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Nostalgia can be a deceitful thing, causing you to look back with far more fondness than the past deserves. However, sometimes nostalgia exists for a good reason because things were were great in the past. This is a great lens through which we can view the state of tag team wrestling during the 2000s (2000-2009).
There was a tremendous upheaval occurring in the world of sports entertainment during this period, mostly relating to the end of the Monday Night War and the fall of WCW and ECW. This led to a massive influx of talent into the last major surviving pro wrestling promotion in North America, the WWE. With so many wrestlers on their roster, WWE found that focusing on tag team wrestling was a great way to give as much screen time as possible to as many different talents as possible.
Not only was WWE basically the only show in town during this period, with regards to a major promotion with television deals, they also experimented with their first brand split. This led to two different tag team championships, which made the tag team division even more expansive.
Here are ten of the best WWE tag teams of the 2000s, in no particular order.
#1 The Dudley Boyz
The Dudley Boys were originally members of a much more expansive stable that included not only Spike Dudley, who wrestled in the WWE with his 'brothers,' but also Big Dick Dudley and Sign Guy Dudley. However, over time, the duo of D-von and Bubba Ray emerged as the stars of the group.
Their ability to generate unique and innovative tandem offense, as well as their surprising agility for big men--particularly D-Von--made them stand out even in ECW, where great in-ring performers abounded.
Once they made the jump to the WWE in 1999, many thought they would crash and burn. However, they overcame an initial silly stuttering gimmick to become a pair of monster heels who were willing and able to put anyone, male or female, through a table.
What made them one of the greats of this era: During their run with WWE, the Dudleys managed to capture one variation or another of the world tag team championships ten times. This accolade combined with their cultural and performative impact on pro wrestling makes them shoo-ins for the top ten teams of the 2000s. In fact, it would be a crime not to include them.
#2 MNM
MNM were one of the more traditionally minded tag teams of the 2000s. Their gimmick--Hollywood A list celebrities who rubbed shoulders with movie stars and industry heavyweights--was perfect for inciting rage in the working class segment that continues to this day to make up the bulk of the pro wrestling audience.
Johhny Nitro had auditioned for Tough Enough twice before being accepted for TE III, which he would go on to win along with Matt Capotelli. Mileena had been trained as a wrestler at the School of Hard Knocks but was signed to WWE initially as a manager after she was eliminated from a Tough Enough competition. Finally, Joey Mercury was the veteran of the group, having been wrestling since 1996 and been an ECW original.
What makes them one of the top teams from this era: It's all about the attitude. Although they would capture the tag team gold on three separate occasions, MNM got by mostly on their ability to rankle the fans and drive up heel heat to the stratosphere.
#3 The World's Greatest Tag Team
Even though modern pro wrestling bears little resemblance to the catch and greco Roman wrestling it spawned from, there's still a certain prestige to those performers who originally competed in amateur wrestling.
Both Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas had been highly decorated amateur wrestlers, particularly Benjamin, who turned down a chance to compete in the 2000 Olympics so he could pursue a career in pro wrestling.
The team earned the accolade of being at the top of Pro Wrestling Illustrated's best tag teams of 2003, and also captured the WWE tag team championship twice.
What makes them one of the top tag teams of the era: Haas and Benjamin are both advanced technical wrestlers, and Benjamin's athleticism is phenomenal. They were also underrated on the microphone, basically carrying feuds with Chris Benoit and the APA.
#4 Edge and Christian
One of the reasons that the WWE defeated WCW in the Monday Night War was that while World Championship Wrestling relied on established talent and made little effort to develop new stars, the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion made such a tactic a priority.
It was due to this attitude that we ended up with one of the greatest gifts to tag team wrestling in history, the "Awesomeness" era of Edge and Christian. Flipping the script on the usual sour and bitter heel team, Edge and Christian were cheerful and insistent that the fans were solidly behind them, even when they were greeted by a chorus of boos.
The duo would capture the tag team gold seven times, and also made the tag division one of the most entertaining aspects of WWE in their era.
Why they were one of the top teams of the era: Edge and Christian were never amazing in-ring performers that the Dudleys were, but they were better than average. It was their personalities and ability to connect with the fans as heels that really set them apart and made them one of the best teams of the 2000s. Five-second pose indeed.
#5 Los Guerreros
Eddie Guerrero and his nephew Chavo Guerrero Jr. first broke into the business together thanks in part to their famous wrestling family name. Though they are uncle and nephew respectively, their closeness in age and tightly knit family made Eddie and Chavo closer than brothers. They wrestled in WCW together before joining the WWE.
