A mainstay of the wrestling business for decades on end at this point, the tag team division is a major part of almost all wrestling companies and the WWE is no exception. Don’t get us wrong, we know that at times the company seems to focus on this group of talents and other times largely ignore it, but they always employ many performers that compete in the division. Tag team wrestling is a great idea, as it creates matches that are presented differently, and these teams add some variety to their television product. All told, tag teams aren’t going away anytime soon. However, for the talent in question that could be a good or bad thing depending on how well they get along with one another. Realizing this is what inspired us to put together this list of ten former WWE partners you didn’t know hated each other and ten who actually are best friends.
In order for a pair to be up for possible inclusion on this list, they first and foremost need to have been a well-established tag team in the WWE. That means we did not look at tandems that were partners for a single night or were briefly put together for a single storyline in which they had to team despite otherwise feuding with one another. However, we were open to duos that also had success in the singles division or with other partners during their career. What this all means is that Shawn Michaels and John Cena’s short-term partnership was ignored, while The Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection were looked at. Aside from that, there must be a good reason to think that the two people have either hated one another or are the best of friends. It should also be said that we’ve opted to exclude people that are actually blood related (The Usos and The Hardy Boyz, for example) and get along.
22 Friends: The APA
The APA were a pair of men that were well known for their perceived toughness. Bradshaw was seen by many as a bully, whereas Faarooq was quieter and arguably even more intimidating. They were thrust into a tag team together, seemingly out of nowhere, when they were led by The Jackyl for a short time. Next, they went on to be a part of The Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness. Once that faction came to an end, they remained a pair after being repackaged as a protection agency that would save fellow competitors from beatings for a price.
Broken up a couple of times in the early 2000s, their time as a full-time team ended after Faarooq’s retirement.
Bradshaw then became a wealthy bad guy named JBL. That said, those changes didn’t stop them from being a pair in real life. In fact, Ron “Faarooq” Simmons went so far as to say he wanted a brother growing up and now he has one in reference to Bradshaw, which makes sense since he was one of JBL’s groomsmen.
21 Hated: LOD 2005
It was a really incredible moment in wrestling history. In 2005, Road Warrior Animal made a surprise return to the WWE by himself, since his longtime partner Hawk had passed away several years earlier. Animal was quickly given a new partner in Heidenreich, a man that will go down in history for harassing Michael Cole, and it was a real step down for a legendary act. Named LOD 2005 at the time, Heidenreich began sporting makeup, a mohawk, and spikes after they won tag team gold together but their run thankfully came to an end in 2006.
Seen by many as a slap in the face to the Road Warriors legacy, there was also real-life drama between them at the time over a sum of $5,000.
From all accounts, Animal borrowed five grand from his partner and then Heidenreich went to his Animal's brother, WWE executive John Laurinaitis, in order to get the money back. According to Animal, however, almost no time had gone by and he was going to give him the money back soon anyway. Not stopping there, Heidenreich complained about this incident to the media years later due to holding a grudge, and even badmouthed Animal’s real-life son (ex-NFL player James Laurinaitis) which caused a lot of heat.
20 Friends: The World’s Greatest Tag Team
Introduced on WWE television as a part of Team Angle where they served the will of Kurt Angle, Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin then rechristened themselves as The World’s Greatest Tag Team.
Arguably able to live up to that name when it comes to the quality of their matches, they were able to reign as WWE Tag Team Champions on two separate occasions.
Haas and Benjamin were broken up permanently in the WWE when they were both released by the WWE in 2010 two months apart from one another, but they would then reform in Ring of Honor and the independent scene. They are still very close today; when Shelton was asked about Charlie in 2017 he said he is still “my best friend” and then went one step closer by calling him a “brother”.
19 Hated: Billy Kidman & Paul London
This is a case of two wrestlers that seemed to have a lot in common when it came to their mentality as to how to perform in the ring. Billy Kidman & Paul London won the tag team titles in the WWE at one time. Despite all of their success as a pair and the fact that Paul London has spoken of looking up to Billy Kidman for years before he entered the business himself, things quickly fell apart.
According to Paul, this is because he lost all respect for his former partner after Kidman “threw me under the bus to keep himself over with the boys”.
