Tag team wrestling has had its ups and downs but still remains a major part of the business. No matter how poor it can be, fans do love seeing a team get paired together and thrive. Sometimes, they’re perfect partners who work together well and do great. Other times, two guys with seemingly nothing in common are tossed together only to become an incredibly good team. WWE has kept it up as RAW, Smackdown and NXT all boast some good teams. Even TNA and ROH have good pairings as well as fans love watching and ranking the teams by their greatness.

Of course, there’s also the flip side; teams that are amazingly bad and often rank as the worst ever. Incredibly, some of these bad teams have actually had runs with the tag titles. This list isn’t for those teams. Instead, it’s for the teams that just were of no real use to the company. Even with some good talents involved, they never clicked as stars, used as nothing but TV fodder and basically ignored. They make no impact and in some cases, aren’t even remembered by fans. WWE has seen a lot of these teams over the years and amazing to see even some big names among their number. Some teams are seemingly thrown together for the amusement of management or as a way to give guys something to do.

Here is the least useful tag team WWE has had every year since 1990 to remind you how tricky making a good tag team can be.

29 1990: Rhythm & Blues

Greg Valentine was a great worker, a tag team and IC champion known for his great stamina (as Gorilla Monsoon said “it takes half an hour for the Hammer to warm up!”). Sadly, in 1990, he was shoved into a tag team with the Honky Tonk Man. Long past his fame as an IC champ, HTM was on his way down the card. Valentine was forced to dye his hair black and put on a sequined jacket as he and Honky did pointless “song and dance” numbers that just came off corny. They never gelled at all in the ring and their matches were a waste. The teams split up quickly and lost in the shuffle to be a low point for the Hammer’s career.

28 1991: Power & Glory

In late 1990, Paul Roma and Hercules were paired together as a promising team. Hercules had the power, Roma the speed and skill and with Slick as their manager, they looked very good. The plan was for them to win the tag titles off The Rockers at WrestleMania. However, The Rockers title win never came off due to various issues. When the Jerry Sags and Brian Knobbs came to WWE, they got the push to become tag champions instead.

Despite the earlier push, Power and Glory just never got anywhere and by the fall they were split up. A shame for a team that had such high hopes but just never got to the top.

27 1992: High Energy (Koko B. Ware & Owen Hart)

Owen Hart always had the potential for stardom but his first forays into WWE weren’t that good. In 1991, he and Jim Neidhart were paired up as the New Foundation, notable for their huge pants and suspenders. Neidhart had to retire for a few years due to nagging back issues so Owen was paired with Koko B. Ware as High Energy. They had potential with their mutual high flying but the ridiculously tacky colored outfits made them look too goofy for fans to get into. They never really got a shot, earning nothing but small TV matches and were split by early 1993. There was no real energy for this team.

26 1993: Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake

In early 1993, Brutus Beefcake was making a return to WWE and was attacked by Money Inc. That led Hulk Hogan to come back to WWE and the Mega-Maniacs got ready to face Money Inc for the titles at Mania. It was a plodding match as not only did the faces lose, but badly by DQ. It only existed to give the excuse for Hogan to be ready to pop into the main event and win the title off of Yokozuna. Thus, it’s not at all hard to talk about how useless this “Mega-Maniacs” team was in the long run for WWE.

25 1994: Bam Bam Bigelow and Tatanka

Bam Bam Bigelow always had the potential to be a big deal in WWE. Skilled enough to fly off the ropes and notable for his bald head tattooed with flames, Bigelow just got some bad stuff in the company. He had just come off a humiliating feud with Donk the Clown when he got hired for Ted DiBiase’s “Corporation.” Instead of pushed as a singles guy, Bigelow was paired with newly heel Tatanka, a bad mix that had little chemistry in the ring. They were just there for some TV matches, no real buzz to them at all.

They would later take part in a tag title tournament which they lost and set up Bigelow’s Mania match with Lawrence Taylor. For their part, the team was just another letdown for Bigelow’s WWE run.

