Remember The Attitude Era? Name These Tag Teams!
It is heralded as the greatest Era in all of sports entertainment. The Attitude Era! With WCW breathing down the WWE’s neck and then overtaking them in the ratings, it was time for a drastic change in WWE programming. With Eric Bischoff using Ted Turner’s wallet and luring a great mix of old WWE guys and young ECW and Lucha Libre stars to WCW, it was time for the WWE to sink or swim.
Make no mistake about this, between the steroid trial of the early nineties, the poor product of the mid-nineties, and WCW destroying them in the ratings during the mid-to-late nineties, the family owned WWE was fighting for its survival. Had they lost the Monday Night Wars, the wrestling business as we know and love it might have been lost forever thanks to the Time Warner-AOL merger.
Thankfully for fans of wrestling and wrestling history, the right company won. Thanks in no small part to the tag teams of the Attitude Era. Were they all champions? No, but every single team of the day were entertaining as hell and did all they could to get over to the hilt. How many teams do you remember from the Attitude Era years? Take our quiz and find out!
What Tag Team Is This?
Steve Blackman was a tough as nails no nonsense shoot fighter. Having trained in the fabled Hart Dungeon just made the bad ass even more of a bad ass. Everything about him screamed “don't mess with this guy,” his cold stare, his ring entrance walk, his pre-match kata. Then Al Snow came along and needed a partner. Not just a mannequin head that no one understood except him. But a real life living and breathing person. So, he sought out the no-nonsense fighter and this tag team was born.
What Tag Team Is This?
The People’s Champion and the Hardcore Icon beat the holy hell out of each other over the WWE Heavyweight Championship towards the end of 1998 and early 1999. It was Mick Foley’s job to get the Rock ready for his showdown with Stone Cold at WrestleMania XV, and boy did he come through. Their I Quit match at the Royal Rumble is not for the faint of heart, even more so when you watch little Noelle Foley’s reactions during Beyond The Mat. There was only so butchering they could do to each other, so they formed a tag team, complete with matching jackets and the memorable “This Is Your Life.”
What Tag Team Is This?
New Jersey metal heads Mosh and Thrasher started their WWE run as nuns being managed by “Brother Love,” Bruce Prichard of all people. But after a few vignettes, including one at New York’s famed St. Patrick’s Cathedral and an appearance or two on Shotgun Saturday Night, the gimmick was dropped. Instead, Brother Love went back to the Gorilla Position, and the Mosh and Thrasher dropped the cloth and adopted the heavy metal alternative look of the day - skirts, crazy face paint, band t-shirts, and Doc Marten boots.
What Tag Team Is This?
Already the most decorated tag team in ECW history, Bubba Ray and Devon came to the WWE and laid waste to not just tag teams, but Bubba had a thing for giving ladies a whole lot of wood, by powerbombing them through tables. While that will never nor should it, ever happen again, the team got all kinds of crowd reactions for their antics. They brought an air of danger to the tag team division that wasn't seen yet and in some ways, hasn't been seen since.
What Tag Team Is This?
Matt and Jeff have been competing in WWE since before they could even drink. They worked their keisters off to get noticed and that included doing a ton of jobs. There's even footage of young Jeffrey Nero taking a Razor’s Edge from Scott Hall. Once they finally got asked to be more than just traveling punching bags, they started to get some notoriety. After getting paired with the fiery redhead Lita, there was no stopping them, and no demographic that wouldn't cheer for these three, which combined had this nickname?
What Tag Team Is This?
At first glance, there was no way that these two should have ever worked as a tag team. Kane was a horrifically scarred man hellbent on destruction, namely of this brother. X-Pac was the annoying little runt you always wanted to throttle and give a choke slam too. But the two mismatched wrestlers made it work as a team. But when X-Pac crossed paths with the Devil’s Favorite Demon began to show personality and get over, using of all things a voice modulator.
What Tag Team Is This?
Already considered to be the best tag team of all time, at that time anyways, Hawk and Animal had beaten just about everyone as were innovators. The painted faces, the crazy haircuts, spiked shoulder pads, and complete raw power made the Road Warriors one of the most beloved tag teams of all time. But after a brief breakup, it seems the team’s time was up until they were reunited at WrestleMania XIV with a new look and a new manager, Sunny.
