May is Tag Team Appreciation Month, with more than 100 unique articles and columns on the unique art of tag team wrestling. Today, we focus on WWE's various tag team champions, a tradition that goes back nearly 60 years.
To be very clear... this look is listing at how various teams performed WHILE they were tag team champions. So no matter what you think of, say, The Road Warriors or D-Generation X as a team, this is based on when they were tag champions in WWE. This includes the following championships:
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NXT Tag Team Championship
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NXT UK Tag Team Championship
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NXT Womens Tag Team Championship
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Raw Tag Team Championship
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SmackDown Tag Team Championship
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WCW World Tag Team Championship (while under WWE ownership in 2001)
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World Tag Team Championship
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WWE Tag Team Championship
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WWE Womens Tag Team Championship
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WWF International Tag Team Championship
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WWF Tag Team Championship
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WWF Womens Tag Team Championship
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WWWF United States Tag Team Championship
In compiling a list of the Top 50 WWE Tag Team Champions, we looked at the following criteria:
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How closely is their career associated with the relevant tag team championship in WWE?
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Did the team win tag team gold multiple times?
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Did the team have multiple runs with the gold (or different kinds of tag team gold in WWE)?
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What kind of competition did they defend the belt against?
If you'd like to be a part of this conversation, Tweet us at @canadianbulldog using the hashtag #Top50, or leave a comment below.
Ready? Here we go!
50.
The Colons
The Colons (Carlito and Primo) were the first team to unify the WWE Tag Team Championship and the World Tag Team Championship in 2008, successfully capturing both belts on the pre-show of WrestleMania XXV. Their reign lasted roughly three months, paving the way for the duo of Primo and Epico Colon.
48.
Damage CTRL
Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Iyo SKY and Bayley) have captured the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship twice in the first year of their existence. The team (typically Kai and SKY) defended against teams including Alexa Bliss and Asuka and Becky Lynch and Lita.
46.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
While Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have been teaming on and off for nearly 20 years, they only recently competed for tag team gold in WWE. At WrestleMania XXXIX, they defeated The Usos to win the Undisputed Tag Team Championship.
44.
Rick Martel and Tony Garea
Rick Martel and WWE Hall of Famer Tony Garea defeated The Wild Samoans to win the WWWF Tag Team Championship in 1980, holding the gold for about four months. They later regained the belts from The Moondogs the following summer.
42.
The Quebecers
The Quebecers (Jacques and Pierre) were the spiritual successors to Jacques' Mountie persona, capturing the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1993 and defending the belts against The Steiner Brothers, Men On A Mission, The Headshrinkers and Bret & Owen Hart.
40.
John Morrison and The Miz
John Morrison and The Miz first captured the WWE Tag Team Championship in 2007, defeating Matt Hardy and MVP. In 2008, they became World Tag Team Champions. They wouldn't hold tag team gold again until February of 2020.
38.
The Bludgeon Brothers
The Bludgeon Brothers (Luke Harper and Erick Rowan) first began teaming up while as part of The Wyatt Family, capturing the NXT Tag Team Championship in 2013. They were later rechristened The Bludgeon Brothers and won the SmackDown Tag Team titles at WrestleMania XXXIV.
36.
Team Angle
Team Angle (Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin, also known as The World's Greatest Tag Team), captured the WWE Tag Team Championship twice in 2003, battling the top teams on SmackDown at the time, including Los Guerreros, The APA and Chris Benoit & Rhyno.
34.
The Dream Team
The Dream Team (WWE Hall of Famers Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) captured the WWF Tag Team Championship from Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo in 1985, holding on to the gold until WrestleMania II, where they lost to The British Bulldogs.
32.
Adrian Adonis & Dick Murdoch
Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch (no relation to Trevor), captured the WWWF Tag Team Championship in 1984, holding the belts for about nine months before dropping them to Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo.
30.
The Brain Busters
The Brain Busters (WWE Hall of Famers Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) came in to the WWF as an offshoot of their Four Horsemen team. They captured the tag team titles in 1989 from Demolition, who had completed a record-setting title reign.
28.
The Undisputed Era
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong) held the NXT Tag Team Championship three times between 2017 and 2019, defending the gold in various incarnations - most notably as Fish and O'Reilly.
26.
The Street Profits
The Street Profits (Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins) have held the NXT Tag Team Championship, the Raw Tag Team Championship and the SmackDown Tag Team Championship (the latter of which they "traded" for with The New Day.)
