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Over the course of WWE history, there have been many different tag teams from outside the United States. Internationally, wrestling can be vastly different depending on where the performers are from. Audiences are looking for certain aspects from their wrestling. Tag team wrestling has seen evolution over the years with the company.
There have been tag teams with one member from outside America like The Hart Foundation. There have also been tag teams who have played foreign menaces, but both members are from the United States like The Wild Samoans. Successful tag teams with two international members are quite rare, but it does include some of the best in wrestling history.
With the recent listing of the 50 greatest tag teams in company history just being released, it seems like a great time to look back on the incredible international tag teams. In this article, let's take a look back at the five greatest international tag teams in WWE history.
#5. The Bushwhackers - WWE
Luke Williams and Butch Reed entered the WWE after a memorable run as The Sheepherders in the WWC and Jim Crockett Promotions. They were known for their hard-hitting, intense style in the ring, but Vince McMahon had a different vision for the duo from New Zealand. He repackaged them as The Bushwhackers and developed a more comedic style for the tag team.
There were several traits that The Bushwhackers became known for in WWE. They would lick the faces of fans, opponents and each other. Butch and Luke also had a signature march to the ring, swinging their flexed arms. They had several fondly remembered feuds with The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers and The Beverly Brothers.
The Bushwhackers quickly became one of the most popular duos in all of the WWE. Despite never winning tag team gold in the company, Luke and Butch won tag team titles in every promotion they went to. They are also one of the longest tenured tag teams in wrestling history, having been together for over 35 years. The Bushwackers will be remembered for their longevity and the way they evolved.
#4. Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik - WWE
When fans think of foreign heel tag teams in WWE, the list must start with Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik. Both men had their own struggles to overcome before coming together. The Iron Sheik lost the WWE Championship to Hulk Hogan in January of 1984, kickstarting the era of Hulkamania, while Nikolai Volkoff left the promotion and came back looking for more success.
Vince McMahon decided to pair them up and placed "Classy" Freddie Blassie as their manager. Sheik and Volkoff quickly became the most hated tag team in WWE. They defeated Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda of the U.S. Express to win the WWE Tag Team Championships at the first WrestleMania.
Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik would garner massive heat together in many different ways. They waved their respective flags of Iran and the Soviet Union to the ring. Once inside the squared circle, Volkoff and Sheik would demand the crowd to quiet down and "show respect" while Volkoff sang a terrible rendition of the Soviet national anthem. This demand would usually attract boos.
Sheik usually ended things by saying "Iran number 1, Russia number 1, USA - HACK-POOIE!" The two men earned heat wherever they went and seemed to revel in it all. They are still known as one of the greatest foreign heel teams in wrestling history. WWE will always remember their impact in becoming prominent names in tag team wrestling.
#3. Owen Hart & The British Bulldog - WWE
Family bonds have always been embraced throughout the years in WWE. Although the aforementioned Hart Foundation had Canadian-born Bret Hart and American-born Jim Neidhart, another Hart Foundation duo were a traditional international tag team with Canadian-born Owen Hart and the United Kingdom's own The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith.
The tag team was formed under the banner of Camp Cornette in late 1995 when both men joined Jim Cornette's cliental along with Yokozuna. The two men were brother-in-laws based on Davey Boy Smith marrying Owen's sister Diana. They also both shared a dislike for Bret Hart, being jealous of his success in WWE.
Owen and Bulldog were primarily singles performers during their time in the group, but they soon came together as one. They defeated the Smoking Gunns to win the WWE Tag Team Championships at In Your House: Mind Games pay-per-view in September 1996. They went on a lengthy run that was made more compelling as they entered 1997.
At the start of 1997, WWE introduced the European Championship. The finals of the tournament to determine the first champion consisted of WWE Tag Team Champions going one-on-one as The British Bulldog faced Owen Hart in Germany. This was a technical wrestling clinic that blended elements of the traditional British style with junior heavyweight wrestling more akin to NJPW.
