Tag team wrestling used to be one of the top draws in the entire industry. In its heyday, every promotion under the sun seemingly had a plethora of popular teams at their disposal. The feuds were great, and the matches always entertaining. While there were quite a few duos who were based upon speed, and high-flying maneuvers, there were also many who qualified as super-heavyweights. These gargantuan tandems always provided a nice contrast, and some of them will go down as elite tag teams of their era.
Indeed, super-heavyweights were always an important part of singles wrestling, and were featured prominently on any given card. But there was an added intrigue of pairing them up as a tag team. Together, they would often seem larger than life, and it created quite a spectacle for fans everywhere. There have been some pretty notable names in this regard, so let's take a look at some of the structurally massive tag teams that have roamed the squared circle over the years. Some of the true all-time greats are featured in this category, and have contributed to some legendary matches.
Ranked below are the top 15 heaviest tag teams of all-time.
15 15. The Twin Towers
A staple of the late-80s in WWE, the Towers were comprised of The Big Bossman and Akeem "The African Dream," formerly known as the One Man Gang. For a team that was clearly slotted in the mid-card, with little chance of moving into the main event realm, they were pretty entertaining. They never held the Tag Titles, but they were still noteworthy in the end.
It was an odd pairing for sure, but they were decent workers, and watching them squash tag teams that were roughly half their size (like The Rockers at WrestleMania VI), was consistently entertaining. They won't go down as one of the all-time best, and both of them had better results in their singles career, but this was a tandem that definitely worked for the time period.
14 14. The Authors Of Pain
The current NXT champs, the Authors Of Pain are one of the most promising young teams coming up in the WWE ranks right now. They're a massive combination, and since bursting onto the scene last year, they've been atop the NXT ranks in just about every way since winning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2016.
If they stay on this pace, there's little question that they'll wind up as one of the best heavyweight tag teams in WWE history. Managed by Paul Ellerling, they have the image and look of a team that could stick around for the long haul. Time will tell if that comes to fruition, but they're well on their way to being one of the top teams in the entire industry. They should keep dominating the tag circuit for the rest of 2017.
13 13. Brothers Of Destruction
The result of the ongoing storyline of The Undertaker and Kane as brothers in the late-90s, the formation of this team was absolutely the talk of the town in the wrestling world at the time. Two of the most physically dominant wrestlers of all-time in the same team was a revelation, and the characters of both synced up perfectly with one another, since the "brother" storyline was so well-developed.
They captured several tag titles, and had several brief reunions over the years, but nothing would compare to their initial run. Kane and The Undertaker are two hallmark talents of their era, and the combination wreaked havoc on WWE instantaneously. They were giants of their time, and are still one of the most entertaining tandems of The Attitude Era.
12 12. The Godwinns
They may have just missed out on The Attitude Era before it really got going in full, but The Godwinns are still one of the most memorable WWE teams from the 90s. While they could display some decent athleticism every so often, they were still unquestionably a heavyweight team, who could dish out power moves with the best of mainstream tag team wrestling at the time. It was against the odds for a team comprised of gimmicked hog farmers from Arkansas to work out, but somehow it did.
The Godwinns actually remained relevant for a longer period of time than was expected of them, turning in a nice resume of work by the end. Whatever they may have lacked from the technical aspect of wrestling, they made up for in entertainment. An underrated pick for one of the best power teams of the '90s, especially in WWE.
11 11. Yokozuna & Owen Hart
Obviously, Yokozuna is the reason this one is on the ranking, but they were actually a legitimate team in the mid-'90s, regardless of how odd the pairing was. By the time this team was taking place, Yokozuna was heavier than he had ever been in his wrestling career, and the disparity between him and the much lighter, more athletic Hart was quite the sight to behold.
They didn't set the world on fire, but they did capture a couple of tag belts during their course as a duo. Both wrestlers were pretty well established by the time they became a team, so they didn't have to work as hard at getting the concept over. This would be the last time Yokozuna would be a consistent presence in WWE, as he would unfortunately pass away just a few short years later.
10 10. The Nasty Boys
The Nastys are one of the most storied tag teams of their era. They were also one of the largest for a team that ever found success in multiple promotions. Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags seemed to find a little bit of success just about everywhere they went, most notably WCW and WWE. They were immediately pumped to the top of the tag division, in just about any situation.
They weren't a mammoth team of super-heavyweights, but they were a big-man team undoubtedly, and they wrestled that way as well. Technical wrestling went out the door with the Nastys, and they were able to power their way through most tag divisions of the time period in the '90s. All things considered, they're one of the most decorated teams of the decade.
9 9. The Wild Samoans
An absolutely crazy team for the time in the '70s and '80s, the Samoans had a wildly entertaining gimmick, and were one of the most exciting tandems of the time. They packed a massive punch, weighing in at a combined 650 pounds during their heyday. Of course, they're best known for their time in WWE, managed by Captain Lou Albano.
They were the constructors of chaos in the ring, and overall there are few teams from that time period more memorable than they were. Certainly an influence on teams that came after them, The Samoans were an important part of WWE history, and their family lineage is impressive to say the least. There were few teams more over than they were in their heyday.
