Everyday from March 1 until WWE Wrestlemania 33 on April 2, Fightful will be bringing you the Countdown To WWE Wrestlemania 33. Each day, you will be getting a top 10 list or an event preview or statistics/figures from past ‘Mania events and everything in between.
(Note: This was supposed to be up on March 15, but due to a family emergency, I did not have time to get it done. I apologize for any inconvenience this caused.)
In today’s column, we will be taking a look at the Top 10 Tag Team Matches In ‘Mania History. Tag team wrestling has always been a major part of Wrestlemania and this column will be looking at the best of them all.
#10: Terry & Hoss Funk vs. The Junkyard Dog & Tito Santana (‘Mania 2)
There are truly some hidden jewels when it comes to classic matches at Wrestlemania, this tag team match must be added to the conversation. This match had a lot of great wrestling for the ten-plus minutes the competitors were in the squared circle. The Funk’s would walk away victoriously after some interference from Jimmy Hart, who was one of the best heel managers of that era. This match would also be the lone ‘Mania appearance for Hoss Funk, who is better known as Dory Funk Jr.
#9: The Rockers vs. The Orient Express (‘Mania 6)
During my “Countdown To The 2017 WWE Royal Rumble,” I wrote about a tag team match between The Rockers and The Orient Express. This match was a slightly shorter match than the Rumble counterpart, but still a high quality piece of wrestling action. Unlike the first match, which had a definitive finish, we had some tomfoolery taking place in this one. The Orient Express won the match by count out after Mr. Fuji threw some salt into the eyes of Marty Janetty and he couldn’t make it back into the ring in time.
#8: The New Age Outlaws (Champions) vs. Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie - WWE Tag Team Title Match - Dumpster Match (‘Mania 14)
This is one of those matches where going into it, wrestling fans were expecting pure crap and instead we got a really good brawl from bell to bell. For those who do not know, Chainsaw Charlie was actually Terry Funk, who was already mentioned once before in this piece. Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie would win the match and the titles after putting both opponents in a dumpster. They would lose the gold the next night on WWE Raw after The New Age Outlaws argued that they were put in the wrong dumpster, which got them a rematch and the gold back.
#7: The Shield vs. Big Show, Sheamus & Randy Orton (‘Mania 29)
WWE Wrestlemania 29 would be where all three members of The Shield would become made men as a results of their performance in this match. The Shield won this bout, defeating a trio of wrestlers who had a plethora of WWE Title reigns over the years. This match would also essentially start a year-plus run for The Shield where they would be having amazing six man tag matches with the likes of the Wyatt Family and Evolution, amongst other teams. There was a ton of action in this match from bell to bell, but The Shield would walk away victorious and would team together at a Wrestlemania just one more time.
#6: The Steiner Brothers vs. The Headshrinkers (‘Mania 9)
If you ever watch wrestling in the nineties and wondered what a classic NWA Wrestling match would look like in the WWE, look no further than this match. The Steiner Brothers and The Headshrinkers worked a near 20 minute match that reminded me of their glory days in the NWA/WCW. This would be the ‘Mania debut for The Steiner Brothers and sadly for the duo, their ‘Mania swan song as well. The Headshrinkers had a member who would later achieve great success as Rikishi, who would compete at many more Wrestlemania’s over the years.
#5: The US Express (Champions) vs. The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff - WWE Tag Team Title Match (‘Mania 1)
The first ever title change at ‘Mania happened with the WWE Tag Team Titles as The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff defeated The US Express to win the gold. The four competitors squeezed as much as they could into a much shortened match, considering the classics the teams would have at house shows before and after this show. The US Express were composed of Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda, who are brothers in law. Rotunda works for the WWE to this day. The Iron Sheik & Nikolai Volkoff would lose the titles to The British Bulldogs, who we will be seeing a little later on this list.
#4: Dudley Boyz (Champions) vs. Edge & Christian vs. Hardy Boyz - WWE Tag Team Title Match - Triple Threat Ladder Match (‘Mania 2000)
If you want to see a match that can make six wrestlers into stars in one match, look no further than this classic encounter here. Although this was essentially a glorified TLC Match, it was the first in a series of three bouts between these teams. Oddly enough, Edge & Christian would walk away in all three of these triple threat matches (1 Triple Threat Ladder Match & 2 TLC matches). The insane amount of crazy spots and dives in this match made ot one of the most memorable matches of all time.
#3: Hulk Hogan & Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff (‘Mania 1)
Not only was this match the first ever main event for a Wrestlemania, it was also the first match to feature a celebrity wrestling at a ‘Mania. Mr. T was the star of the A-Team, a wildly popular show that Hulk Hogan had guest starred on prior to the event. Mr. T more than held up his end of the bargain in the match, even taking quite the beating from Piper and Orndorff. Hogan and Mr. T would win the match, Mr. T would appear a year later at ‘Mania 2, but that appearance was an utter disaster.
#2: Edge & Christian (Champions) vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boyz - WWE Tag Team Title Match - TLC Match (‘Mania 17)
ThisTLC remoatch is ranked ahead of their first encounter because not only did it feature run ins from Lita, Rhyno and Spike Dudley, but it all had the insane spot of Edge spearing Jeff Hardy from the top of a ladder.
#1: The Dream Team (Champions) vs. The British Bulldogs - WWE Tag Team Title Match (‘Mania 2)
This match is the epitome of what a tag team match can be at Wrestlemania, if not in the wrestling world as a whole. This match featured who should be four future WWE Hall Of Fame members in The British Bulldog, The Dynamite Kid, Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake. Legendary musician Ozzy Osbourne was in the corner for the Bulldogs, while Johnny Valiant managed The Dream Team. Valentine got pinned by The British Bulldog after he collided with Dynamite Kid, who took an insane fall to the arena floor from the top rope.
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