What Tag Team Is This?
Masked wrestlers have had a long-standing history not just in the WWE, but in the wrestling industry. Anyone who has been a fan for more than two minutes knows a little bit about the history of Lucha Libre and how important a mask to either a Tecnico or a Rudo. Probably not so much to these guys. Uno and Dos hadn't been seen in a WWE ring since way back in 1988, jobbing to the Powers of Pain. Now they were back, although slightly a little more awesome under the masks.
What Tag Team Is This?
According to some agents, Scott Taylor was seen as a younger, smaller Shawn Michaels in his youth, spending time as a journeyman for the company. Brian Christopher, the son of Jerry Lawler has the business in his bones and knew how to get over in Memphis, but his personal demons were keeping him from achieving true fame. When these two got together, they were another in a string of “meh” singles performers who came together to form a memorable tag team. When paired with Rikishi, it was time for a dance-off.
What Tag Team Is This?
Paul Bearer told his former friend, the Undertaker that he knew a terrible secret - his brother long since thought dead was very much alive. Kane finally debuted at Bad Blood 1997 and had wanted to destroy his older brother. But over time, the Big Red Machine softened on his position and instead of wanting to beat his brother, they became a team and beat the stuffing out of everyone else, becoming both WCW and WWE tag team champions in the process.
What Tag Team Is This?
Fly Boy Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge shared their name with a famous rap group and were even billed from Compton. Before the Dudley’s they were known for table spots. They were even known for bringing the party to the old ECW. There, they were involved in two wild nights - the infamous “Give me a chair!” burial, when fans heaved their chairs in the ring burying the team. The other was their own party, asking fans to come into the ring and celebrate, and the ring broke.
What Tag Team Is This?
Justin Hawk Bradshaw was an up and coming blue chipper. Former WCW champion, Ron Simmons was give a silly name and stupid blue helmet. Neither man was doing a whole lot, both being great workers, they wound up forming a tag team and become minions for the Undertaker’s Ministry. When that gimmick ended, they became just a pair of bad ass barroom brawlers, and the right price and a polite door knock, your protection. Not a bad gig - just play cards, smoke cigars, and drink on TV, and occasionally wrestler.
What Tag Team Is This?
Even though he says he would do things differently just about every week on his podcast, it doesn't change the fact that at WrestleMania X7, the Texas Rattlesnake turned heel by meeting the heck of the Rock with a chair and having a beer with Vince McMahon. To further cement his status, he teamed up with Triple H, who at that time was THE top heel in the business, his work was so good that no one could touch him. Together, they held all of the gold at one point. If The Game didn't tear his quad during this time, there's no telling what this team really could have accomplished.
What Tag Team Is This?
When the WWE whisked Paul Wight (aka the Giant) away from WCW, the company had high hopes for the big man, so much hopes that he debuted coming up through the ring and heaving Stone Cold through a cage. Those hopes were soon dashed when it became apparent that the big guy didn't want to put in the work to be as a great as he could. To try and wring some of that greatness out by pairing him with the Undertaker.
What Tag Team Is This?
During the “New Generation” years, seemingly everyone had to have some sort of an occupation. Plumbers, garbage men, and even pig farmers, like Henry O. Godwinn and his slow, but well-meaning cousin, Phineus I. Godwinn (get it? H.O.G. and P.I.G.). The two big boys were fun loving country boys who used to dance with Hillbilly Jim and Phineus even got a little crush on Sunny. But during the Attitude Era, they briefly hung around Jeff Jarrett as this tag team?
What Tag Team Is This?
Test and Albert were both big and nasty looking. After training at Dory Funk’s Funking Conservatory, there were both ready to debut on the main roster and start laying waste to the competition. They debuted as singles wrestlers on the old Sunday Night Heat show. But Trish Stratus would come out and scout both men, eventually making them both her charges. Once she paired them up, and the hard-hitting tag team that would feud mostly with the Hardy Boys and Lita.
What Tag Team Is This?
Imagine if the WWE let Vince Russo have his way? One of his lesser ideas saw Edge as a loner that not only never spoke, he wouldn't have been able to! Edge and Christian both would debut several weeks apart from each other, and the two friends were originally paired up as enemies. Edge on his own and Christian teaming with a third wrestler, Gangrel. It wouldn't be long before these three began teaming together and briefly became one of the hottest acts of the Attitude Era.
