Day.

Before "The Excellence of Execution" became recognized for as much forevermore, Bret Hart was teaming with real-life brother-in-law Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart as The Hart Foundation. Though they were paired together on joint cards for NWA and Stampede Wrestling prior to making their way to the then-WWF, they came together under that umbrella as being managed by "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart, first as a heel team in 1985, before eventually turning babyface in 1988. Bret, having been double-crossed by Bad News Brown, who hit him with his patented Ghetto Blaster just as the two seemed to agree to be co-champions of a 20-man Battle Royal at WrestleMania VI, was supported by "The Anvil," leading to a rift between the team and Jimmy Hart, who would go on to manage several burgeoning rivals. The split led to feuds with a murderer's row of memorable teams ranging from iconic to at least memorable, such as Demolition, The Rougeau Brothers, Rhythm & Blues, The Brain Busters, The Rockers, and The Nasty Boys, with Jimmy Hart involved in several instances over the course of three years.

Though the duo had sporadic runs as individuals, Neidhart had a few personal issues that took him away for multiple periods of time, and the interactions with The Rockers eventually contributed to Bret delving into his legendary rivalry with Shawn Michaels, their time as a tag team holds up in the annals in history, with a pair of WWF World Tag Team Championship runs, and a 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction, where the late Neidhart was represented by his daughter Natalya.

As far as "decorated" tag teams go, Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley can always stake their claim to the distinction in just about as ironclad a fashion as anyone else. Depending on who you ask, specifically WWE or TNA, the Dudleys have amassed anywhere from 18 to 23 reigns as World Tag Team Champions in promotions across the globe. Though it's truly difficult to even track thanks to titles being renamed, promotions being purchased, and so on, the duo also known as Team 3D has held no less than eight Tag Team Championships in both WWE and ECW, held both TNA and IWGP gold on two occasions, and also captured the WCW, NWA, HUSTLE, and 2CW belts.

Aside from championship accolades, Bubba Ray (aka Buh Buh Ray, BRD, Brother Ray, and Bully Ray) and D-Von (aka Devon and Brother Devon) were innovators of the tag team division overall, perhaps best known for a trio of encounters against both The Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian, and for their trademark finisher, The 3D. Despite cementing their legacy long ago in the three-way showdowns at WrestleMania 2000, SummerSlam 2000, and WrestleMania X-Seven, Bubba Ray and D-Von recently ran it back with The Hardys at TNA Bound for Glory, bestowing Matt and Jeff with their signature boots, adorned with "3D" after coming up short in a Tables Match for the TNA and NXT Tag Team Championships, seemingly signifying the end of their run, at least together, after nearly 30 years.

Teaming together for more than 30 years, real-life brothers Matt and Jeff have not only compiled plenty of hardware over the decades but have also reinvented themselves time and time again. From an obscure debut as The Jynx Brothers (Ingus and Wildo), to a run as the New Brood (assuming the reigns from soon-to-be rivals Edge and Christian), to their time as Team Extreme alongside Lita, and primarily, simply as The Hardy Boyz, their tenures in WWE headline their illustrious careers; but the impact doesn't stop there. "The Broken Universe" gave us "Broken" Matt, "Brother Nero," and a memorable cast of characters and the cinematic innovation used to create that world not only encouraged an outside-the-box ideology for future wrestling creativity, but may have helped save the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic, when crowds were nowhere to be found.

Still, a large portion of the Hardy legacy comes from in-ring work, and the majority of that, as a tag team. With the standout runs against their TLC counterparts, The Dudley Boyz, and Edge and Christian, atop the list, there is no doubting The Hardys as bona fide Hall of Famers across at least two promotions in WWE and TNA. But since we are counting championship gold here today, it's worth digging into Matt and Jeff's trophy case to reveal at least 25 runs with Tag Team Championships (again remembering that tag team title math is weird to say the least), including eight runs as WWE Tag Team Champions, four times in TNA, twice each for OMEGA and House of Glory, and singular runs representing WCW, The Crash, Ring of Honor, NWA, MCW, IWC, FULL, and 4th Rope, as well as recently adding the NXT Tag Team Championships to their collection at "NXT vs. TNA Showdown."

No list on the greatest tag teams of all time would be complete without Animal and Hawk, The Road Warriors (also known as Legion of Doom in WWF). With a finisher for the ages in The Doomsday Device, a look often imitated but never duplicated, unparalleled intensity, a world class manager in "Precious" Paul Ellering, iconic music and catch phrases, legitimate toughness, and of course, a crowd reaction still sought by wrestlers today looking for "The Road Warrior Pop," Animal and Hawk captivated audiences together for more than 20 years beginning in Georgia Championship Wrestling. After garnering international acclaim through stints in AWA, across Japan, for Jim Crockett Promotions and then WCW, the team arrived in WWF in 1990, adopting the Legion of Doom moniker that was initially used to describe a larger faction in their early days, which also included Jake Roberts, King Kong Bundy, The Iron Sheik, and others, for a short period of time.

Adorned with spiked football shoulderpads and their trademark facepaint, intimidation was the name of the game for LOD, who would become two-time WWF Tag Team Champions, adding to a collection of championships that would also include four NWA Tag Team titles, two iGW Championships, and title runs in all of WCW, AWA, IPW, and PCW. Road Warrior Hawk died in 2003 from a heart attack, but the team's legacy would carry on with Animal continuing to don the traditional getup, returning to being dubbed as "Road Warrior Animal" and often paying tribute to his fallen comrade. Animal, who also died of a heart attack in 2020, would wrap up his career in 2012, appearing on an episode of "WWE SmackDown" to squash Heath Slater, following a Hall of Fame induction for the tag team the previous year.