Welcome to The Contentious Ten. I continue to not be Michael Ornelas, and instead I remain Gavin Napier. I had fun last week with the Top 10 Wrestling T-Shirts, and was absolutely stunned by the amount of debate that it sparked. In response to that and all the debate about Hulkamania or the Austin 3:16 shirt, my only defense in making Hulkamania number one is that the shirt is still selling after 30 years. If Austin 3:16 is still selling in 2028, I’ll admit that I may have been wrong. This week, I’ve come up with another topic for you all to argue with each other and call me an idiot about. This week it’s the Top Tag Team Wrestlers. I’ll admit, I may have gone a bit overboard in my research on this one. More on that momentarily.Here is my criteria for the Top Tag Team Wrestlers so that we’re all on the same page:

-Multiple iconic, main event, or high quality tag teams.

-Championships won and overall success as a member of a tag team.

-Awards from places such as PWI or Wrestling Observer.

-Versatility within the team, i.e. could be the “Michaels” or the “Janetty” and make the role work. .

This means that guys like Ricky Morton, whose major success came only with Robert Gibson, won’t make the list. That’s not a knock on Ricky Morton, and the Rock n Roll Express would certainly make the list of Greatest Tag Teams. He’s just not what I’m looking for here. Also, generally, a guy like Barbarian won’t be on the list, even though he was on two teams that are fondly remembered in Powers of Pain and the Faces of Fear because neither team ever captured significant gold. Finally, I didn’t put too much stock in “superteams”, such as Steve Austin and Triple H, so you won’t see many singles superstars on the list such as Shawn Michaels or Ric Flair, despite multiple tag title wins for them.

(Moves/Wrestlers/Teams/etc.) that just missed the cut:At the end of the day, I actually looked at about three dozen guys for this list, and weighed their tag team accomplishments and careers against each other and tried to come up with a list. I had to recruit some outside opinions, so thanks to those that offered input in helping me finalize a list. I was switching names around and making adjustments right up to the time that I actually sat down to start typing. I had no idea this was going to be this difficult when I started it. Here are the names of who ended up being numbers 30 through 11, in order. Chief Jay Strongbow, Marcus “Buff” Bagwell, The Big Show, Haku/Meng, Tony Garea, Christian, Dustin Rhodes, Tully Blanchard, Greg Valentine, Chris Jericho, Booker T, Davey Boy Smith, Barry “Smash” Darsow, Michael Hayes, Toshiaki Kawada, Bill “Axe” Eadie, Ted DiBiase, Mr. Fuji, Barry Windham, Stan Lane

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“Cowboy” James Storm size=6>



“Cowboy” James Storm has been one half of arguably the two greatest tag teams in TNA’s 10 year history.

-7 time NWA World Tag Team Champion with 2 partners

-4 time TNA World Tag Team Champion with Robert Roode

-3 time PWI Tag Team of the Year with 2 partners

-Wrestling Observer Tag Team of the Year 2005

-4 Independent or minor tag team titles with 3 partners

I debated for a long time about whether the number 10 spot should go to James Storm or Stan Lane. It took a healthy dose of objectivity for me to settle on James Storm. The Midnight Express is my favorite team of all time, and I honestly feel like the Stan Lane version is better than the Dennis Condrey version. That said, when Lane was a part of The Fabulous Ones and The Heavenly Bodies (remember when teams actually had names?), they were never really in the argument for best team in the sport at the time. At different points in both of their runs, America’s Most Wanted and Beer Money were considered the best tag team in North America, if not the sport. James Storm was a big part of that. The fact that he was able to transition so quickly from one iconic TNA tag team with Chris Harris into a main event tag team with Robert Roode – a team that seemed haphazard and thrown together at the time – earned him the number 10 spot. Where will he rank if he pulls a hat trick?

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Kenta Kobashi size=6>



Kenta Kobashi is one of the greatest Japanese wrestlers of all time, and his tag team resume is a huge part of the reason why.