8 8. The Skyscrapers
They weren't around for very long, but Dan Spivey and Sid Vicious (later joined by "Mean" Mark Callous, also later known as The Undertaker) made for a fearsome tandem that could have taken the wrestling world by storm. Unfortunately, WCW was in the pits booking-wise at the time, and there just weren't enough good decisions made for the team to find consistent success.
They did have a notable feud with The Road Warriors, and one of the better ones in WCW at the time, but it never elevated The Skyscrapers any further. The team would break up after about a year, with Vicious and Callous making waves in WWE just a short time later. Perhaps it was better for their solo careers, but The Skyscrapers were a massive heavyweight team that had a chance to be much, much more successful.
7 7. Men On A Mission
There was no doubt that any time Mabel and Mo, a.k.a. Men On A Mission, entered a WWE ring, it was going to be an earth-shaking experience. They simply looked massive when compared to most of the other teams at the time, as they weighed in at a monstrous combined weight of almost 800 pounds.
Granted, they weren't great in the ring, and never captured the tag belts in WWE. They weren't what you would call an "all-time great" tag team either. But their entrance combined with their look, and overall gimmick made them one of the more fun teams of the era. Mabel would go on to a long career in WWE as Viscera and Big Daddy V, while Mo split from the company in 1996. They were definitely a fun team from the '90s that are often forgotten about.
6 6. Public Enemy
They were one of the hallmark tag teams from the early days of ECW, and eventually moved on to WCW, where they found less success. Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock were a memorable tandem, and proved that heavyweight wrestlers were capable of wrestling in the hardcore style. They had plenty of memorable matches and individual moments in ECW, and were definitely two of the names that put the company on the map.
While they never did get the chance they deserved in any mainstream promotion, they're still one of the best tag teams of the '90s, all things considered. Grunge and Rock could brawl with the best of them, and had a personality about them that defined the era, and made the product fun to watch. Sadly, both of them passed away in the 2000s.
5 5. Big Show & Kane
There haven't been many teams in history that had a larger total combined weight than these guys. While Kane's alliance with The Undertaker may have been more iconic, it was probably less dominant than was his partnership with Big Show. Both wrestlers were at the top of their game when they formed the team in 2001, and that carried through for most of the decade.
We simply don't usually see pairings like this where both wrestlers are renowned names, and are as dominant in the ring. The pairing of Big Show and Kane was typical of an era where wrestling was always on top, and two gargantuan giants who were also great workers could be on the same tag team. They were a memorable team to say the least.
4 4. The Colossal Connection
Many people may not recall, but Andre the Giant was last involved in the WWE tag team scene before he called it quits with the company. He was paired up with Haku, no small man in his own right, although he looked dwarfed next to Andre. They challenged for the tag titles, but Andre was really on his last legs as a wrestler. Bobby Heenan was manager of the team, and perhaps they're most remembered for Andre attacking Heenan at WrestleMania VI, after Heenan slapped him in the face, effectively turning Andre back into a face.
It wasn't the most memorable portion of Andre's career, but the team was still interesting to watch, and Haku would go on to a long successful career in the business as well. The team would disband just after 'Mania VI, and Andre would only wrestle sporadically for a few more years, passing away in 1993.
3 3. Mark Henry & Big Daddy V
In terms of sheer mass, Henry and Viscera (who was under his Big Daddy V character at the time) were a sight to behold in the squared circle. Both men easily combined for around 900 pounds, and simply looked like giants next to their competition, more often than not. It was definitely a mid-card team, but one that was entertaining in the moment, which is all they really wanted to accomplish.
Both men were veterans of WWE at the time, so it helped that they were recognizable faces. Even if they weren't, it would have been hard not to marvel at the mammoth size of them. Both were massive human beings, and a worthwhile spectacle for the time.
2 2. The Natural Disasters
Comprised of Earthquake and Typhoon, the Disasters were a hallmark team of the early-'90s, and at the time, probably the largest team in the industry, weighing in at nearly a combined 900 pounds. They had a drawn-out feud with Money Inc., as well as the Legion of Doom, which put them on the map as a team in the WWE landscape of the time. They were granted one run with the tag straps, and after that never got a shot at another title reign.
Both men would attempt solo careers in other promotions, and John Tenta (Earthquake) even returned during the late-'90s as one of The Oddities, although that was more a comedic gimmick than anything else. For a couple of years though, this super-heavyweight team was on top of the WWE tag division, and were probably more popular than anybody thought they would be going into the gimmick.
1 1. Haystacks Calhoun & Mountain Man Mike
Two wrestlers that are the definition of "legends in their time," Calhoun and Mike weren't mainstream entities (although Calhoun would later wrestle briefly in WWE), as they began in the territorial days of the wrestling business. With a combined weight of well over 1,000 pounds, they were one of the most popular territorial attractions of the day. They were nothing short of a massive duo, and most likely the physically biggest tag team to ever step in a ring. 'They definitely were not the most successful, or one that could constantly put on 5-star matches, but as a spectacle they were almost unmatched.
Both of them, especially Calhoun, were legitimate wrestlers, though. They performed in plenty of different territories, and captured gold in many of them. While they would wrestler effectively in singles matches as well, as a tag team they were an attraction you couldn't find anywhere else.