What Tag Team Is This?
As the Attitude Era was winding down, a new team began to emerge with big time skill. Lance Storm and Christian were both two polished Canadian workers (really, what worker from the Great White North isn't polished?) who formed a tag team and would capture the tag team titles on one occasion. But according to Something To Wrestle With…Bruce Prichard, these two good hands had a hard time dealing with the possible real life heat that came with badgering America and Americans.
What Tag Team Is This?
Back during the early days of the Attitude Era, there were a ton of factions. Thanks to Savio Vega and Crush both getting booted from the early incarnation of the Nation would go form their own groups. Savio would form the all Latino Los Boricuas, and this group that was fronted by Crush. Looking like a bunch of Hells Angels, two of them, the former Harris Brothers – now known as Skull and 8-Ball would ride to the ring on bikes long before the Deadman was doing it.
What Tag Team Is This?
One of the lower parts of the Attitude Era was this paltry tag team. In an attempt to try and salvage whatever Vince McMahon thought that he saw in second-generation wrester, Tiger Ali Singh, the Chairman paired up D–Lo Brown and the former Mosh, going by his real name, Chaz. Brown and Chaz would start wearing Sikh attire like Tiger wore. They worked as a duo that were two ethnic wrestlers, annoyed that the company was holding them down. D-Lo has since said, this was the lowest point of his career.
What Tag Team Is This?
Oh, you didn’t know? We all know…Rockabilly Billy Gunn and the Real Double-J, Jesse James were floundering in the mid-card, and floundering isn’t even the word for it. Certainly, these two guys were coming dangerously close to being on the chopping block for being future endeavored. Then Jesse James convinces Rockabilly to ditch his then-manager, the Honky Tonk Man and the rest is history. They went from being annoying, ankle biting heels to one of the best and most memorable tag teams of all time.
What Tag Team Is This?
When Bob “Sparky Thurman Plug” Holly dropped all of the racer nonsense and just became a tough guy, we saw a whole new side of him and some great hardcore matches with Al Snow. Now going by the name Hardcore, he started making a name for himself as a singles star. Then his cousin Crash debuted. After having a brawl over who was the toughest Holly that lasted the whole show, the two cousins started teaming together. Behind the scenes, Bob might not have appreciated another guy trying to trade in on his name, but the two Hardcore stars certainly became one of the more entertaining acts of the latter Attitude Era.
What Tag Team Is This?
In the eighties, wrestler like Stan Lane, Dennis Condrey, and Beautiful Bobby Eaton all worked under this moniker. With Jim Cornette working as their manager, they became one of the greatest tag teams of the day and got over everywhere they worked, from Mid-South to the NWA. During the Attitude Era, Cornette would bring the concept back, this time with Bodacious Bob and Bombastic Bart. The team wouldn't last last long and Bart would knock his partner out in Brawl For All, but they also earned a spot forever in the WrestleCrap hall of fame.
What Tag Team Is This?
Val Venis and The Godfather were two of the more risqué characters during the Attitude Era. Venis was a former adult film star who filmed vignettes with Jenna Jameson. The Godfather was a pimp who danced with all kinds of ladies of the night and asking fans to light up. While the team didn't last too long, perhaps because they were too good of a racy, raunchy fit for one another; they were unofficially known by what very apropos name?
What Tag Team Is This?
During one of the 856 times Marty Janetty was welcomed back to the WWE with open arms, he would team up with Al Snow. Only he wasn't Al Snow, he was on his 453rd gimmick, that of a bumbling teen heartthrob, Lief Cassidy. They were never intended to reignite the old spark of Shawn and Marty, but this team did a serviceable job. They might have even been pushed better than buffoonish heels had Janetty’s demons not got in the way.
What Tag Team Is This?
No, you're not dreaming. Even Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson were part of the Attitude Era. After spending most of their careers down south in places like WCW and Mid-South, the boys finally made their way north. Oddly enough, Hell did not freeze over when they debuted with their once bitter rival, Jim Cornette as their manager. They didn't stay too long, invading as part of the NWA angle. But they did have a few decent matches with their old rivals, the Legion Of Doom.
