Correct The Award: PWI Tag Team Of The Year

[The Brain]

This is the second in the PWI Award thread. This time we will look at Tag Team of the Year. The idea is to right a wrong and give your opinion on when the wrong team won the award. Here’s the list:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PWI_Tag_Team_of_the_Year

The year that jumps out to me is 2000. The Hardy Boys won the award, but I think this clearly should have gone to Edge & Christian. Let’s take a look at some E&C wins throughout 2000. They beat the Hardy Boy at No Way Out. They won the triangle ladder match at WrestleMania that included the Hardy Boys. They beat Road Dogg & X Pac at Backlash. They won a fatal four way at King of the Ring that included the Hardy Boys. They won another triangle ladder match at SummerSlam that included the Hardy Boys. They beat the Hardy Boys again at No Mercy. They won another fatal four way at Armageddon. That’s a damn fine year. I know the Hardys beat E&C at Unforgiven, but E&C were clearly the more dominant team. There is no way the Hardys should have won this award over E&C. Usually the votes are at least somewhat objective but this was clearly just a popularity contest.

Take a look at the list and let me know which one you would change.

 

[nutt]

The PWI awards are based off of fan balloting and nothing to do with the actual 'Tag Team of the Year'.

Keep in mind 2003....Team Angle won the award over America's Most Wanted but TNA's tag team division was light years better (and still is) of either WWE brands. Also, TNA was in a weekly PPV format back then.

 

[The Brain]

The PWI awards are based off of fan balloting and nothing to do with the actual 'Tag Team of the Year'.

Keep in mind 2003....Team Angle won the award over America's Most Wanted but TNA's tag team division was light years better (and still is) of either WWE brands. Also, TNA was in a weekly PPV format back then.

I am well aware the awards are based off fan balloting as I stated in my first thread yesterday. The point is to point out where you feel the fans went wrong. There is no actual official tag team of the year. PWI is pretty much all we have to go by with these awards. I'm just looking for opinions. Thanks for yours on the 2003 choice.

 

[Rayne]

This could be a fun series, because the PWI holds to reality along the same lines as a good, hard mushroom trip; it only makes sense when you're in the middle of it. Hell, AJ Styles won this year after his world title reign made the world at large go "now why should we care about TNA?"

Edge and Christian were damned good in 2000, but they were that good because they had the Hardyz to be their foil. It's easy to look back with today's "interwebz hate the Hardyz" eyes that so many people have, but in 2000, they were hotter then hell. That was back when fans still popped for tag teams; back when they were capable of main-eventing a RAW or house show easily.

It could have gone either way, which is why I think the Hardyz were a fine choice for the award that year; if you have to give it to one of the two teams, fans will always like reading about the face team more.

 

[The Brain]

This could be a fun series, because the PWI holds to reality along the same lines as a good, hard mushroom trip; it only makes sense when you're in the middle of it. Hell, AJ Styles won this year after his world title reign made the world at large go "now why should we care about TNA?"

Edge and Christian were damned good in 2000, but they were that good because they had the Hardyz to be their foil. It's easy to look back with today's "interwebz hate the Hardyz" eyes that so many people have, but in 2000, they were hotter then hell. That was back when fans still popped for tag teams; back when they were capable of main-eventing a RAW or house show easily.

It could have gone either way, which is why I think the Hardyz were a fine choice for the award that year; if you have to give it to one of the two teams, fans will always like reading about the face team more.

I remember how hot the Hadys were ten years ago. My opinion has nothing to do with any Hardy hate that the IWC feels today. I very clearly remember being disappointed in the results when they came out. I don't see how this could have gone either way given the results I posted above. I would think winning both TLC matches would make E&C the automatic favorite for the award. They got those wins and plenty others that made them the best team of 2000.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

I'm noticing a continuing theme here not only with the threads but my answers. Like the match thread, I'm going to have to go with 2008.

Beer Money? Seriously? I think everyone is well aware that the best team that year was John Morrison & the Miz. They were entertaining on the mic and were good in the ring. Miz & Morrison were tag team champions for the first seven months of the year and again at the end of the year. They proved themselves to be the best team in the WWE and were one of the highlights of the year. They even feuded with DX (briefly).

Miz & Morrison were a much better choice than Beer Money.

 

[ABMorales787]

I'm noticing a continuing theme here not only with the threads but my answers. Like the match thread, I'm going to have to go with 2008.

Beer Money? Seriously? I think everyone is well aware that the best team that year was John Morrison & the Miz. They were entertaining on the mic and were good in the ring. Miz & Morrison were tag team champions for the first seven months of the year and again at the end of the year. They proved themselves to be the best team in the WWE and were one of the highlights of the year. They even feuded with DX (briefly).

Miz & Morrison were a much better choice than Beer Money.

