Throughout the glory days of TNA and Impact Wrestling, a major trope in the company was for random singles wrestlers to be thrown together in a tag team. While this idea was created years before TNA ever started, it seemed to be an idea the writers (Vince Russo comes to mind) would always fall back on in the tag team division.
Just like a broken clock is correct two times a day, the process of throwing tag teams together would actually lead to the creation of some of the greatest tandems in TNA history. But just as often the idea didn't work the way it was expected, and the end result was some pretty bad combinations.
10 WORKED - ABYSS & AJ STYLES
In the early days of TNA, two of the younger superstars the company built around were AJ Styles and Abyss. Naturally, in early 2003, the two engaged in a high-profile feud, which included the two being forced to team together, and eventually win the NWA World Tag Team Championships from Red Shirt Security. However, instead of becoming allies like other wrestlers in their positions, they continued to feud and Abyss eventually beat Styles to gain sole possession of the titles.
9 DIDN'T WORK - BOOKER T & SCOTT STEINER
It is somewhat ironic that two members of some of the greatest tag teams of all time, Harlem Heat and The Steiner Brothers, would be on this list as a team that didn't work. However, when TNA put Booker T and Scott Steiner together as members of the Main Event Mafia, it just didn't really pan out. Although they both have tremendous charisma, they were both well past their prime in 2009 and the matches didn't hold up to their previous works as tag team members.
8 WORKED - HERNANDEZ & HOMICIDE (LAX)
When LAX (The Latin American Xchange) was formed in early 2006, it quickly became one of the most popular and noteworthy stables in the short history of TNA. Led by Konnan, the stable included a talented young wrestler named Homicide.
After a few partners that didn't pan out, TNA paired Homicide with the returning Hernandez, creating a classic little man/big man combination which became one of the greatest tag teams in company history.
7 DIDN'T WORK - TEAM PACMAN (RON KILLINGS & ADAM JONES)
As we all know, celebrities in wrestling are usually hit and miss. Adam "Pacman" Jones was a huge name in the NFL when he signed a contract to wrestle with TNA, however, this was quickly put aside when the Tennessee Titans received a restraining order forbidding Jones from actually getting in the ring. Instead, Jones was teamed with Ron Killings, aka R-Truth, and never actually had any physical contact in the ring. The two would eventually win the TNA Tag Team Titles from Kurt Angle & Sting. TNA eventually brought in Consequences Creed, now known as Xavier Woods, into the team but it was a failure from the start.
6 WORKED - AJ STYLES & TOMKO
Until teaming with Styles, Tyson Tomko was best known for his work portraying Christian Cage's bodyguard in both WWE and TNA. Eventually, Tomko joined forces with AJ Styles in a stable with Cage called Christian's Coalition. While they first teamed out of the circumstance of being stablemates, they would eventually become one of the longest-running TNA Tag Team Champions in history and one of the most popular acts in the company. Styles and Tomko would both eventually turn on Cage and join a faction led by Kurt Angle. The team fizzled out months later but was a highly successful duo.
5 DIDN'T WORK - SAMOA JOE & KEVIN NASH
In late 2007 after Scott Hall no-showed a PPV, TNA management instructed Samoa Joe to cut a promo on the future WWE Hall of Famer, with his best friend Kevin Nash standing in the ring. The incident didn't sit well with Big Daddy Cool, as he allegedly backhanded Joe in the locker room afterward.
After some tension, TNA decided to team up Joe and Nash in a mentorship type relationship, but Nash would eventually turn on him, citing Joe's disrespect for Hall. The two never had any real chemistry and it seems like a wasted opportunity of what could have been an interesting tandem.
4 WORKED - MAGNUS & SAMOA JOE
These two badasses were literally thrown together by TNA for a "Wild Card" tournament held in early 2012 that saw random wrestlers partnering in an effort to become the top contenders for the TNA World Tag Titles. They eventually gelled as a unit and defeated Matt Morgan & Crimson to win the belts. They would hold the titles for three months, defending the gold against teams such as The Motor City Machine Guns, Mexican America, and Jeff Hardy & Mr. Anderson. After losing the titles, the two would have a long-running feud that saw Joe get the upper hand.
3 DIDN'T WORK - ABYSS & MICK FOLEY
When Abyss debuted in the bright and early days of TNA, it was pretty obvious his gimmick received a lot of inspiration from both Kane and Mankind from the WWE. So when Mick Foley joined TNA in 2008, it was natural their paths would cross at some point.
After a short feud, Abyss and Foley formed a tag team against Raven and Dr. Stevie at Final Resolution 2009. While it was cool to see the two tagging together, the storyline was pretty lame and the matches were totally forgettable.
2 WORKED - JAMES STORM & ROBERT ROODE (BEER MONEY)
Robert Roode and James Storm had teamed several times throughout 2006 and 2007 before officially joining forces as Beer Money Inc. in mid-2008. The combination of an alcoholic cowboy and a rich playboy may not sound like a match made in heaven, but the chemistry the two had was undeniable. They eventually went on the win the TNA Tag Team Titles a total of five times, holding the belts for a combined 516 days. They'd eventually go on feud with each other over the TNA Wolrd Heavyweight Title, before reforming the tag team in 2016. Maybe another reunion is in the mix?
1 DIDN'T WORK - HOMICIDE & MATT MORGAN
On the surface, Hernandez and Matt Morgan seemed like a perfect old school hoss badass tag team to put together. They were quickly successful in winning the company's tag team titles from The British Invasion in 2009. However, the two quickly were booked to have mistrust and plenty of miscommunication. Eventually, Morgan questionably turned heel on Hernandez and for some reason was able to keep the titles on his own. When he was forced to team with other wrestlers he would attack them. In the end, it was just a big mess.