London went further by saying that the WWE as a whole was a “horrible place to work”, and at other times he also said in reference to Billy that he “never liked him” and said he looked like a “fat Scott Baio.”
18 Friends: Tyson Kidd & Cesaro
This is an example of two performers that seemed to be going nowhere on their own and were put together as a result. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro showed what it takes to truly become a team. With both altering their images and characters in order to present a unified front, they even came up with an unofficial team name for themselves in the Masters of the WWE Universe. Sadly, all of that work was for naught, as Kidd’s in-ring career suddenly came to an end after a brutal injury to his neck.
That doesn’t seem to have put an end to their friendship, however, as they continued to play a part in each other’s lives.
More than that, they seemed to hold so much affection for one another that it was even a storyline in the WWE “reality” show Total Divas that Natalya was jealous of how close they are. Their affection for one another becomes even clearer when they talk about one another. For instance, Cesaro was quoted as saying he is “lucky to call Kidd a good friend” and that you “don’t find friends like that very often”.
17 Hated: The Mexicools
In 2005, the WWE introduced The Mexicools, a gimmick those in the company with any idea of how it was perceived would likely want to be forgotten. A trio of incredibly talented Mexican wrestlers that were amazing in the ring, they were turned into a group of laborers who drove to the ring on lawnmowers and referred to people as gringos.
As they were seen as a very racist act by many, they were not able to attain much success in large part, due to how limiting the characters they were given were. That said, we’re guessing their fate wasn’t helped by the tension between two of their members, Juventud Guerrera and Psicosis. These were two men that competed in the WCW Cruiserweight division at the same time as one another for years, and at some point, Psicosis especially had grown to hate Juventud’s egotistical behavior.
16 Friends: Team Lay-Cool
Here's the first female tag team to make this list. When Team Lay-Cool rose to the top of the WWE’s women's division, it was the first time a duo had done that in many years. Layla and Michelle McCool were a pair that in a lot of ways seemed to have little to nothing in common, but this only served to strengthen their act, as they worked off of one another to perfection. They were able to win the WWE Divas Championship while together, and also broke the mold by claiming to both be champions after they “accidentally” broke the belt in half.
Lay-Cool broke up after Michelle McCool was defeated by Layla in a Loser Leaves WWE match, and many felt that it was the end of a pretty entertaining act. With both of them out of the business today, it would make perfect sense if they’d grown apart but according to interviews and photos that doesn’t seem to be the case. Great evidence of how close they were was that Michelle has spoken about how great it was to have her final match with her best friend and how she’ll never forget that.
15 Hated: La Résistance
In this instance of the WWE creating a team of bad guys that were defined by their nationality, the French heritage of La Résistance became the focus. Starting out as a pair made up of Sylvain Grenier and René Duprée, from an onscreen perspective they seemed to be made in villainous heaven. They were able to win the World Tag Team Championship together, and after a while Robert Conway was added to the act. Not long after, Duprée departed.
It seems like the distaste they held for one another behind the scenes may have had a hand in them breaking up so quickly despite having a lot of chemistry.
In the case of Conway, at least in the years since, he has been somewhat diplomatic by addressing how young his partner was in an attempt to excuse some of his behavior. When it comes to René there doesn’t seem to be much forgiveness, as he immediately has bad things to say whenever Sylvain comes up.
14 Friends: The Dudley Boyz
As they were announced to be going into the WWE Hall of Fame the year that this article was written, there is no question that The Dudley Boyz deserve such an accolade. Brought into the company after being red hot during their time in ECW, Bubba Ray and D-Von were a part of some of the most memorable tag team matches in WWE history. Often said to be the most decorated tag team in all of wrestling history, they’ve held titles all over the world, including the WWE where they held belts together ten times.
Bubba and D-Von went on to work together extensively in other promotions once they left the company, and they were able to do this with ease because they’ve remained friends throughout their careers. This is actually pretty amazing considering the reputation that Bubba Ray has had over the years. In fact, when D-Von was asked about their close friendship, he admitted outright that Bubba can be a pr*ck and a jerk but that doesn’t come between them.
13 Hated: Rocky Johnson & Tony Atlas
A pair of WWE Hall of Famers that will forever go down in history together, Rocky Johnson & Tony Atlas came to prominence in the wrestling business at a time when the odds were against them. They were a popular pair that competed during a time where many walls were still up, but they broke ground when they became the first black WWE Tag Team Champions.
