The third edition of this series is a tribute to the newly voted “Best Tag Team”. This was by far the hardest category to decide so far. After asking our Facebook followers to vote on the best team, I noticed a trend. Four tag teams stood out this year, so I created a fantasy fatal four-way match to decide the undisputed winner. I tried hard to reach our followers to vote, and it was very close throughout.
After 24 hours, I decided to go on a mission. I knew I couldn’t announce anything here until I had found a winner. The votes were almost completely tied across the board, so I stated that the first team to go ahead by two votes would automatically win. The winner was soon decided after a rush of votes.
All four teams have fought hard this year. They have won championships, they have had incredible matches, and hopefully they will continue to do so in 2015. So in no particular order, I will give a brief description on the three teams that missed out.
The Young Bucks (Independents)
Some fans may recognize them from their time in TNA as Generation Me. The brothers of Matt and Nick have worked hard to dominate the indy scene with their amazing tag team skills. Look at the championships they won this year!
ROH World Tag Team Championship, PWG Tag Team Championship, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, FWE Tag
Team Championship, FSW Tag Team Championship, IWL Tag Team Championship and PWD Tag
Team Championship.
As far as winning championships goes, The Young Bucks cannot be matched this year. They still hold four tag team championships from different promotions. Their chemistry is natural, and at the young ages of 29 (Matt) and 25 (Nick), they have many years ahead to pick up more championships. Some fans compare them to the Hardy Boyz, but I would say their athleticism and chemistry surpasses them. Could they garner a following similar to the Hardys one day? If only WWE would give these guys a chance, they would amaze everyone and make other teams look ordinary. I doubt anyone could keep up with these guys.
reDRagon (ROH)
I’m not going to lie, I don’t watch ROH. I appreciate everything ROH does, and I respect how hard the wrestlers work there. I do hear a lot about this team, and they have been dominant in ROH and across the world since 2012.
Just to give you an idea on how dominant the team has been this year, you have to look at the stats. Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish won the ROH Tag Team Championship for the third time in May. Since then, they have defended the title on eleven occasions. No team has defended that many times since The Briscoe Brothers in 2007, it shows how much faith the company has in them. Not only that, but they went on to defeat The Young Bucks in the finals of the NJPW 2014 Super Jr. Tag Tournament. They defeated Time-Spiltters in November to become IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, making them double champions. The team has a great following, and I wasn’t surprised to see so many votes for them. If you want to say this is your best tag team of 2014, I won’t argue with you.
The Wolves (TNA)
I see too much unneeded negativity surrounding TNA, and it makes little sense because TNA turned a corner this year. Triple H decided he didn’t want The Wolves (because Davey botched a spot during a tryout match), so Davey encouraged Eddie to join him in TNA. They wanted to prove the point that WWE made the wrong decision to let them go. Boy .. did they ever prove their point. The Wolves have been one of the main reasons to tune into TNA this year. They have not been messed around by silly storylines, TNA has had them focused on the TNA World Tag Team Championship since day one.
When The Wolves came into TNA, the tag team division was non-existent. The only team available was The Bromans, who were the current champions. After many months of feuding between the two, The Wolves picked up the win on a house show. They soon lost the title back to them in Japan. In April, The Wolves won a handicap match to claim the championship for the second time.
From then on, The Wolves became the top tag team, but who would step up to face them? TNA had to create competition for them, so they brought Devon and Matt Hardy back. Team 3D reunited, The Hardys reunited, and both teams wanted to prove they were still the best tag team in the world. Bully Ray did a lot of the talking, like he does. It soon transpired into a tag team series between the three teams. Whichever team won a match would pick the stipulation for the following match.
- The series started with a regular three-way tag. Team 3D won the first match.
- Team 3D decided the next match would be a Tables match. The Hardys won the second match.
- The Hardys decided the next match would be a Ladder match. The Wolves won the third match.
- The Wolves decided the last match would be Full Metal Mayhem. The match was one of the best main events TNA produced all year, and you can view part of it below. The Wolves went over in glorious fashion.
The Wolves lost their titles to James Storm and Abyss in September. I believe this was because Davey picked up an injury. He should be healed for the new year though
Whether The Wolves ended up in WWE, TNA, ROH, or Japan this year, they would have been recognized as one of the best tag teams in the world. Don’t knock them because they went to TNA.
The Usos (WWE) – Best Tag Team of 2014
The twin brothers broke out this year. They started by defeating the legendary tag team of The New Age Outlaws to become champions on Raw. They defended the belts against The Real Americans, Curtis Axel & Ryback, Los Matadores, Batista & Orton, and Harper & Rowan. They kept the titles for 202 days until Gold & Stardust defeated them at Night of Champions. Despite losing the belts, The Usos continued to challenge for them.
Wrestling enthusiasts would argue The Usos do not deserve to be the best tag team of 2014. I won’t argue with their point of view … however, popularity plays a huge part in who gets the votes, and WWE wrestlers will always have that advantage. WWE is the “big leagues”, and fans are likely to vote for The Usos because they don’t know who the other teams are. Whether you know the teams or not, the tag teams highlighted here deserved to win. The Usos cannot be disrespected because they worked hard this year. They shone brightly at the top of the biggest promotion for most of the year. This was their breakout year, and they earned it with their consistent performances.
I shall leave you with a “feel good” moment. The Usos victory over The New Age Outlaws for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Thanks for reading, and more thanks to those who continue to vote. The next category will be up soon!
