Vince Russo 2.0 is back baby! And I’m doling out some more ‘Sully’s QUALITY TAG TEAM WRESTLING seal’s of approval’ but let’s call them sQTTWsa’s for short. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Monday Night RAW, I’ll be breaking down MY top 5 tag team matches on Monday Night RAW.
Buckle up, because you’re all in for the Monday night tag team ride of your lives.
5. Sheamus and Cesaro v. The Hardy Boyz (2 out of 3 Falls) – June 2017
The Hardyz are arguably one of the few tag teams that can headline a Hall of Fame. Cesaro and Sheamus were one of the surprise break-out tag teams of the past few years. This match was a formula for success. The two teams were already in a heated rivalry, and this match stoked the flames even more.
The match was hard hitting from the get-go. With the quick first fall, which obviously was due to the short time the wrestlers had, it made an immediate impact. Straight away the crowd is left wondering ‘Jeez are the Hardy Boyz going to get whitewashed?’ But then an incredible hot tag to Matt Hardy blows the match wide open.
With near falls, that truly felt like near falls tension kept on rising and rising. Although the ending was a little messy, with the wrestlers telegraphing the match would end in a double count-out, the ending seemed necessary. This is as the match kept building tension in am already hot feud.
Both teams went all out Sheamus and Cesaro showing hints of what we see now of their in-ring work. And the Hardyz, especially Matt, demonstrating that they can still really go in the ring, even if they’re a little slower than they were in 1999. The post-match brawl really punctuated the brutality of the match, the only thing I wish for was that the Champions celebrated the draw as if it were a victory. That would have gotten them real heat.
4. The Shield v. The Undertaker and Team Hell No – 2013
Grab your tea and scones mateys, this one’s coming from jolly ol’ London guv’nor. First thing’s first, The Undertaker was on FIRE. No, it wasn’t Kane’s pyrotechnics or third-degree burns on the way to the Elimination Chamber. Taker was moving like an uncaged animal!
All 6 men in this match killed it, even future holder of every single title at once Roman Reigns! The match demonstrated every man at their best. Bryan was a plucky underdog who sold the hell out of the fact The Shield was beating him down. Ambrose was the crazy guy who kept coming back for more. Rollins was showing off the fact he’s an amazing wrestler. And well Kane and Undertaker. They weren’t just big men. They were super fast, top rope jumping, chokeslam doling, profilin’, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ n’ dealin’ Brothers do Destruction.
It was clear everyone was pulling out the stops to please the crowd in the O2 arena. Word’s can’t describe how great Kane and Undertaker look in this match! Just watch it! It’s readily available on the WWE Network for only 9.99 a month!
3. Benoit, Edge and Jericho v. Evolution (Orton, Flair and Batista) – 2004
I try to avoid he who must not be named in my lists, but this match is too good. It starts off with a massive bang, with Edge choking Randy Orton with his bleeding jacket! This craziness did not let up throughout the match!
Flair and Benoit were trading chops like it was chop city! It was incredible, the chops were literally ringing throughout the arena. And a ‘young’ Batista was doing what he did best. Destroy all three members of the team I dub ‘Team Canada’. Talking of Team Canada, Mr 5* at the Tokyo Dome 2018, Chris Jericho himself was insane. Jericho was selling well, performing springboard manoeuvres with ease, and all the while having luscious blonde locks. Insane!
The match was leading up to Orton’s World Title win at Summerslam that year, and boy did this match make him look like a worthy competitor. He was merciless, fluid and heck, an Apex predator.
2. Flair, Austin and Bradshaw v. NWO (Hall, X-Pac and Big Show) – 2001
Legends… Legends everywhere. I can’t believe it, but JB(eat up the Blue Meanie)L made it on to one of my positive Top 5 lists. It’s a wrestling miracle! Start to finish this match is Attitude Era all over. Austin is a badass, Flair is a badass and even Bradshaw is a Badass! The NWO is there I suppose and that’s what counts.
This is going to be a short entrant because the match is so much fun, it can be broken down that easily. The match is bloody, brutal and has Ric Flair going full heel! Oooooooo baby! Let’s not forget this match sparked Flair’s pseudo NWO run. Personally, it’s a highlight of the Attitude Era.
And let’s not forget the salient point. JBL, in a match that featured Austin, Flair and X-Pac, was the stand-out competitors when it came to the actual wrestling and that is incredible.
1. Benoit and Jericho v. Austin and Triple H – 2001
First off, a huge huge huge round of applause to The Game for going around 6 minutes of action with a destroyed quad. Most men would have stayed down, but he fought to put on this masterclass of a match. This match was wow. It’s not just the best tag team match in Raw History, it’s one of the best tag team matches in WWE history, full stop.
Every single competitor fought like their lives depended on it, there were genuine passion and feeling in every single part of this match. From start to finish it was just exhilarating.
If you thought 2004 Jericho was good, 2001 Jericho was amazing. He was no-stop, in and out of the ring. Benoit was, laying it in stiff, with chops and leaping halfway across the ring for a flying headbutt (which is both amazing and tragic in hindsight.) Austin, although being the ultimate babyface in wrestling, was doing some great heel work here, his brawler style actually fitted being a heel. And well as mentioned, Triple H, going through the finish of the match with literally one leg, as always was vicious, and some would say cerebral.
Once again I cannot state enough how every moment of the match felt important. Every single fall, felt like it was the winning fall. Every single spot felt right. The match was messy and all over the place, but it felt like it should be like that. The match spilt to the outside so many times, but that wasn’t a bad thing. The referee was bumping around, but that just added to the drama.
In and out of the ring this watch was breathtaking. If you want to watch a true example of Quality Tag Team Wrestling, look to this match.
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