Best tag team match ever?

[CavemanLynn]

1 hour ago, IANdrewDiceClay said:

HBK and Diesel vs the 123 Kid and Razor Ramon was just about as perfect a match as you will see, and they were all timing their pills to kick in. They werent looking for star ratings. They wanted to get in the shower because their bodies went numb and Jeff Jarrett had to drive them to the hotel in case they swallowed their tongues. 

THIS is the evocative prose I'm here for.

[JakeRobertsParoleOfficer]

Is it cheating if I go with survivor series 1988 the teams of 5 vs 5

Bulldogs, harts, powers of pain, young stallions, rockers 

Vs

Demolition, bolshevics, rougeaus, conquistadors, brain busters

Maybe my fave match ever! 

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, JakeRobertsParoleOfficer said:

 

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Edited March 6, 2020 by Uncle Zeb
Never mind

[Pier Six Brawler]

Has anyone seen this fabled Midnight Express vs Fantastics match from WCW Pro in May 1988 that Meltzer's going on about? I thought I'd seen it but what I've seen is the match from a month earlier from Worldwide which is the Fantastics title win. That match is incredible, so if there's a better one I'd like to see it.

[Chris B]

2 hours ago, Michael_3165 said:

It's sad because ratings have never dropped year on year like they have in the past ten. Depends what you mean by golden age. Matches w little story telling and 6893683882 MOVEZ doesn't trump a good story. If it's better than ever why is nobody watching it?

For WWE, sure. But I believe NJPW is having a really good run, and AEW has nothing to compare against. And on top of that, ratings generally are lower than ever because fewer people watch live TV. 

[KingofSports]

New Japan had thier best financial year ever, either last year or the one before (can't remember which). No 60,000 attendances at the Dome as they managed in the 90's boom, but NJPW World [+ any other additional revenue] seems to have more than compensated for that.

The storytelling aspect doesn't particularly concern me, having been brought up on British wrestling, which bar heels, faces & the occasional feud didn't have a story. The fact that we all now know that storylines are just that, makes it even less relevant to people like me (dickheads). No problem at all with stories, if they're done well, but 'insta-feuds' piss me off no end. The 'I've suddenly got a problem with X', 3-6 weeks before a PPV does nothing for me. Unfortunately, for me anyway, Cody's as good as anyone on the storytelling level, but his bell-to-bell really doesn't inspire. That's only based on what I've seen of him in New Japan & AEW.

[Loki]

Speaking of great tag wrestling, I think we can all agree that this is what we watch wrestling for:

https://i.imgur.com/knZ866s.gifv

[Loki]

14 hours ago, Pier Six Brawler said:

Has anyone seen this fabled Midnight Express vs Fantastics match from WCW Pro in May 1988 that Meltzer's going on about? I thought I'd seen it but what I've seen is the match from a month earlier from Worldwide which is the Fantastics title win. That match is incredible, so if there's a better one I'd like to see it.

Double post, but fuck it.

Just watched the match you linked to there, and it really is perfect.  So many interesting things in that match that modern wrestlers could take from.

- the head scissors move looks great, you don't see that any more.
- trying to get a pin; like when the guy kicks out, you try and force his shoulder down straight away, and keep trying before going to a hold
- mat wrestling generally, getting your opponent down to the mat so you can try and pin them
- working the eyes so your opponent can't see, and can't find his way to his corner
- there's like 2 top rope moves in a 1/2 hour match, and nobody jumps to the outside, and it's STILL really exciting

All four guys are just sensational - great punches, great bumps, and the crowd is buying everything, every little move.  They work the crowd, but without ever seeming like they're doing something to look flashy.  None of that shit, they are all intent on winning the titles, and the announcers make it clear that it's a huge financial incentive to be champions.

Jim Cornette, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone... how times have changed in the business though, eh?

[Magnum Milano]

I thought of this Bert Royal & Vic Faulkner vs. Roy & Tony St. Clair last night and while I'm not advocating as "the best tag team match ever" it's a bloody great match, even moreso when you consider it is nearly fifty years old now.  I watched it last year for the first name and I was in awe of it; the pace they worked, the rapid counters and reversals, the quality near falls, the Faulkner trickery.  Watch this now and then imagine watching it in 1971, it must've blown folks minds back then.

It goes almost thirty minutes, so get comfortable, but it is thirty minutes that flies by and comes with the highest of recommendations.  The match is in three parts on YouTube and I've linked to the first and you can click on the subsequent videos from there.  Trust me on this one!

 

[MECox]

I’d say 6 stars is pushing into the realms of hyper bowl but he’s not too far off.

Barr & Guerrero v Octagon and Santo from When worlds Collide is up there. Moves, storytelling and nutty crowd heat.

My immediate thought is always Toyota & Yamada v Kansai and Ozaki from DreamSlam II. Just a relentless classic. I still fondly remember taking a tape into college, showing it to a bunch of non wrestling fans and watching their collective jaws hit the floor.

[oliloveslynn]

What about best tag team match that you've actually been at the event to witness? Mine would be Shingo & Yokosuka vs Cima & Ricochet. Just brilliant action, fought at an incredible pace but still building to an amazing finishing stretch. Sorry event was DragonGate UK Festival of Fire Finale in Castleford 

[poetofthedeed]

1 hour ago, oliloveslynn said:

What about best tag team match that you've actually been at the event to witness? Mine would be Shingo & Yokosuka vs Cima & Ricochet. Just brilliant action, fought at an incredible pace but still building to an amazing finishing stretch. Sorry event was DragonGate UK Festival of Fire Finale in Castleford 

DIY vs revival at takeover brooklyn, I have never lost my shit like I did at the suplex-superkick-small package near fall in that match. 

[Sheffbag]

I've always had a soft spot for Doom vs Anderson/Windham street fight from Starrcade 90. 4 guys just beating the crap out of each, ZZ Top for the intro music and Jim ross calling Paul E stupid on the commentary.

Just for the sheer fact that it had 1 non wrestler, 1 debuting, 1 totally knackered person who shouldn't be anywhere near a ring and a part time guy the mixed tag from WM with Angle/Rousey vs Trips/Steph was nothing short of amazing.

 

 

[Lorne Malvo]

22 minutes ago, Sheffbag said:

Just for the sheer fact that it had 1 non wrestler, 1 debuting, 1 totally knackered person who shouldn't be anywhere near a ring and a part time guy the mixed tag from WM with Angle/Rousey vs Trips/Steph was nothing short of amazing.

 

I'll second this, it was incredible. I was watching Pac vs Orange Cassidy last weekend and was wondering what was the last match that had me grinning to that extent, and I'm pretty sure it was watching Triple H selling his arse off for Rousey. Brilliant match.

[PSF]

My favorite that I go back to time and time again is a tag match between Bret/Bulldog vs Owen/Anvil. Some great spots and I just love watching them all work together. Everything is just tight and smooth as you would expect from four guys that were so close.