10 most monstrous tag teams

10 most monstrous tag teams

Professional wrestling has always been filled with hulking masses of humanity, doing battle to establish their supremacy over the competition. However, some titans towered over even the biggest Superstars.

Monster tag team photos |  Watch the titans demolish the opposition

Sometimes, these giants of the squared circle team up, resulting in complete devastation, leaving nothing but destruction in their paths. The carnage they caused seemed like something out of a monster movie, but for their opponents, it was very, very real and extremely painful. WWE newcomers The Ascension have made the bold claim that they will be more dominating than some of the hardest-hitting tag teams in sports-entertainment history. To see the kind of destruction Konnor & Viktor will have to create to live up to that lofty goal, WWE.com has compiled a a countdown of the biggest, most dominating tag teams to step foot in the squared circle.

Watch The Ascension bulldoze the competition

Witness the ruin caused by 10 monstrous tag teams that left other duos crushed beneath their humongous boots. 

10

Big Show & Kane

10 most monstrous tag teams

The WWE Universe put this team of titans together. Big Show and Kane came up on the short end of a vote to win a WWE Title opportunity at Taboo Tuesday 2005. As a consolation, they got to challenge World Tag Team Champions Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. The two monstrous Superstars handily defeated the cowboys to win the titles in their first match as a team.

Though they were uneasy about teaming at first, Big Show and Kane went on a tear through Raw’s tag team division for six straight months. Any team brave enough to take on the giants were disposed of by The World’s Largest Athlete and The Big Red Monster.

Kane and Big Show split up after dropping the titles, thanks to Kane’s descent into madness over May 19. However, five years later, they reunited. Showing they hadn’t lost a step, they defeated Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel for the WWE Tag Team Championships.

Why does Kane hate May 19?

9

The Masters of The Powerbomb

Masters of the Powerbomb vs. Local Talent: WCW Saturday Night, June 19, 1993

The Masters of the Powerbomb have a monstrous debut in WCW.

Unhappy with annihilating opponents on their own, Sid and Vader decided to join forces in 1993. Their goal? To rid WCW of Sting once and for all. The destruction of anything or anyone who dared to get in their way was merely collateral damage.

The brainchild of their managers, Harley Race and Col. Robert Parker, the pair dubbed themselves The Masters of the Powerbomb, for their common signature move. The monsters powerbombed hapless foes for weeks as they prepared to take on The Stinger and British Bulldog at Beach Blast ’93.

Watch the best of Sid |  Relive Vader's vicious rivalry with Cactus Jack

However, Sid and Vader’s first match against the heroes went about as well as their attempt to blow Sting up on his boat. Their follow-up bout at Fall Brawl ’93 followed a similar path. Can’t fault them for that, though, as they were probably too busy laughing at the opposing team’s Shockmaster.

Despite their tenuous record in the ring, Sid and Vader ‘s ability to intimidate was enough to send plenty of potential opponents running in fear.

8

The Powers of Pain

10 most monstrous tag teams

“Number One” Paul Jones knew just what he was doing when he paired The Barbarian and The Warlord together in 1987. The two face-painted, muscle-bound monsters tore opponents apart in Jim Crockett Promotions. The Powers of Pain were Jones’ answer to Paul Ellering’s massively popular Road Warriors, and his two monsters quickly proved they were just as dangerous as Hawk and Animal.

Watch The Powers of Pain destroy their hapless foes

The Powers of Pain brutally injured Animal during a bench press contest between the two teams, throwing him headfirst into a stack of weights. However, The Road Warriors never got their retribution, as Warlord and Barbarian jumped to WWE in 1988.

After a brief, surprising turn as white hats, Barbarian and Warlord joined forces with the devious Mr. Fuji literally seconds after Demolition dumped him. Fuji had The Powers of Pain attempt to run Ax and Smash out of WWE and take their World Tag Team Titles. Though they weren’t successful in winning the championships, they did soften up Demolition for future competition. Warlord and Barbarian kept on destroying their opponents until summer 1990, when Mr. Fuji split the pair up and sold their contracts to other managers.

7

3 Minute Warning

10 most monstrous tag teams

During his tenure as Raw General Manager, Eric Bischoff was all about creating entertaining television for the WWE Universe. Unfortunately, he gave Superstars an extremely limited window of time to strut their stuff for audiences — about three minutes’ worth to be exact.

If they failed to entertain, the massive duo of Rosey and Jamal would raid the ring and decimate them. The monstrous Samoans were no normal powerhouses. Despite their ability to toss their targets around at will, 3 Minute Warning could move like cruiserweights. Soon, Bischoff found that unleashing his annihilators on Superstars trying to do their jobs was more entertaining than matches.

Watch 3 Minute Warning make an immediate impact |  Where Are They Now?: Rosey

Though Rosey and Jamal were never World Tag Team Champions, the constant threat of their attacks was enough to keep many Superstars looking over their shoulders at all moments every Monday night.

6

Dick the Bruiser & The Crusher

The Crusher & Dick The Bruiser vs. Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens: AWA, June 30, 1973

Crusher and Dick The Bruiser show why they have those nicknames in AWA action.

Dick the Bruiser and The Crusher may not have worn frightening face paint or had bulging biceps, but they struck fear into the hearts of their foes like no other. The terrible twosome looked like the two guys sitting at the end of the bar just waiting for someone to eyeball them the wrong way.

