Tag team wrestling holds next to no importance in the scheme of certain organizations. Okay, maybe that is a little harsh. I will just say that tag team wrestling just isn't what it used to be. That sounds a lot better. Wrestling has gone through phases that have seen an emphasis on either teams, heavyweight singles wrestlers, or cruiserweights. And while tag team wrestling may not be held in the highest regard nowadays, it is still a vital ingredient what makes what we do what it is.

However, what makes a great tag team. Is it the championships that they win? Could it be the chemistry that lies between it's members when seeking to attain a common goal? Maybe it could possibly be the long-standing legacy and influence that team leaves when it is done. Perhaps the quality of opposition and the era in which the team peaked could be an answer. Pondering this question made me ask myself: who are the ten greatest tag teams in the history of wrestling?

Well, so much for the long, drawn-out introduction. Here are my picks from lowest to highest.

10.) THE BRITISH BULLDOGS (Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid). In a land of giants, Great Britain's offering to the then-WWF was a pair of sawed-off, jacked-up juiceheads who revolutionized the entire federation. Trained by Stu Hart in Canada, cousins Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid performed with blinding speed, amazing agility, and fierce power for a couple of guys who were short but strong. Nevertheless, the toppled the Dream Team (Greg Valentine and Brutus Beefcake) at the second WrestleMania to capture their lone World tag team championship. These guys could do it all and I really wish they did more.

 

9.) THE ROCK N ROLL EXPRESS (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson). This is the highly-influential team that proceeded teams like The Rockers. Part of the reason the Rockers may not have gotten the credit they deserved is because they were always in the shadow of this popular team. Morton and Gibson beat teams like The Russians to capture 5 NWA World tag team titles. These guys had great chemistry and were lightning quick. They get on this list with no problem.

 

8.) NEW AGE OUTLAWS (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn). What is the best way to kick off being an era-defining team? Capture the WWF Tag Team Titles from a team that define a previous era. Dogg and Gunn were two lost souls on the WWF treadmill until they got together and started causing trouble. They wreaked havoc before winning the first of three championships from the Road Warriors. After that, everything took off. As part of DeGeneration-X, the two reigned over the tag team division and complemented the factions other members. Several of the 90's Attitude Era's best teams fell to NAO.

 

7.) THE HARDY BOYZ (Matt and Jeff Hardy). It wasn't until I watched a retrospective on these guys recently that I was able to fully appreciate their contribution to the Attitude Era. On the tail end of the Monday night wars, Matt and Jeff's daredevil style took a mundane tag team division to new and dizzying heights. Together or separately, they each have struck championship gold multiple times. There are plenty of indy wrestlers who seek to be the next Jeff Hardy or were immensely influenced by this team. High-flying double-team moves and a great gimmick (simply being themselves) helped put the Hardyz in the upper echelon of pro wrestling tag teams. 

 

6.) HARLEM HEAT (Booker T and Stevie Ray). You don't get to be 10-time World tag team champions by accident. Long before Booker became a six-time World champion, he and his brother were going head up with teams like The Nasty Boys and The Steiner Brothers. It was a long way from their days as the Ebony Experience in Global Wrestling all those years ago. Booker was the more versatile of the bunch while Stevie Ray provided the power and brute strength. It all equaled championship and the most by any team in the history of WCW.

 

5.) THE DUDLEY BOYS (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley). The Extremists from Dudleyville really made a mark in the sport of pro wrestling. They were not a finesse team or a scientific marvel. They just liked to beat the hell outta whoever you set them across the ring from. 8 ECW Tag Team titles paved the way for and eventually 22 World titles throughout their career as a team. They faced teams like The Eliminators, The New Age Outlaws, Sabu and Rob Van Dam, Edge and Christian, and others. They brought an extreme element to tag team wrestling and the sport has not been the same since.

