One of the underrated elements of the Monday Night Wars featured both WWE and WCW trying to have great tag team divisions. The two major promotions competed for talent of every portion of the card. Most wrestlers jumped back and forth due to the high level of competition offering bigger contracts to improve the roster. Both WWE and WCW had their fair share of legendary tag teams for each of their respective legacies.
The WWE side featured different styles from different teams in each of the eras they competed in. WCW primarily had powerhouse tag teams that could mix it up with talents of every style. Each company had their own identity when it came to the tag division. Many of the great teams to work for both had a stronger legacy with one over the other. We will look at both sides with the top five WWE and top five WCW tag teams in each company’s history.
10 WWE: The Usos
The tag team of Jimmy and Jey Uso is already one of the best in WWE history. They are still in their prime as the most important tag team for the division. The Usos have been a part of a few different chapters in WWE history over the past decade.
WWE’s recent brand split has seen the Usos become the heart and soul of the tag division regardless of which show they are on. Jimmy and Jey are one of the rare duos that likely won’t split up any time soon given their brand together as twin brothers.
9 WCW: The Outsiders
Not many fans expected to see the duo of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash together in tag team action for as long as they were in WCW. Both wrestlers had impressive runs as singles stars in WCW and signed massive contracts. However, the addition of Hulk Hogan to the New World Order would lead to Hall and Nash teaming to add more gold to the faction.
WCW referred to them as The Outsiders as they dominated the tag team division right away. The main feud of Hall and Nash as a team featured them squaring off with the Steiner Brothers on multiple occasions. WCW benefited immensely from the star power of the Outsiders working as a team.
8 WWE: Edge and Christian
The seven WWE Tag Team Championship reigns of Edge and Christian made them a dominant tag team of the Attitude Era. Both men were best friends from childhood with a similar look that allowed WWE to push them as brothers.
Classic matches with the Hardy Boyz and the Dudley Boyz made Edge and Christian a fixture in the division. They won the first two TLC Matches and the ladder match that set up the future TLC gimmick. WWE split them up after a few years for singles pushes or they would be even higher on the list.
7 WCW: The Hollywood Blondes
Brian Pillman and Steve Austin were arguably the two most underrated wrestlers in the industry when they started teaming together in WCW. The new name of the Hollywood Blondes gave them a fun appeal as they hoped to make waves as a duo.
Fans ate up the act as they were quite entertaining together with both great matches and entertaining promos. Backstage politics led to them splitting up sooner than expected, but they created a legacy for wrestling fans. Austin and Pillman were among the greatest duos in WCW history.
6 WWE: Demolition
The tag team run of Demolition gave WWE one of the greatest teams in wrestling history. Ax and Smash were tremendous together and had a record-breaking title reign in length until New Day surpassed it in recent years. Crush eventually joined them, but the main team was Ax and Smash.
The unique look and presentation of Demolition helped them break out to great success in the tag division. WWE fans expected Demolition to take part in a relevant tag team storyline on most shows given the importance of their contributions during the 80s.
5 WCW: The Road Warriors
Fans know the tag team of Animal and Hawk under different names depending on where they watched the duo perform. WWE referred to them as the Legion of Doom, but the fans of WCW and beyond remember them for the run as the Road Warriors.
WCW would see the Road Warriors provide great success from the late 80s into the early 90s. A star-studded classic would see them have a tremendous bout against top main eventers Sting and Lex Luger. WCW booked the Road Warriors as a top attraction and fans viewed them as such.
4 WWE: The Hardy Boyz
Matt and Jeff Hardy created a legacy during the Attitude Era that is still beloved today. Fans enjoyed the act of the Hardy Boyz as they helped usher in a new era of wrestling. The brothers delivered moves never seen before and developed a reputation as the kings of the ladder match.
Their presence in WWE tag team history would already be strong enough based on the Attitude Era run, but some of their reunions would create more memories. Jeff and Matt returning at WrestleMania 33 delivered one of the loudest reactions in company history before winning the Raw Tag Team Championship for another all-time great moment as a duo.
3 WCW: Harlem Heat
The recent induction of Booker T and Stevie Ray into the WWE Hall of Fame as the Harlem Heat rewarded their work together in WCW. Harlem Heat dominated the WCW tag team division for a long run with an astonishing 10 WCW Tag Team Championship wins.
Booker eventually broke out as a singles star in the main event picture to end the run, but their tag team was a legendary legacy already. Harlem Heat provided consistency as well to always give the tag division a top tier team which was huge for WCW during the Monday Night Wars.
2 WWE: The Hart Foundation
Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart made up the perfect tag team of the 80s as the Hart Foundation. They had different strengths to compliment each other early in their WWE careers. Bret was the tremendous in-ring performer with star potential while Neidhart was the stronger one with a loud personality.
The brothers in law worked well together to create magic in the WWE tag team division. 2019 would see the tag team inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame with Bret having his second nod. The Hart Foundation were the standard of great tag teams and influenced many future duos.
1 WCW: The Steiner Brothers
WCW always had a top attraction in the tag team division whenever the brothers Rick and Scott Steiner were working together. The short stint in WWE featured a mild disappointment which inspired the Steiner Brothers to return home to WCW ahead of the Monday Night Wars.
Rivalries with the Outsiders, Harlem Heat, Faces of Fear and others made the Steiner Brothers the faces of the tag team division. Their incredible strength, chemistry and backgrounds in amateur wrestling made them a fun act in the ring. Rick and Scott certainly loved working together and it showed in the outstanding performances together.