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.
In today’s column, we will be taking a look at the Top 10 Tag Teams In ‘Mania History because since ‘Mania 1, tag team wrestling has been an intricate part of the event.
#10: Money Inc. (Ted Dibiase & IRS)
Money Inc. holds one interesting record for ‘Mania pundits to ponder--they won two WWE Tag Team Title Matches in two straight ‘Mania events by disqualification. At ‘Mania 8, Money Inc. would defeat the Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon) and then at ‘Mania 9, they would defeat The Mega Maniacs (Hulk Hogan & Brutus Beefcake). Another interesting note is that Jimmy Hart was the manager for Money Inc. at ‘Mania 8 and would manage against them at ‘Mania 9.
#9: The Colons (Carlito, Primo & Epico)
The Colons hold an odd distinction for a tag team in that they may be the best pre-show tag team combination in ‘Mania history. At ‘Mania 25, the duo (Carlito & Primo) would defeat John Morrison & The Miz in a Lumberjack Match to unify the Raw and Smackdown Tag Team Titles. A few years later at ‘Mania 28, the duo (Epico & Primo) would defeat The Uso’s and Justin Gabriel/Tyson Kidd in a Triple Threat Match to retain the WWE World Tag Team Titles. The duo of Primo and Epico are still together in the WWE to this day, having fought and lost in two more ‘Mania pre-show tag team matches (‘Mania 30 & ‘Mania 31).
#8: Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff)
The Hardy Boyz were a part of two historical matches in WWE history as they were a part of the first Triple Threat Tag Team Ladder Match in ‘Mania history (at ‘Mania 2000) and the first ever Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match in ‘Mania history (at ‘Mania 17). Unfortunately, they came up short in both of those matches and in a fatal four way match the next year at ‘Mania 18. The brothers would even battle each other at ‘Mania 25 in an Extreme Rules Match that was won by Matt, who himself achieved other singles match success at ‘Mania, where he successfully defended the WWE Cruiserweight Title against Rey Mysterio at ‘Mania 19.
#7: The Shield (Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins)
Despite the fact that the trio only competed on two straight ‘Mania cards, they defeated a bevy of future hall of fame members in those two matches. The trio debuted at ‘Mania 29 to defeat the trio of the Big Show, Sheamus and Randy Orton in the opening match of the card. The following year at ‘Mania 30, the trio would be victorious again, this time over the trio of Kane & The New Age Outlaws. The Shield had broken up by the time 'Mania 31 rolled around, but Seth Rollins would capture the WWE World Heavyweight Title by defeating Roman Reigns after cashing in his Money In The Bank contract.
#6: Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von)
Alongside the Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian, the Dudley Boyz were a part of tag team history at ‘Mania as they competed in the first ever Triple Threat Ladder Match and Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match in ‘Mania history. However, just like the Hardy Boyz, the Dudley Boyz would come up on the losing side in both of those matches. The Dudley Boyz would come up short in a Fatal 4 Way Match for the tag team titles at ‘Mania 18, a match that also involved the Hardy Boyz. The team would return to the WWE and compete at ‘Mania 32, where they suffered a loss to The Uso’s.
#5: Hulk Hogan & Mr. T
The first main event in ‘Mania history would be between the tandems of Hulk Hogan & Mr. T and Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorf. Only one team would walk away victorious that night and that would be the duo of Hulk Hogan & Mr. T. Mr. T would become the first of many celebrities to step into the ring and compete at the “Granddaddy Of Them All.” Hogan would dominate the ‘Mania scene for nearly a decade, while Mr. T only appeared once more at ‘Mania 2. That would be the infamous boxing match with Piper, which ended in a DQ win for Mr. T after Piper slammed him.
#4: Legion Of Doom (Hawk & Animal)
The team known as the Legion Of Doom hold the record for the second fastest tag team match in ‘Mania history. A record they earned by defeating Power & Glory (Paul Roma & Hercules) in just 59 seconds at ‘Mania 7. The team would compete a few years later at ‘Mania 13, teaming with Ahmed Johnson to defeat The Nation Of Domination (Faarooq, Crush & Savio Vega) in a Chicago Street Fight. The teams final ‘Mania appearance would come at ‘Mania 14, where they would win the first and only Tag Team Battle Royal in ‘Mania history.
#3: Edge & Christian
Edge & Christian not only participated in the first ever Triple Threat Ladder Match and first ever Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match in ‘Mania history, but they won both of them. Christian would also manage Edge several years later to lead him to victory over Alberto Del Rio at ‘Mania 28. While there have been plenty of ladder matches throughout the years at ‘Mania history, only one tag team can lay claim to winning the only two tag team ladder matches in the history of the event--Edge & Christian.
#2: Hart Foundation (Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart)
The Hart Foundation made their ‘Mania debuts at ‘Mania 2, competing in a Battle Royal that was won by Andre The Giant. They would get their first ‘Mania win the following year with they teamed with Danny Davis to defeat Tito Santana & The British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith & The Dynamite Kid). The Hart Foundation would keep the momentum rolling at ‘Mania 5, where they would defeat Rhythm & Blues (The Honky Tonk Man & Greg Valentine). At ‘Mania 6, the team would make ‘Mania history by recording the fastest tag team match win in the shows history, defeating The Bolsheviks (Boris Zhukov & Nikolai Volkoff) in just 19 seconds. Their final ‘Mania appearance as a team would happen at ‘Mania 7, where they lost the WWE Tag Team Titles to the Nasty Boys (Brian Knobs & Jerry Saggs).
#1: Demolition (Ax & Smash)
Demolition may have truly been the first team to find a lot of success at ‘Mania events and it all started with ‘Mania 4. At ‘Mania 4, Demolition would defeat Strike Force (Tito Santana & Rick Martel) to win the WWE Tag Team Titles A year later at ‘Mania 5, Demolition would successfully defend the gold in a Handicapped Match against Mr. Fuji & The Powers Of Pain (The Warlord & The Barbarian). Their last major victory at ‘Mania would occur at ‘Mania 6, when the duo defeated the Colossal Connection (Andre The Giant & Haku) to win the WWE Tag Team Titles. They are the only team in WWE history to compete in a WWE Tag Team Title Match in three straight ‘Mania’s.