 

4.) THE FABULOUS FREEBIRDS (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, and Buddy Roberts). They may not have had a multitude of tag team titles to their credit, but the Freebirds were probably the South's most influential tag team. Rebel flag and all, Hayes, Roberts, and “Bamm Bamm” wreaked havoc almost anywhere they went. They blurred the face/heel line in pro wrestling. They made being a bad guy cool in wrestling long before Steve Austin. Their feud with the Von Erichs is beyond legendary. Jimmy Garvin replaced Roberts and the tandem won the WCW World tag titles twice. The influence of the Freebirds can still be felt today

 

3.) DEMOLITION (Ax and Smash). People will say they were Road Warrior rip-offs and they would be correct. However, Ax and Smash carved their own niche in the annals of pro wrestling. The time period in in the WWF between 1987-1991 boasts the strongest, most versatile tag team division in the history of pro wrestling. And between a three or four year period, Demolition mowed down a who's who of tandems. The Rockers. The Twin Towers. The Powers of Pain. The Young Stallions. Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. They all fell to Demolition at one time or another. They were champions when tag teams mattered

 

2.) THE STEINER BROTHERS (Rick and Scott Steiner). These guys put so many new spins on the suplex, there should be at least a dozen variations named after them. Rick was the goofball would could knock your block off. Scott Steiner was the athletic youngster who could hang and bang with the best of the best. WCW, NWA, Japan – the Steiners found success any and everywhere they went. They defined the late-80's/early 90's WCW Tag Team division. The road to the titles either went through the Steiners or had them holding the belt at road's end.

1.)  THE ROAD WARRIORS.  They are the Hulk Hogan of tag team wrestling.  They were game changers.  The most popular and influential tag team in the history of the sport.  Nuff said!!!

There is no question who was number one.  Everyone else was just fighting for second.

One......

GIWA FEBRUARY 25TH in MILLEDGEVILLE, GA

Leg day (fun, fun, fun)

(WARNING: The following blog contains an oxymoronic passage that those who know the benefit in working out may find offensive. I sincerely apologize in advance)

I usually begin working out on Mondays for the week. However, Tuesday would be my first workout day of the week. So, I hop in my gas bucket and drive to Fitness Plus Gym. Upon getting out of my car, I realize that I left my gym bag at home. My mouth utters a few curse words until I proceed to walk inside of the facility. With my workout gloves and my MP3 player in my bag, I figured I better make the best of this situation. Instead of the usual chest and triceps routine, I will opt for a leg workout.

I step in and out of the locker room within five minutes. Before working out, I perform a series of stretches and free-weight squats. Gym music can be one of two things: motivational or nauseating. So as I rep out my first set of leg extensions, I try not to listen to the horrid soft-rock playing from the speakers. With every rep, I can feel the workout having an effect on my quads. After blasting through three sets of the aforementioned extensions, I move on to my favorite leg exercise: the leg press. This is my first time doing the leg press in a few weeks. I made a conscious effort get back into the gym and work on these things after looking at a picture I have of myself clotheslining AWN competitor Ash in a match a few years back. During the snapshot (which Ash's mom Mo took), my quads actually looked kinda ripped.

There are different stories as to how much the sled on the leg press machine weighs. I was told from various sources it can be between 45-100 pounds depending on the machine. I will assume this sled weighs 45 pounds. I put two 45's on each side for a warm-up and near shot the sled off of the machine. I honestly feels as if I don't have ANY weight on there. Adding a plate to each side brings the total weight up to 315 lbs. Once again, I feel nothing. Two more plates and the weight is 405 lbs. Finally starting to feel a little burn, but nothing to make me grit my teeth.. ..yet. Long story short, I ended up with six 45's and a 25 on each side for a total of 635 lbs. I did push out two reps which makes me happy. Next week, I'm shooting for 700 pounds.

Squating is not something I am good at, so I go to the Smith Machine bar. I put a 45 on each side and perform squats all the way down to the floor, one set for 10 reps. The Smith Machine offers an uninterrupted line of movement and takes away the need to balance to weight. Since this is the case, I decided to try something I have never done before: either front squats of Zercher squats. So I try each movement with the bar empty. Finally, I decide on trying the front squats with about 35 pounds. I probably could have gone heavier, but form is one of the (if not THE) most crucial part of performing any exercise and I want to make sure I get mines correct. All the while “Only In My Dreams” by Tiffany is playing in the gym. God, if this isn't a musical nightmare....

