Top 10 WCW/NWA Tag Teams

With the WWE and other websites making their top 10 list the Ring Time crew decided to share one of ours. We decided to give love to the tag team division of WCW. One of the deepest and talented tag team divisions in wrestling history.

Criteria

The way we choose this list was first we judged these teams strictly on their time in NWA/ WCW. Unlike the WWF our selections do extend to the Jim Crockett era of the promotion. Our era extends from 1975 until the close of the company in 2001. So the Hardyz and Dudleyz will not be on the list. We factored in total title reigns, longevity of title reigns and overall contribution to the sport.

10. Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood

With a total of 6 title reigns we kick off our list.  This team was a staple of the Crockett territory of the early 1980s. Know for major feuds with legendary teams like The Brisco Brothers and the team of Sgt. Slaughter and Don Kernodle.   This team is one of the vehicles that really launched the hall of fame career of Steamboat.  Major fan favorites in the Crockett territory were early stars as the company was getting larger on the TBS network.

9. Minnesota Wrecking Crew

From 1969 to 1981 Ole and Gene Anderson were known as the Minnesota Wrecking Crew. The original tag team champions of the promotion starting in 1975. Ole replaced Lars Anderson as a member of the legendary tag team. The combo of Ole and Gene won 8 tag team titles throughout their run. This team is significant because it is the forerunner to the Four Horsemen. Without the success of Ole and Gene there would have been no Ole and Arn. Also Ric Flair was billed as a cousin of the Andersons to help give him a push in territories that the Andersons were already popular.

Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were not only dominant but were start of a wrestling revolution. They were the catalyst that helped take the Monday Night Wars to the next level. With 6 tag team championships in WCW they are on of the most successful teams of all time.

Only together for a short time the innovative team of Brian Pillman and Stunning Steve Austin made major waves in WCW. The name Hollywood Blondes has been used by several tag teams in the business like The original “Blonds” were Buddy Roberts and Jerry Brown in the 1970s or Ted Oates and Rip Rogers in the 1980s. The name is most associated with Pillman and Austin. They may have only had 2 title runs but their time as a team they made a big impact on WCW/NWA. Their feud with Shane Douglas and Ricky Steamboat was one of the best the company has ever had. They are also one of the few teams where both members went on to become stars after their time together.

We grouped these two teams together because without one you don’t have the other. The Midnight Express and The Rock N Roll Express rivalry can be argued as one of the greatest tag team rivalries ever. No matter the organization or time both of these team were going after each other and the belts.

The team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed was one of the staples of the late eighties and early 1990’s tag team scene. Their feuds with the Steiners and Road Warriors were major in WCW. Doom was one of the few teams that were not physically intimidated by the Road Warriors. They hold the record for the longest title reign in company’s history of 282 days.

Arn and Tully maybe the most cerebral team on the list. Also known as the Horsemen these two made sure the tradition of the Horsemen holding tag team gold stayed alive. Having arguably one of the greatest tag team wrestlers of all time in Arn Anderson this team found a way to beat everybody. They didn’t let their size disadvantage stop them against the Road Warriors and didn’t get beat to death with the speed of the Rock N Roll Express. Their win at all cost attitude brought them pretty high up on this list.  

We understand that the Road Warriors were probably a lot of fans number 1 pick but the committee at Ring Time Pro Wrestling saw them as a 3. We do understand that this team maybe the most identified with tag team wrestling of their era but they were mostly 3-5 minute guys. We respect their dominance and think that they are one greatest of all time.

Every possible tag team title a team can win these two brothers from Michigan had them. Rick and Scott has the rare combination of power and technical wrestling ability. They have beaten almost every team on this list. Winning 10 World Tag Team and United States championships. They even won the IWGP titles once while they were in WCW.

What more can we say but 10 time WCW tag team champions. The most world title reigns of any tag team in the history of WCW. This team has taken on every team in their era and some from the previous era of tag team wrestling.  No matter who the manager was in the corner Booker and Stevie Ray handled business. They were the Pro Wrestling Illustrated tag team of the year both in 1995 and 1996.