-6 Time All Japan Unified Tag Team Champion with 3 partners

-5 World Tag League victories with 2 partners

-4 Time All Asia Tag Team Champion with 3 partners

-2 Time GHC (NOAH) Tag Team Champion

-Wrestling Observer Tag Team of the Year 1995, 1999

Kenta Kobashi is one of the unquestioned all time great Japanese wrestlers. After the career he’s had and the resume he’s amassed, the only individual Japanese wrestler that is head and shoulders above him is Inoki, and it’s going to be hard for anybody to top Inoki considering his contributions to the sport on a global level. Kobashi achieved the greatest success while teaming with another Japanese legend, Mitsuharu Misawa. Together, the team won 2 Unified Tag Titles as well as 3 World Tag Leagues. The difference in those two teaming as opposed to the typical pairing of two American superstars was that they didn’t team because they were feuding and the booker thought it would make for good television. They were an honest to goodness tag team. Granted, Kobashi and Misawa would feud more than once and produce multiple five star matches, but their team was an honest to goodness team, not a stunt. After splitting with Misawa, Kobashi formed an equally great team with Jun Akiyama, winning multiple Unified Tag Titles and World Tag Leagues with him as well. Much like James Storm in TNA (only on a much larger scale), Kobashi transitioned seamlessly from one great team to another.

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“The Rocket” Owen Hart size=6>



Owen Hart deserved better than the awful accident that took his life. He also deserved better than to gain the respect that he deserved posthumously. Owen Hart was a fantastic singles wrestler, able to go to the mat and work a traditional style, or take to the air with the best high flyers, or work with Japanese light heavyweights without missing a beat. To me, though Owen really shone in tag teams. Whether part of a team of polar opposites with Yokozuna, half of a team with Davey Boy Smith that arguably was better in the ring than either the Hart Foundation or the British Bulldogs, or capturing the essence of old school heel teams with Jeff Jarrett, Owen was brilliant when there were three other personalities to play off of. The reason he moves ahead of a guy like Kobashi for me, despite only having 4 major tag title wins, is the fact that he was a part of consistently solid teams that never broke through. The New Foundation was good, but doomed by comparisons to the original Hart Foundation. He teamed with his brother Bret for a handful of amazing matches against Rick and Scott Steiner. Finally, his tag team with Koko B. Ware, High Energy, could have been a show stealer consistently had Owen not injured his knee. When one man can list 6 quality teams on his resume, regardless of how many titles they captured, he’s earned his spot in the top 10.

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Stan “The Lariat” Hansen size=6>



In America, Stan Hansen is known for breaking Bruno Sammartino’s neck, running over the AWA World Title with his truck, and a brief feud with Lex Luger. In Japan, he’s known as a wrecking machine and one of the greatest gaijins ever. Hansen found success in Japan teaming with other Americans such as Terry Gordy and Dan Spivey, as well as Japanese star Genichiro Tenryu. If there’s one partner, though, that’s associated with Stan Hansen, it’s the one and only Bruiser Brody. As a team, Hansen and Brody only won one official title, the NWA Tri-State (Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana) United States Tag Team Title. However, the team’s reputation grew to almost mythological heights and even as a kid that read and believed Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s every word, the term “Hansen and Brody” meant dominance. These guys were Undertaker and Kane times a dozen. The duo would go on to capture the first of Hansen’s four World Tag League titles, and establish themselves as a duo to be feared. Hansen’s tag team dominance in Japan as well as an often forgotten 7-month reign with Ole Anderson as NWA World Tag Team champions earns him his spot in the top 10.

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Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat size=6>



Ricky Steamboat finds his way to number six based mostly on longevity. On my original list, I had him in the number three spot before moving him down slightly. I feel more comfortable with him here, even though I’m pretty sure that the next guy being ranked ahead of him will draw some wrath in the comment section. Unfortunately for Steamboat, he was never a part of a truly iconic tag team. He was a part of several very, very good tag teams, though, and fulfilled separate roles for them in different parts of his career. As a young wrestler in the NWA, Steamboat was a frequent tag team partner of both Paul Jones and Jay Youngblood. In teaming with Jones, Steamboat was learning from a veteran partner, similar to Ric Flair and Batista in Evolution. With Youngblood, they were two fiery young talents working together, much like The Rockers. I mentioned longevity earlier, though, and this is what I’m referring to: Steamboat’s first NWA World Tag Team title win was in April of 1978. His final NWA World Tag Team Title win was in November of 1992, nearly 15 years later. By that time, the roles had been reversed, and Steamboat was the veteran mentor to young talents like Dustin Rhodes and Shane Douglas. His success and ability to adapt to various roles in teams moves Steamboat to just outside the top 5.