24 1995: Tekno Team 2000

In 1995, WWE was already doing pretty bad business. Vince decided to hire Bill Watts to help with booking. It didn’t last long thanks to how putting two men with such big egos and stubbornness together was a bad idea. As he usually did, Watts decided that this was a great way to have his son Erik become a star. He and Chad Fortune were put together as Troy and Travis, a “team of the future” coming out in silver outfits to face opponents. While there was potential, they just didn’t connect at all with fans as the futuristic gimmick was too goofy. As soon as Watts left WWE, the team was disbanded and showed yet another case of Watts’ nepotism at play.

23 1996: The Squat Team

Now here’s a little known team. The Headhunters had been on the indie circuit for a while using that classic motif of “wrestling wild men” that never really goes out of style. They had used their big size well and could have been effective as a heel team. They debuted at the 1996 Royal Rumble known only as the Squat Team and not even given regular names, just numbers.

Each was tossed by Yokozuna as they made a few more appearances. Jim Cornette briefly managed them but their showings were fleeting. They were little more than a flash in the scene at the time rather than a team to remember.

22 1997: New Blackjacks

The original Blackjacks had been one of the best tag teams of their time. Mulligan and Lanza were a great pairing who tore up the place in wild brawls and holding the tag team titles. In 1997, WWE decided to revive the concept. Mulligan’s son Barry Windham and Lanza’s nephew, Justin Layfield, were put together as a new team. They had the same thick mustaches and cowboy outfits and promise to be both fighters and a good team. However, what worked in the ‘70s didn’t for the late ‘90s as the cowboy motif wasn’t over with fans. They were just used as TV fodder and quietly disbanded with nowhere near the success of their forbearers.

21 1998: New Midnight Express

It’s almost a rule in wrestling: Whenever a gimmick is called “new”, it means it’s going to flop. In 1998, WWE briefly had a partnership with the NWA which included big TV time for those stars. It didn’t last long as the NWA actually thought they should be getting more attention over WWE. Among the ideas was to pair Bob Holly and Bart Gunn as a new version of one of the greatest tag teams ever. They held the NWA belts but, despite each being good in teams before, the duo never connected. Jim Cornette calls the whole thing a total mistake as he wanted real stars to form the team not “glorified jobbers.”

20 1999: Mideon and Viscera

1999 WWE was a rough period with a lot of crazy stuff abounding. That included the Undertaker’s bizarre ministry of goofy guys. Among them was Viscera, the former Mabel, now in black outfits and being more of a dark character. With him was Mideon, another weirdo would so go around in almost no clothing. The duo were paired together for various fights with The Rock and Mankind and usually used for run-ins. They weren’t a good pairing thanks to Mable so slow and plodding and Mideon wasn't that good either. They didn’t last too long as a team and just showcase how ’99 is a year WWE fans prefer to ignore for the most part.

19 2000: Head Cheese

It was always meant as a joke but that doesn’t make it any less annoying. Al Snow had finally clicked in WWE as the total nut job who’d go around with a huge mannequin’s head. Steve Blackman had been pushed as an ultra-serious fighter and MMA guy. The two were soon in an “odd couple” team that included Snow wild in promos and Blackman just staring at him like a lunatic. The name came from Snow claiming Blackman just loved cheese and forcing him to come to the ring with a giant hat like a Green Bay Packers fan. Blackman was just thrown as Snow kept up his wild antics. The team didn’t last too long to show even a comedy bit has its limits.

18 2001: Kaientai

To their credit, they went further with this pairing than most thought possible. For a while, Kaientai was a pack of foreign heels from Japan. By 2001, it was whittled down to just Taka Michinoku and Funaki. They were soon over thanks to their entrance as Taka would mouth words while a clearly dubbed voice talked like an old kung-fu movie. He would end by proclaiming they were “eeeeeeeevil!” He’d hand the mic to Funkai who’d mouth a long set of words before the mic boomed “Indeed!” Despite that fun bit, the duo really had no success in the ring, were total jobbers and gone by the summer. It was a fun act but not a really effective team.

17 2002: Reverend D-Von & Deacon Dave

In 2002, WWE was trying out the first draft split which included splitting up various teams. The Dudleyz was broken up with Bubba Ray on RAW and D-Von sent to SmackDown. D-Von soon took on the persona of a reverend with some wild “sermon” promos. Aiding him was Deacon Dave, a supposed priest in training. The duo were pretty bad together as they failed to make much traction in the tag ranks and fans not taking to D-Von’s act. By Survivor Series, the Dudleyz were reunited while Deacon Dave went on to become Batista. It was an intriguing “before they were famous” bit but not a good team.