24.
MNM
MNM (Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro, managed by Melina) captured the WWE Tag Team Championship three times in 2005, taking on teams including Paul London & Brian Kendrick and Batista & Rey Mysterio.
22.
The Shield
The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns) held the WWE/Raw Tag Team Championship three times under various incarnations. Technically speaking, the final reign as Ambrose and Rollins wasn't initially as The Shield...
20.
The Boss 'n' Hug Connection
The Boss 'n' Hug Connection (Bayley and Sasha Banks) were the first WWE Womens Tag Team Champions, winning an Elimination Chamber match in 2018. They regained the gold about a year later.
18.
Owen Hart & Yokozuna
Owen Hart and WWE Hall of Famer Yokozuna defeated the aforementioned Smoking Gunns to win the WWF Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania XI. They would go on to successfully hold the belts for almost six months.... and then held them again for one additional day.
16.
Team Hell No
Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and WWE Hall of Famer Kane) began teaming in 2012 while undergoing anger management classes together. While they couldn't agree on much, they nonetheless held the WWE Tag Team Championship for 245 days.
14.
The British Bulldogs
The British Bulldogs (The Dynamite Kid and WWE Hall of Famer Davey Boy Smith) captured the WWF Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania II and held the belts for almost a year, battling against the likes of The Hart Foundation.
12.
Los Guerreros
Los Guerreros (Chavo Guerrero and WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero) captured the WWE Tag Team Championship twice between 2002 and 2003, and were a key part of the famed "SmackDown Six" at the time.
10.
The Wild Samoans
The Wild Samoans (WWE Hall of Famers Afa and Sika) held the WWWF Tag Team Championship three times between 1980 and 1983, taking on the top teams of the era, including The Strongbows, Bob Backlund & Pedro Morales and The Soul Patrol.
8.
The Hardy Boyz
The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) held the WWF/World Tag Team Championship six times, in addition to one run each with the Raw, SmackDown, and WCW Tag Team Championships. They battled everyone from Edge & Christian to The APA along the way.
6.
The Hart Foundation
The Hart Foundation (WWE Hall of Famers Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) held the WWF Tag Team Championship twice between 1987 and 1991. They feuded with The British Bulldogs, The Killer Bees, Demolition, The Nasty Boys and others.
4.
Edge & Christian
WWE Hall of Famer Edge, along with childhood friend Christian, captured the WWF Tag Team Championship seven times between 2000 and 2001. Those reigns included iconic TLC and ladder matches with the likes of The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz.
2.
Demolition
Demolition (Ax and Smash and towards the end, Crush) held the WWF Tag Team Championship three times between 1988 and 1990, with their combined reigns lasting nearly two years. Along the way, they faced teams including The Legion Of Doom, The Powers Of Pain, The Twin Towers and The Brain Busters.
49.
Deuce & Domino
Deuce & Domino debuted on WWE's main roster in 2007 and soon defeated the team of Paul London & Brian Kendrick to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. While their reign wasn't long, one title defense they had was against Sgt. Slaughter and Deuce's father, Superfly Jimmy Snuka.
47.
La Resistance
La Resistance (Sylvain Grenier, Rene Dupree and Rob Conway) held the World Tag Team Championship four times between 2003 and 2005 in various incarnations. While their quality of opponents wasn't great, the trio became a dominant force on Raw.
45.
Billy and Chuck
Billy and Chuck, consisting of Chuck Palumbo and WWE Hall of Famer Billy Gunn, captured the WWF Tag Team Championship in 2002 and held the gold twice. In the midst of their first run, the titles were renamed the WWE Tag Team Championship.
43.
The Revival
Before they left WWE in 2020 to become FTR, The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) were the first triple crown tag team champions in WWE history, capturing gold on Raw, SmackDown and NXT between 2015 and 2020. They also briefly co-hold the 24/7 Championship.
41.
Jeri-Show
Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho and The Big Show) debuted in 2009 as a team, with the duo already holding the WWE and World Tag Team Championships due to the injury of Jericho's partner Edge. Jeri-Show would go on to have a main event level feud with D-Generation X.
39.
Strike Force
Strike Force (Rick Martel and WWE Hall of Famer Tito Santana) first teamed in the AWA in the early 1980s, but captured the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1987 from The Hart Foundation. The duo held the gold until WrestleMania IV, dropping the belts to Demoltion.
37.