Embraced by fans around the world, they should have continued to have huge success together but they were not able to get along with one another.
According to Rocky, Tony was suffering from drug addiction at the time and began missing shows, causing arguments between them that caused their breakup. Meanwhile, Tony claims that Rocky intentionally broke the wrestler's code of honor by ruining his finishing move causing him to quit the team. Either way, they have sniped at one another in the years since whenever asked.
12 Friends: Jeri-Show
Without a doubt, they were a pair of men that will be best remembered for their careers as solo acts. In the case of Chris Jericho and The Big Show, they had amazing chemistry with one another. Absolutely hilarious together, that did not stop them from being able to be treated seriously. They were at one time the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship holders, as they competed against the likes of Triple H and Shawn Michaels and even wrestled in two WWE pay-per-view main events.
Broken up on WWE television likely because they were seen as more valuable separate from one another, they’ve worked for the same company for many years.
Because they were able to spend endless hours together, they’ve been able to build an incredible friendship. In fact, Chris Jericho has called The Big Show one of his friends in the past, which says a lot.
11 Hated: William Regal & Tajiri
William Regal and Tajiri seemed as though they couldn’t have been any more different, as a pair that seemed to fall into the tradition of television odd couples that work for some reason. A prim and proper English gentleman that prided himself on being stodgy and a Japanese wrestler that seemed to relish dishing out pain, they had nothing in common. Still, when they won the World Tag Team Championships together and played off one another on TV, it was immensely entertaining and led to disappointment once they broke up.
This was a pair that had been dissolved for several years, and for the longest time we saw zero reasons to think that in real life they had anything but love for one another. Then William Regal popped up in a random episode of a WWE Network show nobody seems to talk about named WWE Story Time, where wrestlers talk about their lives out of character. Taking the time to reveal what it was like traveling together, at the very beginning of the show, Regal says “I hate him with an absolute passion” in reference to Tajiri. Talk about a heartbreaker.
10 Friends: Shawn Michaels & Triple H
Let's look at the career of Shawn Michaels and the men he had extended runs with as a tag team. Specifically, it is time to remember his tandem with fellow DX member Triple H. The two have been associated with another ever since the '90s, and were founding members of arguably the WWE’s most popular faction of all-time. They were able to find a huge amount of success as singles performers, but their shared history includes several instances of feuding against one another on TV as well.
HBK and HHH were also a part of a well-known backstage group that was never an official team on WWE television (The Kliq), and this crew of guys were the closest of pals behind the scenes.
Continuing to remain close throughout the years, they still have a strong connection today and although their lives are busy they seem to make time for one another. In fact, as far as we know they've only had one extended argument over Shawn’s addiction issues, and once Shawn got clean, all was forgiven.
9 Hated: The Rockers
The Rockers are one of the tag teams that always comes up when discussing the best the WWE’s division in the '80s had to offer, as brought a great deal of energy to the company. However, as great as they were together it seems like their personal issues always held them back from reaching the heights they should have. In fact, even once they broke up with the infamous Barber Shop segment, the ensuing feud came to a premature end because Marty Jannetty’s addiction issues made him incapable of working.
Since then, Shawn Michaels went on to become arguably the best professional wrestler of all-time whereas Marty’s name came to be synonymous with being the less talented member of a team. Some may assume that had a hand in the hatred between them but not so according to Marty. He’s even said that when they broke up, he thought HBK may intentionally have injured him because of the animosity between them. Of course, old anger may have healed, but considering that Marty has a history of writing vulgarity over shots of Shawn when asked to sign photos of them together, that clearly is not the case.
8 Friends: The Divas Of Doom
Now we have another instance of a pair of women that were a defined tag team and briefly stood atop the WWE’s women’s division. Beth Phoenix and Natalya fit together like peanut butter and jelly. They were a couple of women that did not fit the mold of women the company seemed to prefer at the time, as they were hired for what they could do in the ring instead of simply for their looks. Both quite intimidating at first blush, they were known for their immense strength and ability to kick butt with the greatest of ease.
Beth and Nattie are two women that seem to have it all in common, and their passion for the wrestling business was obvious from the beginning.
