EDGE & CHRISTIAN
1995-2001
WWF Tag Team Championship (seven times)
Written by Canadian Bulldog
Whenever debates over the greatest tag team of all time are discussed, one duo that routinely seems to get the short shrift are Edge & Christian. And yet, there are many reasons that these two Canadian "brothers" deserve to be in the conversation.
Championship success would be one primary reason. The duo held tag team gold in the World Wrestling Federation seven times together during a three-year period. To put that statistic in perspective, only Matt & Jeff Hardy and The Dudley Boyz have managed to top that accomplishment with one reign more each -- and that's over several era during the past 20 years! The New Age Outlaws, The Bar, The New Day and The Usos have come close, but none managed to top E & C.
As lifelong friends who began their run together in an Orangeville, Ontario grade school, Edge and Christian's careers have always been intertwined.
Even in the promo above from 1995... while The Suicide Blondes had a bit of work to do still on the stick, you could tell their comfort level and natural chemistry would come shining through.
Sure enough, when Edge debuted in the WWF in 1998 as an emo-like enigma, Christian wasn't far behind. Initially cast as his evil goth brother, the two quickly put their differences aside and formed a trio with Gangrel known as The Brood.
Beyond their ultra-catchy Depeche Mode-ish entrance theme, The Brood quickly became a fairly big deal in the WWF, even joining forces with The Undertaker in his Ministry of Darkness faction.
It wasn't until Edge & Christian split from The Undertaker that they went from curiousities to top competitors. A series of matches with fellow young lions Matt & Jeff Hardy led to the first-ever tag team ladder match in 1999. The following year, The Dudley Boyz were added to the mix, leading to an iconic series of matches that spanned from WrestleMania 2000 to WrestleMania X-7 one year later.
Not only were Edge & Christian established as top flight competitors after this series, but they also came into their own as sarcastic, cocky wise guys who weren't afraid to break the fourth wall to get a laugh out of the audience. Between teaming with Kurt Angle as Team ECK, their ability to play the kazoo like no one's business, and -- for those with the benefit of flash photography -- their patented five-second pose, Edge & Christian expertly blended comedy with physicality.
The inevitable break-up of Edge & Christian took place in their adopted hometown (and mine) of Toronto, during the middle of the InVasion angle. While the split had been teased over several months, the brutal ending to a classic team felt painful to those who had been following their ups and downs for many years as they went from brothers to best friends.
After their less than perfect feud, Edge & Christian did team up a handful of times while both being heels. And after Edge was forced to retire due to injury and give up the World Championship, he remained in the corner of Christian, who carried on his friend's legacy.
Even in recent years, E & C were still joined at the hip. Between their criminally-underrated WWE Network series The Edge & Christian Show That Totally Reeks Of Awesomeness and their E&C Pod of Awesomeness podcast, these two demonstrated the sharp tongues and wit that brought them to the dance, while still having the finger on the pulse of the average wrestling fan.
In early 2021, Edge & Christian had a surprising reunion in the Royal Rumble, before Edge won and made his way to the main event of WrestleMania, while Christian signed with AEW.
A duo that is still going strong some 25 years after they first began teaming up on the indies? They've got my vote for one of the greatest all-time tag teams!