Performing a new exercise on a new machine is a lot like wrestling Chris Nelms: you have to be really careful in the execution of the performance seeing as how you are the ONLY one who can make a worthwhile, physical contribution to achieving the projected outcome. At least in this case, carrying dead weight can actually be beneficial. (Again, I apologize)

After two sets of this exercise, I go to the calf raise machine and hit four sets of 235, 255, 275 and 295 respectively. I don't count reps with calf raises. I just work them out until I burn them out. After three sets of seated calf raises, I am done for the day. I feel pretty good after my workout. My leg strength is increasing and I tweaked my muscles with a new exercise. Maybe I will benefit from this. Maybe...

One...

Wrestling with religion...

As a business and marketing major in college, one of the things that I learned about is the difference between a trend and a fad. A trend is not some “flavor-of-the-month” movement. It has staying power. Because of it, investors are quicker to invest in it because of its potential profitability. On the other hand, a fad can easily be detected due to its lack thereof and no one will invest a lot into it.

Wrestling has had it's share of both trends and fads. Sometimes, the line separating the two can be blurred. One of the more noticeable trends that I have seen in Georgia indy wrestling has to be Christian-based shows. While I cannot count how many there are in the state, three come to mind more than others. The first – and probably most well-known show – is Dusty Mays' CPW (Christian Pro Wrestling). It has garnered some of the best talent in the state. Their shows are action packed and infuse what defines wrestling today – sports and entertainment. The sporting part comes from the wrestling. The theatrical aspect come from matches where a man dressed as Jesus will enter a match and perform an altar call. Mays is a legitimate minister. And while this method may be seen as a bit extreme, it obviously works.

The other two are Trinity Championship Wrestling and Annointed Championship Wrestling. In honesty, there is really no difference between one and the other considering they both use a lot of the same workers. Matches are fought and testimonies are given. TCW has worked in the past with Lex Luger and Nikita Koloff. In fact, it was because of TW James inviting me to a church in Sandersville that I got the chance to meet Lex this past summer. TCW has an excellent representative in its champion Steve Stiles – who is very religious. Bleckley County-based ACW has just really started running. Still, these shows do seem interesting enough.

Wrestling does have its share of Christians and people who are strong in their faith. I have already mentioned Luger and Koloff. Ted DiBiase and Shawn Michaels are very spiritual. Even here in Middle Georgia, John Cassandro (owner of graphic arts company Spoken Image Designs and media manager for AWN) is religious. Steve Stiles takes his faith very seriously. And while sometimes my abrasive attitude and quick temper may lead people to believe I have a bit of the devil in me sometimes, May 2013 will my 20^th year as a born-again Christian. I'm only human, y'all.

I'm no preacher, but God's love is real. And because of that, I hope this trend has some staying power. There is room in wrestling for any and everything. That's what I love about this sport: there is a little something for everyone.

One....

Opinion becomes undisputed truth

The weekend for pro wrestlers is an opportunity to garner bookings.  Sometimes, listing infinite amounts of bookings on your facebook page can be a smokescreen - hiding the fact that your craft needs work IMMEDIATELY.  Chris Nelms has made a reputation of posting where his next "wrestling" appearances will be  However, we hardly hear of the end result of those "appearances".  This may be the reason why.

Last week, Nelms teamed with rookie wrestler Maul (who could be good if he got away from Nelms) to wrestle in the Empire (formerly known as PCW) as the Monsters of Destruction.  Empire has made a lot of headway and has become one of the top feds in the entire state.  I truly wondered why anyone would book Nelms in the first place.  The Hate Junkies (an immensely talented tag team) were there.  One half of the team wrote a piece on the experience of seeing Nelms "wrestle",  Below is an excerpt.:

 
Now, onto the “Monsters of Destruction”, holy fucking shit sandwich. I refuse to abbreviate their name, because the only MOD I know is Murder-1, Orion Bishop, Johnny Slaughter, and Wicked Nemesis (and ALMOST me….damnit). As a matter of fact, I do not want to type “The Monsters of Destruction” anymore (which sounds like an 8th grader came up with it and drew it on a fucking trapper keeper in homeroom) so I will instead right TB for Turd-Burgers. So TB -vs- Daisho; seems pretty simple right? Fuck you are NOT ready for this. Daisho is a team that is on the rise and TB is well, not. Here is where the shit falls apart. TB is local wrestling superstar “The Ticking Time Bomb” Chris Nelms and some other fat dude (who I am sure is a nice person, but is a shitty wrestler). They are not monsters, unless you own a Chinese buffet. They are just fat. Chris Nelms you may know made a spectacular career as The Fear Train, or the Chuck-Wagon, or the Run-a-train-on-me Loco-Motive. Loco-Motive is a name that will forever be etched in the anals, I mean annals of Georgia Wrestling as having the distinguished honor of being in what Larry Goodman has said was “The worst fucking match I have ever seen”. That my friends, is a feat. Also, there is only one train in wrestling, “The No-Pain Train” Iceberg. Loco-motion then decided to make a career (I can’t type that without laughing, could you read it without laughing?) change and become the Ticking Time Bomb Chris Nelms. Man, I hope Scotty Wren does not hear about this. So Chris Nelms is now in TB. They are set to face Daisho and they have the delusion that this will be an actual competition. Sorry fellas, you are not The Hate JunKies, the Washington Bullets, Hot Like Lava, or the Usual Suspects, or The Ambassadors, you are not even CLOSE to our level, your fucked. This is what I have an issue with. Chris Nelms is so fat and out of shape that he could not get up for Vordell’s brain-buster. Thankfully Vordell is a beast, and was able to muscle him ½ way up and make sure that the “monster” did not fall on his head, but yea, it was really bad. Here is a disclaimer; I agree there is room for everyone and everything in wrestling. Small cruisers, super fit in shape guys, monsters, and yes, fat guys. Here is the thing, if you are a fat guy, then you need to realize that there are things that you cannot do.

To view the enitre post (which cuts NO corneers and is brutally honest)  log onto:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/derek-thorne/ticking-time-bomb-seriously-what-the-everloving-fuck/10151146944175037

One love.....

QUESTIONS ANSWERED

When I asked people to send me their questions, I had no idea I would get as many pro wrestling questions as I did. They ranged from any and every professional wrestling subject. However, I did say that I wqould be only picking a random number of questions from the pile. First question up:

What are the pros and cons of having a wrestling valet?

Good question. I have had two of them actually - Sweet Lips and Mya Vida. Both brought their unique talents to my attention. With Sweet Lips, we were always on thew same page. Our goal was to entertain the fans. That's one of the biggest positives of having a valet. There is a synergy that you both share. It seems as if you are both acting as one. I really do miss my Sugar Mama. Mya was a handful. She was drop dead gorgeous and had a personality to match. That is where the cons of having a valet come in. Almost everywhere we went, there was a wrestling booker there. No sooner than we walked in the door, they were plotting to take my manager for their own storyline purposes. Having a hot chick like Mya would raise your stock in the eyes of the fans. Still, nobody was getting' my Mya!

Next question....

What is opinion of Barry Windham getting the nod over Ole for the Four Horseman HOF induction.... Does the WWE have beef with Ole or vice versa?....to me ole belongs in the hof with them and not so much barry.

Vincent McMahon would not be who he is if he let grudges go. Do I think that Ole deserves to be in the HOF induction. Yes but only because he was an original Horseman. Do I think that Vince McMahon has a grudge against Ole? Certainly. The quartet of Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, and Barry Windham was the greatest version of the Horseman ever. So I have no problem with Barry getting in. He deserves it.

Our next question falls right in line with that....

If you could induct six wrestlers into the WWE Hall of fame, who would you pick?

Siva Afi, Waylon Mercy, Randy Hogan, The Mulkeys, and Sean Mooney. No, no seriously. My picks would be Davey Boy Smith, Randy Savage, Demolition, Ultimate Warrior, and Bruno Sammartino

Next....

were do u think I belong on cards and give me ur honest opinion on my wrestling skill... (Georgia Cowboy)

Just like any other wrestler, your place on the card depends on who you are sharing a locker room with. If CWO is where you plan on wrestling, you should be on top of the card. As far as your wrestling skill goes, you do pretty good. We all need work as do you. Just stay with it and don't disappear for another year.  When you first got stared in wrestling, everyone saw you for the wrestler you are and the wrestler you are becoming.  Nowadays, everyone recognizes you more for who you're married to.  With all due respect, that's your career's biggest crutch.  You deserve the best opportunities to excel and get better.  All you have to do is get promoters to see you as the Georgia Cowboy.  My advice - let Delta manage someone else.  That's the only way people will see you for you and give you a chance around here without reservation..