We’re guessing that is what brought them together in the first place. That also seems to be why they remained close over the years. Beth took a step back from the industry by 2012, and years later, Natalya inducted her good friend into the WWE Hall of Fame. Seen together in the ring for the first time in ages in the 2017 Women’s Royal Rumble, Nattie eliminated her real-life friend and you just know how much that moment likely meant to both of them.
7 Hated: Too Cool
Too Cool was an Attitude Era act that likely brings a smile to most fans from that time. The faction was made up of Rikishi, Scotty 2 Hotty, and Grandmaster Sexay, and as proof positive of how ridiculous they were, their peculiar names tell you just about everything you need to know about this fun-loving team. Teamed together in various lineups from 1998 until 2004, Scotty and the Grandmaster also made a one-time comeback when they wrestled for the NXT Tag Team Championship in 2014 without Rikishi.
Turns out that things aren’t all good in the world of Too Cool as Rikishi no longer sees eye to eye with his former dancing partners, as their friendship seems to have ended.
Rikishi reportedly wants nothing to do with his former running buddies, after they had a falling out over an independent booking that went wrong, In fact, things are so bad between them that when Rikishi was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, he said nothing about Too Cool, which is ridiculous considering how important it was to his career.
6 Friends: Team Hell No
Team Hell No was a tag team that came out of nowhere and briefly was one of the most popular things in wrestling. When Kane and Daniel Bryan came together it was simply magic. Used for comedic fodder when their characters took anger management class together, this led to fans erupting in glee when they hugged or screamed at one another. They were able to win the WWE Tag Team Championship together, and once they began feuding with members of The Shield, a villainous stable at the time, everything came together for them.
The team split on Raw when both announced their intention to go after the WWE Championship, and this led to the Yes Movement, and Daniel becoming one of the most beloved figures in the company. Turns out the love fans had for them as a pair was shared between them in the back as they have one of the least likely friendships we know of. Daniel even wrote extensively about what made them so close in his book and pointed to them both enjoying the absurd nature of their relationship.
5 Hated: The Mega Powers
They were, without a doubt, two of the biggest stars in the history of the wrestling business; when Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage became a tag team known as The Mega Powers, it was a huge moment. They were a part of arguably the best storyline in the history of the WWE, as their run took place before the WWE booked a feud between them that exploded at WrestleMania. They re-teamed again years later once they both became a part of WCW’s roster, and as such, their careers are inexorably linked together.
For the longest time, it seemed abundantly clear that the Macho Man would have hated that fact because of how much he loathed Hulk Hogan.
In fact, things really came to a head when Randy recorded a rap album with lyrics about his hatred for Hogan and then challenged him to a legitimate fight in front of fans. According to Hogan, the two of them became friends once more in the weeks leading up to Savage’s death, but there aren’t any witnesses and Hulk is prone to tall tales, so you’ll excuse us if we’re skeptical.
4 Friends: Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik
A pair of bad guys in the WWE during the height of the Rock 'n' Wrestling era, Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik didn’t seem to have a lot in common other than playing off their nationality. Sheik was a former WWE Champion, and when that run came to an end and he was no longer at the top of the card and needed something new to do, he and Volkoff began teaming up.
As a result, he began teaming with Nikolai Volkoff and they became Tag Team Champions as a pair before retiring years ago. Now seen most often at signings and other events, it seems like their personalities couldn’t be more different as Sheik is potty-mouthed and outrageous while Nikolai is often somewhat quiet. However, something about them works, as Volkoff says Sheik is a “beautiful person” with a “big heart” and the Iron one always compliments his Croatian friend.
3 Hated: The Can-Am Connection
The Can-Am Connection was a tag team that seemed to have all the potential in the world during the mid-80s. The tandem of Rick Martel and Tom Zenk could have had a vaunted place in history. Going on to do battle with the likes of Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine or Kamala and Sika, they competed in the opening match at WrestleMania III.
Not even together for a single year, they were torn apart when Zenk quit the WWE over a pay dispute, and up until his death in 2017 there were hard feelings between him and Martel. Often presenting differing accounts as to why he opted to depart, he claimed that Rick went behind his back to cut personal deals with Vince McMahon. As for Rick, he says Tom ripped off his act and was a pain to deal with behind the scenes, and considering Zenk went on to create enemies in every territory he went to, that seems plausible.