10 Best Tag Teams of 2018
This article is based on my personal opinion. Please keep in mind that i currently do not have the time to watch all of the wrestling there is. This list will consider all of WWE's (including NXT's), WOS' and WXW's output and everything i was able to watch from such as Progress Wrestling, Defiant, ICW, New Japan, NWA, Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling. This does not guarantee their content will be included.
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10. The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) (WWE)
The Revival barley make this list. In my opinion still one of the greatest Tag Team of the current era of wrestling, on RAW they seem to be on a very low low. How an allround perfect Team thatcombines past day wrestling with today's current style in such a beautfiul way not be at the top, with not worthy challengers in sight? Wherever they may go in 2019, nothing can be worse than their 2018. But still, they are incredible.
9. Aussie Open (Kyle Flechter & Mark Davis) (PROGRESS, ATTACK!, WXW, IPW, RevPro)
They are the current reigning Defiant, Progress and ATTACK! Tag Team Champion. Do i need to say more? I've been there live for all of their three matches at the WXW World Tag Team League and saw their outings for Revolution Pro Wrestling earlier this year. Especially Team SPLX vs. Aussie Open was a sight to see. What i love about them are the awesome mix of styles. Davis is the powerhouse of the group but also the one that bring the fun to the team, while Fletcher combines highflying with super mat-wrestling skills. They are going strong, i bet 2019 will be even stronger for them. OI! OI! OI!
8. Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) (WWE NXT, WWE NXT UK, PROGRESS)
In 2018 the team of Bate and Seven really arrived in WWE. Their feud with the Undisputed Era had only highs and no lows. The now infamous 'Towel Throw' by Tyler Bate during their NXT Tag Title match was fantastic bit of storytelling. But Moustache Mountain's 2018 did not sotp their, after already winning the NXT Tag Titles and finishing off their feud with the Undisputed Era, they arrived at NXT UK, where they begun having even better matches. The crowd loves the beared duo so much, they have multiple chants they can call their own. Right now they are positioning themselves as on of the Top Contenders for the NXT UK Tag Team Championship, while being booked all over the place. I can not wait to see them and Pete Dunne in action at WXW's 18th Anniversary show.
7. CCK (Chris Brookes & Jonathan Gresham) (PROGRESS, RevPro, WXW)
In 2017 CCK was not on my radar. I have heard of Chris Brookes, who never saw a him in action and Gresham was completley new to me. That all changed at Wrestling Media Con 2018. At Day 1 they had one of my all time favourite Tag Team bouts against Ringkampf. I couldn't stop screaming. THe face-off between Gresham and WALTER was insane. Glad they repeated it one month later at WXW World Tag Team League, again i was there live to see it. Also at WMC's 2nd Day CKK was involved in a 6-Men Tag with Chris Ridgeway against Allmark, Taguchi and Tiger Mask. Another banger. It seem liks Chris Brookes is moving away from CCK right now, but hot dam they should stick together. They were the team of the night at the World Tag Team League. CCK all the way!
6. The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) (ROH, NJPW)
Ain't no list about Tag Team without these two it seems. Although i don't follow much of New Japan, i couldn't get around these two. This year the Young Bucks again won ALL THE GOLD. ROH 6-Men Tag Titles TWICE, IWGP Junior and Heavyweight Tag Titles, WSW Tag Titles and NEVER Openweight 6-Men Tag Titles. But their tremendous success is not why they rank above Revival, CCK, Moustache Mountain and Aussie Open here. It is because of ALL IN. Not only was their Tag Team Main Event (though it was rushed due to time issues) awesome, it was them (with CODY) that made this possible. Selling out 10,000 seats for a non-WWE wrestling event, actually the first time since WCW folded, was somethign really special and it is because of them. 2019 probably sees the launched of AEW, a promotion run by the Bucks and the rest of the Elite. Can you believe it? Nick and Matt Jackson are history-makers and do some kicking wrestling at the side. Applause!
5. The OGz (Homicide & Hernandez) AND LAX (Santana & Ortiz) (Impact Wrestling)
I quickly realised i can not have this list without LAX, but also not without the OGz (the original LAX). They are bounded together until the dawn of time. Actually you could say: I watch Impact Wrestling for Tag Team Wrestling i watch Impact Tag Team Wrestling beause of LAX and The OGz. I believe the two teams are a big part of the revival of Impact Wrestling. Their match Slammiversary was one of the best Tag Team matches all year and LAX' match against Jody Fleisch and Jonny Storm at the Wrestling Media Con 2018. I actually want them to stick together and remain a critical part of Impact Wrestling, maybe even together as one big latin power-group.
4. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (WWE NXT UK)
The day these two formed i knew they are going all out. Right now they are one of my favourite Tag Teams and eversince their remarkable match against the Undisputed Era at NXT Takeover Chicago II. Unfortunatley Oney got injured during this match, throwing their momentum back a couple of months. Right now they are still on a recovering path back the hype they once had. The reason i am ranking this duo so high is because they created something huge out of nothing. Especially Burch, who seems to be doomed to be nothing more than a 'good hand' for the british indy scene and Lorcan who was NXT's resident babyface jobber. Not anymore. Both fought out of these holes and are not one strong unit. Until now i loved watching this unfold, i really hope there is more to come. I want them to win Tag Team gold in 2019.
3. Lucha Bros. (Penta El 0M & Fenix) (Impact Wrestling)
The first comment under their entrance video reads 'Please don't leave, go up north and get buried. Stay in Impact, you guys are fantastic to watch'. Well it seems the are the one true serious Lucha Team outside of Mexico. The real-life brothers have created a brand of their own. They are current reigning MLW Tag Team Champions and have had numerous Impact Wrestling Tag Title shots during 2018. Also they had incredible showings at WXW's World Tag Team League and ALL IN, which turned them into some hot free agents, but it seems they are not going to WWE. NJPW seems more likely. Imagine them getting there. I personally noticed that these guys indeed have no fear. The best topes of the business. Here come the MOTN guys. Here comes the boom.
2. Ringkampf (WALTER & Timothy Thatcher) (WXW, PROGRESS, OTT)
One of the most booked Tag Teams in Europe. WALTER even signed with WWE (NXT UK) recently. That tells you how big they are. After a very very strong 2017, they dragged their WXW Tag Titles into March of 2018, but them lost them. But that didn't stop them. Being booked in OTT, Progress and (of course) WXW, aswell as RevPro, the austrian-english connection dominated the scene. Almost every match made headlines. CCK vs. Ringkampf, Ringkampf vs. Lucha Bros, EVIL and SANADA, Ringkampf vs. Okami, etc. The list goes on and on. It looks like WXW is splitting them up and WALTER will move to NXT UK anyway. So The 18th Anni-Show by WXW on December 22nd might be the last time they team in a long time. I'm just happy to be there.
1. The Undisputed Era (Kyle O' Reilly & Roderick Strong) (WWE NXT)
Of course Unidsputed Era are also Bobby Fish and Adam Cole, but let's face it: O' Reilly and Strong currently are the Tag Team inside of the group. I mean they are holding the NXT Tag Team Titles and every match delivers. Their reaction is incredible. The way they are carrying themselves (O' Reilly especially) is awesome. Micwork: Perfect. They are the selling point, the highlight of NXT and NXT has an entire pool of great workers, so to be at the very top of the division is insane. From January to December. Every televised match, wether it be on a regular TV episode or on a Takeover, every single time it was pure fury. How can a team work this damn good? In addition to that everyone who has faced them, came out better than before. This is undisputed.
Let's just hope WWE Main roster does not ruin them.
Honorable Mentions/Watch out in 2019: Okami (Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani)