As a tag team, they were quite successful, defeating many of their contemporaries including world champions such as Kurt Angle. They won the tag team gold on two occasions and were one of the more popular acts on WWE television in spite of being technically heels.
Why they were one of the best tag teams of their era: Eddie and Chavo's 'lie, cheat, and steal' gimmick was so over, Eddie continued to use it when the tag team split up. They almost single-handedly made it cool to be Latino in sports entertainment.
#6 Miz and Morrison
The Miz and John Morrison were what is referred to as a 'thrown together' tag team. In other words, WWE put them together because they couldn't figure out what else to do with the characters creatively. Their loosely justified association was based on their participation in reality television before joining WWE.
However, Miz and Morrison would make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. They were two of the first pro wrestlers to utilize social media and podcasts to increase their name recognition and status. Their cocky heel personas came along with a great catchphrase--"Go ahead, be jealous".
Why they were one of the greatest tag teams of the era: Miz and Morrison don't have as many title reigns as the Dudleys or Edge and Christian, but their innovative use of social media and the fact that they both improved tremendously over their association drives them onto the list.
#7 Rated RKO
Often times, there's a bit of a 'slow down' in a superstar's career after they've captured their initial world championship. This happens because of shuffling talent through the tiers of the roster to keep things fresh.
This slowdown happened to both Edge and Orton at the same time, and WWE decided to push them as a tag team. Though they were thrown together with little logic other than they were both heels, the duo would own their gimmick and become one of the more popular acts of the 2000s.
Chiefly they feuded with D-Generation X, acting as foils to the fun-loving overgrown frat boys Triple H and Shawn Michaels. They only captured the tag team gold once, but they left enough of an impression that they are still talked about today.
Why they were one of the best teams of the era: Edge and Orton represented a 'super tag team,' one made of two major singles stars and former world champions. Their prestige along with natural chemistry between the performers led to a much more successful run than anyone anticipated.
#8 The Brothers of Destruction
If you've ever wondered what a team up between Godzilla and King Kong would look like, you need search no further than the Brothers of Destruction.
Kane and Undertaker's careers have been entwined ever since the debut of the Big Red Machine. After a series of failed gimmicks, Glenn Jacobs was finally cast as the kayfabe brother of The Undertaker, and their frenemy relationship has led to some of the finest moments in WWE programming.
Undertaker was the better in-ring performer, but Kane, once he unmasked, proved to be better on the microphone. Their sheer size and intimidating presence often meant an easy victory over many of the teams of their era.
Why they were one of the top teams of the era: The Brothers of Destruction may not have been the most nuanced team, but they had legitimate heat and a level of prestige that no other team of the era could match.
#9 Paul London and Brian Kendrick
Without a shadow of a doubt the fastest team on our list, London and Kendrick had the ignoble duty of being the top tag team during an era when WWE wasn't pushing tag team wrestling very hard.
Their reign as tag team champions on Smackdown broke records that stood until the New Day's historic reign. London and Kendrick knew that they were much smaller than the average tag team, so they made up for it with speed, agility, and tandem offense. Both are highly regarded as two of the best technical wrestlers to ever lace up a pair of boots.
They feuded with the World's Greatest Tag Team, Deuce and Domino, and MNM among others during their tenure as a tag team.
Why they were one of the best tag teams of their era: In a time when tag team wrestling was set to the back burner by WWE, London and Kendrick nonetheless represented their division with pride and acumen. They are probably the most gifted technical wrestlers on our list.
#10 The Hardy Boyz
Matt and Jeff Hardy got their start in pro wrestling by running their own backyard wrestling association. Eventually, they would receive more formal pro wrestling training, but they never forgot their roots and continued to use many of the moves they developed in their parent's back yard.
When they signed with the WWE, no one could have imagined the phenomenon they would turn out to be. In addition to winning the tag team gold eight times, they also had mass market appeal and appeared in advertisements for Chef Boyardee among other products.
Tapping into the 'extreme' movement in culture and fashion, the Hardys were able to catapult themselves to the top of the WWE tag team division and become main event talent as singles stars.
What made them one of the top teams of the era: One part innovation, one part choreography, and a major dash of good looks and the X factor of the popular women's wrestler Lita made them one of the best teams of their era.
There you have it: Ten of the top WWE tag teams of the 2000s. Did your pick not make our list? Please comment and let us know who you think was the best team of this era and as always, thanks for reading!