16 2003: Christopher Nowinski and Rodney Mack

2003 had a lot of makeshift and ad hoc teams in WWE. Some could be successful but others just falling to the wayside. A key example would be Christopher Nowinski and Rodney Mack. Nowinski was a promising guy, a Harvard grad getting over as a heel but never fully recovered from a severe concussion at the 2003 Royal Rumble. Rodney Mack joined him as part of Teddy Long’s “Thuggin’ and Buggin’ Enterprises” stable. It wasn’t too bad but short-lived as Nowinski’s concussions would soon push him to retire. One can wonder about how long they could have gone if Nowinski had been healthy but as it is, they were just a blip in the tag team scene of the time.

15 2004: Tajiri and Rhyno

Tajiri had a lot of wild stuff in WWE. He was a comedy figure as William Regal’s aide but showing off his good skills with blowing green mist and great technical work. He was a three-time Cruiserweight champion and also holding tag titles with Regal and Eddie Guerrero. In 2004, he formed a team with former ECW star Rhyno. They were an odd mix with Rhyno’s power matching Tajiri’s speed and skill and some shots at the titles. However, it never got that much potential despite how both men were trying their best. They disbanded after just a few months with nothing to show for it other than a weird addition to their mutual tag partners lists.

14 2005: The Heart Throbs

A throwback to the “pretty boy” tag teams of the past, Antonio Thomas and Romeo Roselli were both very good looking and enjoyed showing their physiques off. After time in OVW, they were pushed on the main roster of SmackDown, challenging for the titles. But after a few shots, they were soon relegated to the B shows. They tried to bounce back with the idea of getting some ladies from the audience to dance with them after matches but that didn’t take. They were both released in early 2006 to show that even in WWE, good looks can only take you so far.

13 2006: Gymini

Wrestling does love the use of twins as it’s such a fun gimmick. Thus, Mike and Todd Shane got some shots in the business. They had famously been known for some ridiculous costumes. They got somewhat better in OVW and then entered WWE as sidekicks to Simon Dean. They would bounce between the B shows and DSW and while some promise, never really making a huge dent. In early 2007, they were both released and while it’s sure better than being wrestling condoms, the Shanes still didn’t make much of an impact in WWE this year.

12 2007: Jesse and Festus

Whenever anyone wants to make fun of Luke Gallows, they bring up his first WWE run. It’s hysterical to see the man known as a brutal and wild worker as a dumb hillbilly type. The idea was that Festus would just wander around in a daze as his “cousin” Jesse would lead him around. The idea was that Festus looked slow but as soon as the bell rang, he was a powerful worker who would help the team to wins. Still, it was an act hard for some fans to get into that much and despite some good starts, the team were soon in jobber territory. They tried to bounce back in ’08 with the idea of literally packing up their opponents to mail away. Today, Gallows is a great star which makes his run here more laughable.

11 2008: Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder

Today, Zack Ryder is known as a guy who got over majorly on his own terms only to be buried by the company. In 2008, he was still working his way up the ladder and paired with Curt Hawkins. They were paired with Edge as “La Familia” and soon his helpers keeping his World title. One would think winning the tag belts would be a big achievement but it was a fluke in a four-way match and they lost them in their first televised title defense. By this point, Edge didn’t need the aid of the duo and they were soon cast on their own. Ryder has since found fame while Hawkins is actually popular with his epic losing streak to make fans forget this team ever existed.

10 2009: Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson

WWE really wanted to push Vladimir Kozlov as a serious force. He had an imposing look and nice muscles so they thought he could be a main eventer. They were quite wrong as Kozlov was a terrible guy in the ring and not connecting in promos. Likewise, Ezekiel Jackson was pushed as ECW and IC champion but his lack of charisma didn’t endear him to fans either. Someone decided to put them together in hopes they would click into something good. They were very wrong as the two had no chemistry in the ring and terrible on the mic. Kozlov actually found better success as straight man to Santino Marella to show not every ad hoc team works out.