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The 1980s were a banner decade for tag team wrestling. So many talented teams abounded that many regional promotions had not one, but two sets of tag team title belts.
Tag team wrestling is possibly one of the most unique creations in the history of sports entertainment. The melding of two individuals into a cohesive unit takes time, chemistry, and often times putting your own ego aside.
Many of the teams on this list weren't necessarily best friends with their tag team partners, but there's no question that they worked well as a unit.
Without further ado, here are ten teams who made tag wrestling great in the 1980s.
#10 Dusty Rhodes and Manny Fernandez
The melding of the American Dream with the Raging Bull was a bonafide success.
Most people remember Dusty as a solo act, but he made the biggest impact at the beginning of the 1980s when he was part of this fondly remembered tag team. Manny Fernandez was one of the few Latino stars who was over with the US audience--but not over enough in management's opinion for a major singles title.
They were willing to let him have the big tag team gold, however. This mix of Tex and Mex was a great way to start off the tag team explosion of the 1980s.
#9 The US Express
Second generation star Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo (father of Bray Wyatt) formed the US Express while working in the Florida territories. Their squeaky clean image and whitebread appearance made them logical babyfaces during the 1980s.
US Express is best known for losing the WWF tag team titles to Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff at the first ever Wrestlemania. They would go their separate ways, with Whindam ending up with the Four Horsemen and Rotundo joining the Varsity Club, both working as single stars.
Fun fact: The US Express was the first act to have Real American as their theme song, but when the team split the Rick Derringer-produced anthem was gifted to Hulk Hogan, with whom the song has been associated with ever since.
#8 The Sheepherders
Widely regarded as one of the craziest, meanest, and toughest teams on the 1980s wrestling scene, the Sheepherders (Sometimes referred to as the New Zealand Sheepherders due to the patriotic 1980s climate to stir up heel heat) faced every team of note from the Fantastics to the Road Warriors.
Their old-school toughness and propensity for brawling, as well as their lunatic appearance and mannerisms, made them stand out as much as their wrestling ability--which was top notch.
Unlike many other tag teams, the Sheepherders never broke up, and still make non-wrestling appearances today as a unit. Later, they were called the Bushwhackers when they joined WWE, but the faux Outback Australian team never met with the success of the Sheepherders.
#7 The Fantastics
One of the first tag teams to bring a more athletic style to the ring, the Fantastics would have been THE top team of the 1980s if only there weren't so many other great teams working at the same time.
Feuding with everyone from the Sheepherders to the Midnight Express, Fulton and Rogers blended their movie star good looks and dexterous style to gain great success. An honourable mention should go to Jackie Fulton, Bobby's brother, who stepped into the tag team when Rogers went to another territory.
#6 The Fabulous Freebirds
Long before the nWo or the Four Horsemen ran roughshod over their respective federations with their gangland tactics, there were the Fabulous Freebirds.
Big man Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy was teamed with the handsome, charming Michael "Purely Sexy" Hayes as a tag team initially, but Buddy Roberts would be added to the team, making them wrestling's first triad tag team champions.
The Freebirds even developed the wrestling parlance for the 'Freebird Rule,' meaning any of the three men could defend their tag titles at any time.
Though they were chiefly used as heels, the Freebird's popularity in the deep south had them working as babyfaces much of the time. In fact, they may be one of the first 'tweener' wrestling acts, which refers to those performers who are between babyface and heel.
Fun fact: When the band Lynard Skynard complained about the Freebirds using their song as entrance music, Michael PS Hayes recorded his own song--Bad Street USA--to replace it.
#5 Demolition
Let's just get this out of the way: Like the Powers of Pain or the Blade Runners, Demolition were a rip off of the Road Warriors.
That doesn't mean they weren't talented workers who could wrestle and deliver great promos. The big, burly Ax and Smash were veteran singles wrestlers who were given the gimmick by Vince McMahon, who wanted his own face painted post-apocalyptic warriors to compete with the NWA.
Known for a grinding, brutal ring style, Demolition once held the record for longest tag team title reign until the New Day broke it recently. Supposedly Ax and Smash didn't like each other much backstage, but they put it aside to be one of the most dominant teams of the era.
#4 The Rock and Roll Express
One of the longest-tenured tag teams in history, the Rock N Roll Express have remained together for most of their wrestling careers.
Ricky Morton possibly pioneered the 'babyface in peril' role for tag matches and was famous for his ability to sell any move like he'd been shot. By the time a battered and beaten Ricky finally made the tag to Robert Gibson, the crowd would explode with excitement.
Always babyfaces, the Rock and Roll Express is perhaps the most beloved tag team of all time, with fans lining up in droves to see them even in 2018.
#3 The Midnight Express
Without a shadow of a doubt, the most cohesive tag team unit of the 1980s was the Midnight Express.
It seemed like they were inventing new double team moves every week, dazzling the crowd with both Stan Lane's martial arts prowess and Bobby Eaton's high flying ability.
The Midnight Express is the first team to hold both the US Tag titles and the NWA world tag titles at the same time. With their larger than life mouthpiece Jim Cornette singing their praises from the announce booth, the Midnight Express were undeniably entertaining, feuding with all the great tag teams of their era--most notably the Rock and Roll Express.
#2 Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard
Whether they were working in the NWA as part of the Four Horsemen, or as part of Heenan's Family in the WWE, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson defined the workman's tag team.
Two of the best technical wrestlers in the business who could also work a microphone, Tully and Arn are one of the few tag teams to have held both the NWA and WWE tag team championships.
The tag team was forced to split when Tully's drug arrest made him unemployable, but they made indelible memories while they were together.
#1 The Road Warriors
"We feast on fear, and dine on destruction!"--Hawk.
That quote perfectly sums up the Road Warriors. Originally a couple of bad biker gang bangers, when a certain Mel Gibson movie took the world by storm they underwent a gimmick change.
Now sporting painted faces and spiked shoulder pads, the Road Warriors didn't just exemplify tag wrestling in the 1980s, they were the paragons for the entire industry. NWA, WWE, Japan, Puerto Rico, Canada--everywhere the team went they captured gold, and the hearts of fans worldwide.
The Road Warriors were so iconic, they inspired dozens of knockoffs (of which Demolition was the most successful.) Combining power, speed, and surprising agility, the Road Warriors always put on a great show and participated in the legendary (and dangerous) Scaffold matches that were a precursor to things like CZW and Hell in a Cell.
There you have it; Ten of the best tag teams of the 1980s. Did your favourite not make the list? Please comment and tell us why they deserve recognition.
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