What Tag Team Is This?
You want a crisp, smooth tag team by Attitude Era standards, or any other Era for that matter, look no further than the King of Harts Owen Hart and Double J Jeff Jarrett. Both were second generation stars who grew up in the business, and both jelled well together. Between the two of them, they both donned the hood of the Blue Blazer in an attempt to hide the fact that Owen was still the Blazer. Like great cowardly heels, the duo were great at being funny and snivelling before and after the matches, but during them, they were tough to beat.
What Tag Team Is This?
May 27, 1996 was the day the Monday Night War truly began and the industry at large was changed forever when Scott Hall came through the crowd on WCW Nitro and declared war. A week later, Kevin Nash showed up and the duo acted as if they were invading from the WWE. Obviously they weren't, but the presentation helped make feel wrestling feel more realistic. How real? Several weeks later when Nash tossed Rey Mysterio like a dart, the cops were called.
What Tag Team Is This?
New Jack and Mustafa are two of the craziest wrestlers you'll ever see. After leaving Smokey Mountain, they really made themselves famous by having violent matches in ECW, always set to Dr. Dre and Ice Cube’s song “Natural Born Killers,” quite possibly the most violent matches the promotion ever saw, and that's saying something! With all the ridiculousness of the WWE at that time and these would have still had to tone down their act. Thankfully, minus the song, you can still watch these guys on the WWE Network.
What Tag Team Is This?
Looking back on things, one of WCW’s faults was that some of their tag teams barely got anytime to ruminate and gel together. But when you have personalities as wild as Buff Bagwell and Scott ‘Flash’ Norton, any team they'd be a part of will be a memorable one. Norton and Ice Train, and of course Bagwell and Riggs, The American Males. Norton and Bagwell had a good entrance, Norton carrying Buff on his back to the ring. But it was hard to gain traction in WCW when Norton was in Japan most of time and then Buff had his neck injury.
What Tag Team Is This?
Easily the most decorated tag team in WCW, Booker T and Stevie Ray are the epitome of what hard work is all about. Besides the hard life these two guys had growing up in Houston, they started out in their WCW career literally in chains - (good job old School southern rasslin’ promotion). Thankfully, the bad idea was dropped and the two brothers were billed from “Across 110th Street,” paired up with the criminally underrated Sensational Sherri, and were well on their way to becoming ten time tag champs.
What Tag Team Is This?
The World’s Most Dangerous Man and a psycho hillbilly prison guard in riot gear. Who in the world is going to mess with these guys? In looking for some guidance and a family he never had (at least in storyline), Ken Shamrock started teaming with the Bossman and they quickly asserted their dominance, defeating the New Age Outlaws. They held the titles about a month but during that time they established they were not a bad team for a couple singles stars who seemingly had nothing in common. What was the name of the faction they represented?
What Tag Team Is This?
Towards the end of the Attitude Era, two of the greatest wrestlers ever came over to the WWE, let alone, probably the two best Latino stars ever. How great were these two second and third generation stars? Eddie was so amazing that he made his nephew, Chavo look average by comparison - and Chavo was better than 95 percent of the roster!!! The familia won tag team gold on Smackdown and had memorable vignettes playing off many of Latino stereotypes, on their way lying, cheating, and stealing their way into fans’ hearts all over the world.
What Tag Team Is This?
By 1996 when Mankind first debuted, he had already bled buckets all over the world as another alter ego, Cactus Jack. He had won not just the WWE universe over but Vince McMahon too by the time 1998 rolled around. Embroiled in a feud with Triple H, the New Age Outlaws stepped in. So one of Jack’s old friends came to help out and came out of box (of gimmicks!) both literally and physically to help stem the tide. Unfortunately, both of these hardcore icons would rather beat on each other, and when they did - the Outlaws locked them in a dumpster and heaved them off the stage.
What Tag Team Is This?
One of the problems the WWE faces during the Attitude Era was that there were plenty of sponsors and parental rights groups speaking out against the “amoral and deplorable” WWE - the language, the skin, heck the top star got hammered at the end of every Raw. They would never get away with half of the stuff they did back then. To combat and parody groups like the PTC, the company created a faction. The Goodfather and Bull Buchanan even won the tag belts on one occasion.