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As long as the concept of tag teams has been a part of pro-wrestling, there has always been a precedent set for brothers/family members to partner up together to conquer the tag team scene. The discipline of tag team wrestling requires two superstars who have the ability to gel together creating undeniable chemistry that can help a match flow as smooth as a hot knife on butter.
From the Von Erichs of old to the family graduates of the Hart Dungeon. From the rough and tumble Steiner Brothers to the diverse Harlem Heat and finally to the originators of the TLC match in the Hardy Brothers. Brotherhood is an integral aspect of that wrestling formula, so much so WWE projected the idea that Edge and Christian and even the Dudley Boys (carried over from ECW) are brothers.
Today whether it is in the confines of the WWE or the vastly changing independent scene, a lot of good brothers battle together hard and strong for tag team glory. That glory finds the new IWGP Tag Team champions Guerillas of Destiny challenged by another pair of brothers.
The ROH World Tag Team Champions; the Briscoe Brothers have taken it upon themselves to issue a championship versus championship challenge between the two brothers, now officially set for NJPW/ROH's huge Madison Square Garden show on April 6th.
As the brotherhood of tag team wrestling thrives, now is the time better than any to see where the elite (pun intended) pair of wrestling brothers rank today.
#5 Lucha Bros. (Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix)
It is most definitely a strong list if the bottom of the barrel begins with the Lucha Bros. In all fairness, the current Impact Tag Team Wrestling champions haven't had a long tenure in the tag team world as their other counterparts. The two individually broke out as singles characters in Lucha Underground.
Eventually, this show brought them and their relationship to the fore, used well by the likes of MLW and Impact where they are/have been one-time tag team champions. Elsewhere, they've also conquered the PWG tag team titles against none other than the Young Bucks.
Which brings them to their current status. Once it is up and running, the Lucha Bros shall become an integral cog to the All Elite Wrestling's tag scene. A dream tag team match against the very same Bucks is on the horizon, as they confronted them at the Double or Nothing party and laid down the gauntlet with a thorough beatdown.
Though the brothers might remain in infamy as one of the greatest tag teams of all pro-wrestling, it's doubtful this sticks as both Pentagon and Fenix are honestly meant for so much more as singles Superstars. Something that can't really be said for the other tag teams on this list.
#4 Guerillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa)
Prior to even becoming the Bullet Club's firing squad, the Tongan brothers and sons of Haku had already teamed up several times. Once Bullet Club lost its premier tag team in the Good Brothers (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows), the arrival of Tonga Loa into the NJPW scene allowed these boys to revisit their childhood together.
As hard-hitting and foul-mouthed as they come, the newly minted IWGP Tag Team Champions rank low simply because of the few bumps they've been suffering through. Tama Tonga's half-hearted change of heart from bad guy to good guy has put a dent into their scenes as New Japan's premier duo. Not only that but two back to back losses at WrestleKingdom to on and off tag team EVIL/Sanada does no favors to their reputation.
Yet now after Tama has rediscovered his passion for being a bad guy, with some kinks to work out between the two, they set themselves for a dastardly redemption. The much-needed character alignment makes GOD a fun tag team to follow in New Japan. This has got them defacto face status come to their face off against the Briscoe Brothers at the Mecca of Pro-Wrestling on the G1 Supercard show.
If GOD can put aside their small issues, they'll become double champions and hold the fort down on both Ring of Honor and New Japan. If not, then maybe Tama can succeed his place to youngest Tongan brother Hikuleo and go on a singles odyssey for himself. Either way, the brotherhood of the Guerillas shall stay alive.
#3 The Usos (Jimmy and Jey)
The Usos would have been well below this list had it not been for their subtle re-emergence earlier this year. At first, it meant involvement in the women's division with Jimmy's wife Naomi and Mandy Rose. Yet now after contemplating their future away from WWE, the twins earned themselves a seat at the tag team championship table once again.
Years of basking in their heritage and the love that came from it, the Usos reinvented themselves at the tail end of 2016. This resulted in a firehouse rivalry in 2017 against the New Day that saw the Usos reach the promised land of a Wrestlemania match on the main card.
A nine-year dream realized and the current Smackdown Tag Team champions, in their record-breaking sixth reign. The Usos have done it all, so much so that fans and even the champions have clamored for a change of scenery. With the rise of AEW, WWE is clear to give the Usos what they want and not let go of the team that binds their poorly booked tag team divisions.
Despite the backlash from management in the intervening years, the Usos have managed to etch their name in the echelons of tag team wrestling. That unfound struggle is what makes them such a great brotherhood regardless of where they go. A future outside of WWE or up against a new set of emerging teams within it means the Usos will keep reinventing as they've stuck together since day one(-ish).
#2 The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson)
The only team on this list that is not tag team champions, The Young Bucks though is a bit more. As newly minted executive vice presidents of AEW and top dollar merchandise sellers, the Young Bucks haven't just revolutionized tag team wrestling but the independent scene as well. It's their marketing genius that opened the avenues for independent wrestlers to become money-spinning acts outside the big corporate culture of WWE.
Once revered and reviled as nothing but spot monkey, a back injury suffered last year by Matt Jackson allowed the team to reinvent their style over their selling of the pain and proclaim the 'hot tag' variant with Nick that makes their matches that much more satisfying. Though their detractors will fail to admit it, the Bucks have reinvented their game on and off since they began teaming together in 2001.
The duo much like their ancestral counterparts in the Hardy Boyz began their wrestling training and careers by placing a ring in their backyard. After which there was no looking back as they made their name on the independent circuits, took their act to the epitome with ROH and PWG. The Bucks found themselves than taking New Japan and its two tag team divisions by storm finally arriving at AEW.
As smart as they are, it's doubtful the Bucks would put themselves over as the inaugural AEW Tag team champions. Yet their involvement front and center with the company means that the trio will most definitely bring a renewed focus on the tag team scene, to combat WWE's waning interests. AEW thus becomes a promised land for tag team wrestling, another golden goose in a long line of them that the brothers have produced together.
#1 Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark Briscoe)
Nothing screams brotherhood like loyalty and while these two brothers have combated against one another with an eighteen-month absence from Ring of Honor, their loyalty to each other and the company is unwavering. The Briscoes are a record ten-time ROH World Tag Team champions and still going strong, having been with the company since day one.
Jay and Mark recently laid down the challenge to Guerillas of Destiny for an undisputed championship match at Madison Square Garden. Regardless of the result, this is a much-deserved place for the brothers to finally take their talents to hallowed grounds from where their profession broke through.
Much like a generation of wrestlers/brothers find inspiration and get dazzled by the Hardy Boys. At the mecca of wrestling, one can hope that young viewers will become just as enamored by the strong efforts of the Briscoes, two of the finest boys and brothers in the business today. For all its ups and downs, Briscoes sticking by tag team wrestling in Ring of Honor makes them top dogs regardless of how far their counterparts get.
The rooted nature and striking evolution in one spot make them an envious championship tag team, hopefully, set to add to their accolades come April 6th.