Bulldog defeated Owen, which started with some tension between the two brothers-in-law. The two men would have miscommunications that caused many to think they were close to breaking up. However, it was none other than Bret Hart who helped resolve their issues and formed the Hart Foundation stable in April 1997.
They went on to a heated rivalry with Bret's rivals Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels, who they lost the WWE Tag Team Championships to. The British Bulldog and Owen Hart will be remembered for how well they gelled and their time in the Hart Foundation. However, they aren't the the most memorable international tag team for one of the men.
#2. The British Bulldogs - WWE
Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid entered the WWE after Vince McMahon purchased Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling. The first cousins both began their careers in Great Britain before they were invited to join Stampede Wrestling. They became known for their smooth technical in-ring style. Upon their entry to McMahon's promotion, they began being billed as The British Bulldogs.
They were quickly placed in a feud with The Hart Foundation's Bret Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. The British Bulldogs and The Hart Foundation created a reputation for themselves in a series of quality encounters. After a lengthy feud with The Dream Team, Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid defeated them to become WWE Tag Team Champions at WrestleMania 2.
The meteoric rise of the British Bulldogs took a detour after Dynamite Kid suffered a serious back injury that led to them losing the WWE Tag Team Championships to the Hart Foundation. After some time off, they continued their feud with Hart and Neidhart, which also featured Tito Santana and "evil referee" Danny Davis.
In addition to their lengthy rivalry with The Hart Foundation, The British Bulldogs were also known for their bulldog, Matilda, who accompanied them to the ring. They were the most popular tag team of the 1980s and made tag team wrestling a central part of the WWE. Their legacy will be looked back on for years to come.
#1. Edge & Christian - WWE
The Attitude Era set new heights for the WWE and the wrestling business overall. There were new standards and innovations set during this time period that are still felt to this day. It is the most profitable and popular time in the industry, but it also raised the bar for tag team wrestling like never before.
There were a multitude of tag teams that came up in the WWE during the Attitude Era. There were super teams like the Rock N Sock Connection who were big time ratings draws and provided highly entertaining moments. They were makeshift tag teams that became institutions like APA and New Age Outlaws who made an impact that couldn't be predicted.
The Canadian-born Edge and Christian were brought together as brothers who were pitted against each other by Gangrel. In actuality, they were best friends. They united under the banner of The Brood. Their signature entrance created a connection between them and the fans that is still talked about today. However, they didn't meet their spiritual partners inside the squared circle until later on.
Tag team wrestling during the Attitude Era is remembered most thanks to the TLC 3 of The Hardy Boyz, the Dudley Boys and Edge and Christian. These three tag teams brought new creativity to the WWE in a series of matches that changed everything. Edge and Christian faced The Hardy Boyz in the first ever Tag Team Ladder Match at No Mercy 1999 that made both teams household names.
To bring things to the next level, the Dudley Boys entered WWE from ECW. They quickly found themselves across the ring from the Hardy Boyz in the first ever Tables Match at Royal Rumble 2000. This naturally led to the Triangle Ladder Match at WrestleMania 2000, in which Edge and Christian were victorious.
The three tag teams stole the show on the grandest stage of them all, but that truly was the kickstart to their feud. At Summerslam 2000, they all met in the first ever Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match, which Edge and Christian also won. All six men would exchange tag team gold in ladder and steel cage matches until the Show of Shows came around again.
Just when it seemed impossible to raise the bar, The Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boys, Edge and Christian faced in TLC 2. It was an insane spectacle that featured some of the most iconic spots in professional wrestling history. Edge and Christian once again walked out with the WWE Tag Team Championships, proving themselves to be the undisputed best tag team of the three.
The success of Edge and Christian following their breakup only further cemented their place in history. Edge went on to become the most decorated superstar in WWE history, winning 31 different championships in his career. Christian went on to become the NWA World's Heavyweight, Intercontinental, European and World Heavyweight Champion.
Edge and Christian showcased amazing charisma and chemistry as a tag team and then proved themselves to be exceptional singles performers as well. They should be considered among the best tag teams of all time. This is why Edge and Christian are the greatest international tag team in WWE history.