Gimme some more....

What do you think of the Funkasaurus? (Matt Burton)

I have only seen Brodus Clay in the Funkasaurus get up once. It's got to grow on me. Right now, it just seems like a gimmick that he got off of the gimmick table and put on. It feels like he is just playing the part and doesn't come off as authentic.

Next up....

In yo cwo blog you said you wondered what could happen if your was the booker. What 3 changes would you make to cwo if u were in charge?

The first thing I would do is wash my hands of Chris Nelms. That move alone would give CWO instant credibility. There is nothing good about having him in charge of deciding anything except who will be second in the buffet line behind him. The second thing I would do is never wrestle a match in CWO. Nothing against the fed, but one of its biggest problems is that the guys in charge wanna be the stars of the show at the expense of others on the card. Get a booker who has no interest in getting himself over and his decisions would be respected a little more. Finally, I'd ditch the valets.

Y do workers get upset about indy rankings yet pwi has no idea they exist. ALSO.....whats ur take on fake profiles bashing workers? (Marcus Davis aka Phenom.com)

I guess that depends on the workers. I used to be happy when the GW.TK Top 50 came out every year regardless of my position on the poll. I did a Top 10 of Middle Georgia and got a great response to it. So I don't think that indy wrestlers get mad. I just think they question the legitimacy of the rankings themselves. Usually when that happens, its those in charge of the ranking systems that get peeved. As for the fake profiles, I honestly can't say. I would have to see one first to give an opinion

Who's next up to bat?

Do you regret any of the disputes you've had with wrestlers or feds in the past?

I don't regret the whole CWO deal because their product is so bad, I really wouldn't want to be associated with it. Like I said before, that has a lot to do with people running it. They tried to make an example out of me and have become THE example for putting on a bad show anywhere. I don't regret the RPW deal either. It was what it was (but I'm not bitter). The only beef I have ever regretted is with my cousin Mr. Jones. We let the establishment turn us against each other. If there is any relationship I am glad I have repaired, it's that one. I also regret any bad words I had with TW James. He's really a good guy.

How did you and big bank ever squash yall beef?

He apologized.

Do you ever see yourself coming back down to awn full time? We miss you velvet!!!

I miss you guys too. And I was working on that, but the real world responsibilities hindered that. Their core group of guys (Anthony Andrews, Michael Stevens, Leon McMichael, Shane Curtis, Mike Cross, Drew Adler, and Zac Edwards) are all top-notch guys who perform at a high level. I definitely wanna get in that mix.

Do you sill talk to Bill Demott?

I do. He is always so busy but I do talk to him still.

Do you still have any kind of relationship with Johnnie Gayton?

Not really. I haven't spoken to him at length ever since RPW stopped booking me (but I'm not bitter). Any issues we might have are more business-related than anything else, but we've never been on bad terms at all.

What is your opinion of the georgia insider?

It was kinda cool for a while. Then, the commentary started getting real personal. The ring rat thing was tasteless but very humorous and got a lot of great reaction. It moved from that to trying to put certain guys over. It was a good gimmick gone bad. In the end, it felt like a long, drawn-out post on a shoot board. 

That's all i have for now.  This was fun.  As always, GIMME FEEDBACK!!!

One....

GIMME SOME FEEDBACK!!!

Thanks to the people at GeorgiaWrestlingHistory.com. my blog is being read by a wider audience.  I am greatly appreciative of this.  I also like it when the people (wrestler, fan, or whatever) read my blog and provide me with feedback.  My last article got quite abit of feedback.  However, they aren't showing up in the comments section of the blog. 

Even still, there are many questions people have brought into the New Year.  Ranging from all type of wrestling-related topics.  So here is the thing:  I WANNA HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY!!  I want to answer your questions and listen to the opinions of others.  Questions about feds, wrestlers, yourself, me, or whatever.  I will select a random number of random questions and answer them on this blog. 

So, please, send all of your wrestling-related questions to my facebook inbox at www.facebook.com/anthony.v.hall, my email account at sykhosis@yahoo.com, or you can hit me up on twitter at www.twitter.com/#!/PlanetVelvet.

The floor is open, Georgia.  Let's have some fun!!!!

P.S. - I'm not bitter.  Shout out to Stephen Platinum)