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“Mr. Ass” Billy Gunn size=6>



Painful verbal jabs from Edge aside, Billy Gunn was big of a part of the Attitude Era for WWE as anyone. After being saddled with terrible gimmicks, Billy Gunn and Road Dogg got slapped together as a tag team. To say that expectations were low would be an understatement. However, much to everyone’s surprise, the duo was magic together. They became a part of Degeneration X and one of the most over tag teams in federation history. The pair was known as much for their antics and skits as what they did in the ring, but the end result was still one of the greatest teams in wrestling history. Previous to the Outlaws, Billy Gunn was a part of the Smoking Gunns with his “brother” Bart, and they found success. They were part of Sunny’s carousel of teams (insert joke here), but the cowboy gimmick quickly wore thin. Amazingly, Billy Gunn’s team after the Outlaws gained nearly as much as notoriety, as he and Chuck Palumbo were put together. The team was insinuated to be homosexual, and got quite a bit of publicity from groups like GLAAD for WWE. Following one of the greatest teams in history with one of the most notorious is good enough for the Ass Man to kick off our top 5.

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“Dr. Death” Steve Williams size=6>



I’ll admit that I love the Miracle Violence Connection almost as much as the Midnight Express. Doc and Gordy together is just about as close to perfect as you can get for a power based tag team.

When they came to WCW in 1992, it was a boost that was desperately needed for a promotion that had lost their biggest star in Ric Flair just the year before. Williams and Gordy taking on The Steiner’s was a marquee matchup and, considering the talent involved, was guaranteed to provide high quality matches. It was this series that introduced me to Doc and Gordy and led me to find some of their Japanese matches on tape a few years later. They dominated the Triple Crown tag team circuit in Japan for a good while before finally going their separate ways. While Terry Gordy is Doc’s best-known partner, he’s in no way the only successful partner Williams had. Williams formed a team with Ted DiBiase long before DiBiase became the Million Dollar Man, and the two men had a reputation for being roughnecks and bruisers much like the Miracle Violence Connection. In addition to bruising teams with Gordy, DiBiase, Gary Albright, and Vader, Williams was a part of Kevin Sullivan’s Varsity Club in the late 80’s. Williams frequently teamed with Mike Rotundo, and the duo was able to dethrone the Road Warriors for the NWA World Tag Team Championships. Williams and Rotundo would reunite in 2000 to win the World Tag League tournament. For achieving dominance with multiple partners on two continents over a period of more than a decade, Dr. Death lands near the top of tag team greats.

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Mitsuharu Misawa size=6>



Before there was the Smackdown Six, there was the Famous Five. All Japan featured Mitsuharu Misawa, Kenta Kobashi, Toshiaki Kawada, Jun Akiyama, and Akira Taue – all either firmly in their primes or just beginning it. For comparison, this would be the equivalent of one promotion managing to get Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Steve Austin, The Rock, and Shawn Michaels while in their primes in North America. That’s not an exaggeration and may actually be understating the matter. Virtually any combination of the Famous Five could be counted on for a five star match on any given night. While Misawa’s singles feuds with Kawada and Kobashi are the stuff of legend, he dominated the tag ranks as well. His team with Kobashi may well be the greatest Japanese team of all time, and it’s only a small part of his resume. His team with the lesser known (in America) but very talented Yoshinari Ogawa in the early 2000’s showed that Misawa didn’t need a superstar partner to be successful. Perhaps the most intriguing partner Misawa had was Keiji Mutoh. The duo combined for a special dream match, defeating Hiroshi Hase and Kensuke Sasaki. Misawa’s ability to team with superstars, legends, and those lower on the card than him and enjoy success through the years makes him the highest rated Japanese star on the list.