They looked that way because that’s what they were. The gruff-voiced, barrel-chested brawlers were the epitome of the Midwest. The cousins chomped on cigars as they bragged of their diets, which seemed to heavily consist of Polish sausage and beer. They smiled as they recalled the times they cleared out saloons after some lushes got out of line.

All that barfighting experience paid off in the ring. They took delight in pummeling opponents with punches and stomps. That was all they needed. Both of these dangerous men held the AWA World Title, and teamed up to capture the AWA Tag Team Titles on five occasions. 

5

The Twin Towers

10 most monstrous tag teams

Behind the flashy threads and smooth dance moves, Slick was a very cunning manager. The Doctor of Style knew exactly what he was doing when he paired up the nasty ex-corrections officer, The Big Boss Man, with the enormous Akeem.

The massive duo, appropriately named The Twin Towers, used their size to their advantage, wreaking havoc on WWE. If a pummeling wasn’t enough for their hapless foes, The Boss Man cuffed them to the ropes and bludgeoned them with his nightstick, while Akeem and Slick boogied to distract the referee.

Watch Big Boss Man dish out justice |  Akeem boogies over the competition

It was during a match against The Twin Towers that Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage’s friendship crumbled, leading to their WrestleMania V showdown. At The Show of Shows, Akeem and The Big Boss Man destroyed The Rockers. Though they never captured the World Tag Team Titles, The Twin Towers were a constant threat, looming over whoever held them.

4

Big John Studd & King Kong Bundy

10 most monstrous tag teams

Bobby “The Brain” Heenan had a knack for finding the most gigantic competitors to step foot in the squared circle. He needed the massive grapplers in his camp if he wanted to take the WWE Championship from around the muscular waist of Hulk Hogan. It only made sense that he would pair up two of his biggest clients, Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy, to demolish the tag team ranks.

Watch Bundy's WWE debut |  Studd and Bundy steamroll over their foes

The two giants had no trouble tearing apart the competition, while waiting for Hogan and his pal Andre the Giant to take them on. After The Eighth Wonder of the World’s mysterious suspension, The Hulkster found himself without an ally to take on the monstrous pair.

He thought he could trust Paul Orndorff, but “Mr. Wonderful” ditched The Hulkster when the giants double teamed him. Smartly, perhaps, Orndorff thought it was better to join forces with Studd and Bundy than take the monsters on.

FULL-LENGTH MATCH: Watch Hogan & Orndorff tangle with Studd & Bundy

3

"Dr. Death" Steve Williams & Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy

Dr. Death & Terry Gordy vs. The O'Days: Clash of the Champions, June 16, 1992

Dr. Death Steve Williams and Terry Gordy advance in the tag team tournament.

“Dr. Death” Steve Williams and Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy’s reputation preceded them as they made their way from Japan to the United States. Word spread of the hulking duo who steamrolled over opposition so aggressively that they were dubbed “The Miracle Violence Connection.”

Striking with the reckless abandon of barfighters and dumping people on their heads with ridiculously brutal suplexes, Gordy and Williams fit their name perfectly. When they arrived in WCW in 1992, a showdown with the equally vicious Steiner Brothers was naturally what fans were clamoring for.

Dr. Death Alumni profile |  Watch Gordy as part of The Fabulous Freebirds

The bouts were as hard-hitting as expected. WCW fans were shocked, though, when Gordy and Williams defeated The Steiners in July 1992 for the WCW Tag Team Titles. One week later, the vicious duo defeated Barry Windham and Dustin Rhodes for the NWA Tag Team Championships. Even though they were back in Japan full-time by the end of the year, Gordy and Williams’ vicious takeover of WCW’s tag team ranks would never be forgotten.

Watch Williams & Gordy win the NWA Tag Team Titles

2

Natural Disasters

10 most monstrous tag teams

The mighty Earthquake, on his own, sent tremors and aftershocks throughout WWE that went flying off the Richter scale. Not content with the devastation he left in his wake, he and manager Jimmy Hart set out to find another monster that could help him turn WWE to rubble.

They didn’t have to look further than seafaring Superstar Tugboat. Having seen his share of rough waters, Tugboat took on a new name as he joined forces with Earthquake: Typhoon. Jimmy Hart’s Natural Disasters shook rings with their every steps and left opponents in shambles after the bell.

Watch Tugboat join forces with Earthquake |  The Natural Disasters debut as a team

Oddly enough, it was after the Disasters ditched Jimmy Hart that they found their greatest success. When “The Mouth of the South” went behind the monsters’ back and got Money, Inc. a World Tag Team Title opportunity, the giants were not thrilled. The titans ditched Hart and squashed IRS and The Million Dollar Man to win the titles.

1

The Road Warriors

10 most monstrous tag teams

Hawk and Animal talked a big game. The huge Chicago natives screamed about snacking on danger, dining on death and grinding their opponents’ bones into dust. It wouldn’t have meant much if they didn’t back it up. But they did that and more.

Looking like they walked out of a “Mad Max” movie, The Road Warriors stalked to the ring, striking fear in the hearts of their opponents before the bell even rang. When it did, Hawk and Animal brutalized their challengers by any means necessary. If fans weren’t scared by their post-apocalyptic entrance gear, they certainly were terrified when they jabbed a spike into the eye of Dusty Rhodes.

Watch the best of The Road Warriors |  Hawk & Animal in photos

The Road Warriors’ vicious style, though not always popular, brought them nothing but success. Hawk and Animal are the only tag team to hold tag team championships in AWA, NWA and WWE. Most importantly, the chaos they caused earned them a place in the WWE Hall of Fame.

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