The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff
WWE Hall of Famers The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff came into their own as a duo at the first WrestleMania, defeating Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo to win the WWF Tag Team Championship, holding the belts for about two months.
35.
The Jumping Bomb Angels
The Jumping Bomb Angels (Norito Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki) entered the WWF in 1987, defeating The Glamour Girls for the WWF Womens Tag Team Championship and even co-won a match at that year's Survivor Series PPV.
33.
Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch were a constant in WWE's tag team scene in the mid-2000s. They captured the World Tag Team Championship three times between 2005 and 2007, battling duos such as The Hardy Boyz and Cryme Tyme.
31.
The Nasty Boys
The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags) debuted in the WWF in late-1990 and captured the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Hart Foundation at WrestleMania XVII. They held the gold until that year's SummerSlam, losing to The Legion Of Doom.
29.
The Bar
The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) began teaming following a series of matches against each other, which culminated in them winning four Raw Tag Team Championships and one SmackDown Tag Team Championship from 2016-2019.
27.
The Steiner Brothers
WWE Hall of Famers The Steiner Brothers (Rick and Scott Steiner) came to the WWF in early 1993 and by that summer, defeated Money Inc. to capture the WWF Tag Team Championship. They held gold twice before losing to The Quebecers.
25.
Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito
WWE Hall of Famer Mr. Fuji, along with partner Mr. Saito, captured the WWF World Tag Team Championship twice between 1981 and 1982, trading the titles back and forth with Jay and Jules Strongbow.
23.
Money Inc.
Money Inc. (Irwin R. Shyster and WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase) captured the WWF Tag Team Championship three times between 1992 and 1993, defending against The Natural Disasters, The Legion Of Doom and other duos.
21.
The Smoking Gunns
The Smoking Gunns (Bart Gunn and WWE Hall of Famer Billy Gunn) captured the WWF Tag Team Championship three times between 1995 and 1996, taking on duo such as The Bodydonnas, The Godwinns and The Headshrinkers.
19.
Paul London and Brian Kendrick
Paul London and Brian Kendrick began teaming while training under Shawn Michaels. They captured the WWE Tag Team Championship from MNM in 2006 and held on on the titles for almost a year.
17.
Owen Hart & The British Bulldog
Owen Hart and WWE Hall of Famer The Britsh Bulldog (no relation) defeated the aforementioned Smoking Gunns to win the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1996 and would go on to successfully hold the belts for almost nine months.
15.
RK-Bro
RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) began teaming in 2021, with every appearance that their would be a short-term pairing of mismatched partners. They would go on to capture the Raw Tag Team Championship twice, while refreshing the tag team division on Raw with their zany antics.
13.
The Valiant Brothers
The Valiant Brothers (WWE Hall of Famers Johnny and Jimmy Valiant) held the WWWF Tag Team Championship for over a year between 1973 and 1974. Of note, Jerry and Johnny Valiant held the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1979.
11.
The Legion Of Doom
The Legion Of Doom (WWE Hall of Famers Hawk and Animal) captured the WWF Tag Team Titles only twice between 1992 and 1997, despite their status as one of the greatest tag teams in wrestling history.
9.
The New Age Outlaws
Oh, you didn't know? The New Age Outlaws (WWE Hall of Famers Road Dogg and Billy Gunn) have held the WWF Tag Team Championship five times between 1997 and 2000, and the WWE Team Championship once upon their return to the company in 2014.
7.
The Dudley Boyz
The Dudley Boyz (WWE Hall of Famers Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley) held the WWF/World Tag Team Championship a record eight times between 2000 and 2003, as well as one reign with both the WWE Tag Team Championship and WCW Tag Team Championship.
5.
Mr. Fuji & Professor Tanaka
WWE Hall of Famers Mr. Fuji and Professor Tanaka held the WWF Tag Team Championship three times between 1972 and 1978, with their combined reigns lasting more than a year and a half.
3.
The New Day
The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods) have held the SmackDown Tag Team Championship seven times, the Raw Tag Team Championship four times and the NXT Tag Team Championship. This includes a 483-day Raw title reign between 2015 and 2016.
1.
The Usos
The Usos (Jey and Jimmy Uso) have captured the Raw Tag Team Championship three times and the SmackDown Tag Team Championship five times between 2013 and 2022. Over that period, they've battled everyone from The New Day to The New Age Outlaws and held tag team gold for a record-setting 622 days straight. They the Ones!