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“Beautiful” Bobby Eaton size=6>



The list of championship wins for Bobby Eaton may not be as long as some of the other resumes you’ll see on this list. However, nobody that ranks below “Beautiful” Bobby can say they’ve been a part of more great teams or more great tag team matches than he has. Eaton was the lynchpin of the Midnight Express, handling the aerial duties on the double team maneuvers that set the Midnights apart from everyone else in the sport during the mid 80’s. Eaton and Condrey were regarded as one of the best teams in the sport, with fans clamoring for dream matchups with the British Bulldogs and the Hart Foundation, when Condrey went AWOL and a replacement was needed. Stan Lane took over the spot and the team actually got better. To hear Cornette tell the story, Eaton and Lane clicked perfectly in their first match out, a match that Lane was filling in on with no intention of being a permanent part of the team. The rest, as they say, is history. After the Midnight Express dissolved, Eaton could have easily been lost in the shuffle. Instead, he formed a partnership with Arn Anderson in the Dangerous Alliance, and later joined William Regal in the Blue Bloods in what can only be described as a wrestling purist’s dream team. Even though the team never won tag team gold in WCW, they were a joy to watch and simply solidified Eaton’s resume as one of the all time great tag team specialists.

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Arn Anderson size=6>



Throughout the 1980’s and the first half of the 1990’s, there was a very simple recipe in the NWA. If a guy didn’t have anything to do, let him either team or feud with Arn Anderson. Arn was directly or indirectly responsible for getting a ton of people over in the 80’s through various means. Whether it was helping the Horsemen run, beating up the Rock N Roll Express, beating up Sting, reforming the Horsemen, giving The Dangerous Alliance credibility, or just mauling people, Arn Anderson was as reliable of a hand as you could ever hope to find. Arn was no slouch in singles competition, capturing several NWA Television Titles when the belt had a great deal of prestige, and feuding with Dusty Rhodes, Sting, and others. Arn was at his absolute best in tag team action, though. The tradition started when he was a part of the Minnesota Wrecking Crew with his “uncle” Ole Anderson. The duo quickly won the National Tag Team Titles before eventually becoming part of the Horsemen. In the Horsemen, Arn found a natural teammate in Tully Blanchard. The two men had styles that meshed perfectly and they became one of the first teams to capture both the NWA and WWF World Tag Team Championships. Personal issues derailed Tully’s career, but for Arn, finding a new tag team partner was as easy as changing a tire on a car – plug in a new one and keep on rolling. Anderson formed a team with Larry Zbyszko called “The Enforcers”, and the two no-nonsense veterans captured gold. His next partner would be Bobby Eaton, as the two men combined half of two of the best teams of the 80’s to form what many considered to be a dream team in the Dangerous Alliance. Again, Arn captured tag team gold. His final reign would come while teaming with 411 comment section favorite Paul Roma. In addition to the teams that Arn captured gold with, he was also a part of occasional teamings with friend and fellow Horsemen member Ric Flair, Barry Windham, and Terry Funk, with each pairing producing solid matches against a variety of competition. Picking your favorite Arn Anderson tag team is like being a parent and trying to pick your favorite kid. It’s almost impossible. For unparalleled success with a wide variety of tag team partners through the years, as well as the model of consistent excellence, Arn Anderson takes the top spot in our list of tag team specialists.

That’s my list. As mentioned above, I agonized for a long time on the order that these guys appeared in. I won’t take offense to anybody that disagrees with the order or has suggestions for anybody that I may have overlooked. If you do feel there were any omissions, feel free to make your lists below. These lists are always subjective and I love reading other people’s reasoning’s for certain entries they feel should be higher or lower. I’ve pretty well got next week’s topic in mind, but feel free to make suggestions below. You may change my mind. Next week will be my final week filling in, then Michael will be back in the saddle to count things down with you.

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