Tag team wrestling is sometimes unfairly treated as the unwanted stepchild of the wrestling industry. The fans of course, love a great tag team match. But for promoters and business men, it’s two sets of traveling fees and TV time, often for little to no payoff at the very top of the card. With the exception of very few tag teams, it’s why many potentially get split up to see how’d they do as singles stars.
It’s also why so many of the very best tag teams often are underrated or go completely unnoticed. During the eighties, there was a litany of tag teams that are still held in the highest regard. Teams like The U.S. Express though, fall just short of that radar.
10 The U.S. Express
With all the hubbub lately about the release of Bray Wyatt, let’s start this list with his father and uncle - The U.S. Express. During the eighties you’d never find two smoother wrestlers in the ring than Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda.
The tag team was a part of the early days of the WWE and worked the first WrestleMania. But the only love they seemingly receive is for the roles they played later in their careers, as a Horse and Taxman respectively.
9 The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers
Years of Jacques' bad reputation and seldom discussion on WWE TV have inadvertently diminished just how amazing The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers were. They started out as white meat babyfaces getting fed to monster heels like Demolition. But once they turned heel and joined Jimmy Hart, they became a smarmy heel team in their own right.
They began to claim they’re moving to Memphis while proudly displaying their heritage - the fleur-de-lis of Montreal and carrying around tiny American flags mockingly waving them around. In the ring, they were as good as any team in in world.
8 The Powers Of Pain
Like his future tag team partner Meng, The Barbarian is regarded as one of the toughest men in the business. He and The Warlord spent time in the NWA and the WWE as The Powers Of Pain. On the surface, they looked like other musclebound painted up monster tag teams, which they certainly were.
But the strength of the Warlord was second to no man at the time and Barbarian had the ability to fling himself into any foe at full force with huge shoulder tackles.
7 The Killer Bees
As two smaller but very skilled competitors, B. Brian Blair and Jumping Jim Brunzell needed some extra oomph to compete with the monster tag teams looking to squash them. As The Killer Bees, the tag team had quick tandem offense like other smaller teams, such as The Rockers or The Rock 'n' Roll Express.
But their true gimmick came in the form of masks that they’d don whenever they needed to pull the ol’ switcheroo on their opponents and sneak a quick victory.
6 The Fantastics
In an alternate reality where there was no Rock 'n' Roll or Midnight Express, we’d be singing the praises of Bobby Fulton and Tommy Rogers, The Fantastics. The team were very similar to the aforementioned legends and feuded with them as well as other teams of the era throughout the NWA, Smokey Mountain, and World Class promotions.
One of the earliest teams to be credited with using an entrance theme, they received permission and the blessing from Dusty Hill of ZZ Top to use “Sharp Dressed Man.”
5 The Varsity Club
Generally when you take a couple well traveled wrestlers with tremendous amateur success, you’re going to get a great tag team. Thanks to the collegiate success of Mike Rotunda, Rick Steiner, Dr. Death Steve Williams, and the demented mind of Kevin Sullivan, you get several different versions of The Varsity Club.
Once Rick was paired off from the group to become a babyface, Dr. Death came in. His intensity matched the smooth skill of “Captain” Mike Rotunda making the team one of the NWA’s most formidable.
4 Sting And Lex Luger
With both The Total Package and The Franchise having legendary singles careers, their friendship / tag team often gets overlooked. When Luger needed a tag team partner for the Crockett Cup, the Stinger showed up to help his friend.
Their team was one of the most unique in wrestling history thanks to Sting always being the babyface, while Lex Luger was almost always the heel but still Sting’s friend. It's a combination fans don't get to see nearly enough today.
3 The Sheepherders
While The Bushwhackers get a ton of love for their face licking antics, the team they used to be before Vince McMahon’s made them a comedy act needs some respect as well. As The Sheepherders, Luke and Butch were actually one of the most violent heel tag teams all over the world for nearly twenty years before becoming babyfaces in the WWE.
They were then known for bludgeoning faces as opposed to licking them, and mauling their opponents with stiff brawling antics.
2 The Glamour Girls
The late eighties are a forgotten era for women's wrestling, especially tag team wrestling. But during this time, the ladies division did have a tag team title and it was held predominantly by The Glamour Girls. Lelaini Kai and Judy Martin were a pair of old school bruisers (not unlike Tamina and Natalya, or Nia and Shayna).
Their career highlight as a team was working against the Jumping Bomb Angels all throughout 1988, who were innovating before fans knew what innovating even meant.
1 The Wild Samoans
The Samoan Dynasty gets all the credit in the world for being one of the most successful wrestling families of all time. But Afa and Sika as The Wild Samoans deserve a ton of praise on their own merits. The two savages formed the basis of nearly just about every Samoan wrestler since.
After training under Peter Maivia and later Stu Hart, The Wild Samoans were able to merge the teachings of two familial dynasties and those legacies continue to this very day.