I disagree. Miz and Morrison were basically wrestling nobodies for months. It's easy to impress when you're all alone. However when you look at Beer Money it was easy for them to work in complement with actual well defined teams such as Team 3D, MCMG and Rock n Rave. Unlike Miz and Morrison, all of Beer Money's opponents had some sort of contrasting gimmick that made them look dominant because they were the better tag team as oposed to John Morrison and The Miz. Who looked dominant because they competed with teams that hold smaller star power. It's kinda like when a big team up occurs, like when Shawn Michaels and John Cena were tag team Champions, but to a smaller degree of star power.

Miz and Morrison were to mid-card guys rolled into a team. Beer Money was made for the same reason, but developed into a full fledged tag team. The reason being because they were able tofind structure in TNA's tag team division. Something impossible to do in WWE because there is no tag team division.

 

[Dzone]

Tbh theres nothing shocking about the PWI Tag Team of the Year list... because fans choose who wins (either a tag team the fans love or love to hate... normally... lol).

But still theres only one im surprised about...
2009? Team 3D really? I've never really liked these fatso(s) but i do respect their 20 something tag team titles won... *forgot... lol*.

Surely 2009 should be Beer Money again, their just awesome lol.

 

[legendkiller1979]

The absolute biggest travisty in the history of this award took place in 1989. Demolition were WWF tag champs for all but two months of the year. When they did lose the belts, they pinned cleanly the brain busters in the first fall then were robbed in the next two falls to lose the belts. Who ends up with the award? THE BRAIN BUSTERS! They cheated to end the longest tag title reign in WWF history by cheating and never ever stood a chance against demolition. They were defeated in their first rematch. To sum everything up, Demolition dominated the entire year and the award went to the team that had two months of success and had to cheat to do it.

 

[DiscipleofWrestling]

I have to disagree with the 2008 and 2009 awards. The best tag team of 2008 was indeed The Miz and John Morrison, with all due respect to Beer Money. There are several reasons I feel this way: 1) The tag team arguably saved both of their careers. Morrison had come off of a Wellness Policy violation/suspension which derailed his ECW Championship run. The Miz on the other hand wasn't catching on as a singles star at the time, and it seemed creative was trying to throw things at the wall to see what would stick in making the Miz over with the crowd as a heel. 2) The tag team itself was the most entertaining aspect of ECW during 2008, and the team wrestled on multiple brands with their tag team titles. The team was over enough that on RAW's 800th Episode, they wrestled DX and were a fixture on Raw for most of their tenure after that. 3) Miz and Morrison on that year won both sets of tag team titles and on Cyber Sunday when the options were Miz and Morrison vs. Cryme Tyme or two other matches, including a tag team title match, the fans chose Miz and Morrison vs. Cryme Tyme. Beer Money was still on the rise as a tag team, but Miz and Morrison were truly entertaining and enjoying the peak of their tag team dominance of WWE.

In 2009, Beer Money deserved that award. They had a great series of matches with Team 3D in which I believe they more than carried their weight. The one constant in TNA that year despite the evolving MEM/Frontline gimmick was when Beer Money was in a ring, you knew you were going to get an entertaining match whether it was as a face or heel team. I don't get how Team 3D could have been anyone's choice as the best tag team of 2009. Beer Money maintained their entertainment value regardless of their opponent (Team 3D, British Invasion, MCMG, Booker/Steiner). Team 3D's entertainment value and wrestling performances varied greatly from opponent to opponent. Personally, I think Jerishow had a better all around year as a tag team and probably should have been in second place in the tag team rankings of 2009. Jerishow had very good matches with a variety of opponents and had shockingly good chemistry as a team. I'd still pick Beer Money as 2009's best team, but Jerishow should have been 2nd place at least.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The further back these awards go, the more "Kayfaybed they are" as PWI was never really anything more than part of the illusion of wrestling. I never took much stock in them to be honest as the only guarantee was the "smart" or right choice would be last...

1990 I would struggle to say that anyone but The Rockers deserved the award, particularly as they had been slated for the titles... their work was at its peak, and they were the most over team in the WWF at that time... The Steiners were new and tore up WCW but didn't hit their peaks till 1991... The Hart Foundation and Doom were both better... 1993 The Blondes deserved it over them too...

Some years are just ridiculous... The Nasty's over the Quebecers in 94... think not... Quebecers were something fresh and exciting and how the hell anyone could ever think Harlem Heat were better than Davey Boy and Owen in 1997 is beyond me... Those two guys made tag teaming relevant again for a time...

 

[phlewfy]

2008-They got it right. Beer Money was the shit then and they absolutely deserved the honor.

2009-They totally fucked up. Team 3D? No way, Jose! Without a doubt, and there can be no arguing this point, Beer Money was hosed. Beer Money is one of the great tag teams of the last 10 years. Nobody is as consistently good as Beer Money has been over the past 3 years. 3D is a legendary tag team, but they haven't really been relevant in a looooong time. Usually whatever program they are involved in is a snoozefest. The only thing 3D did in '09 that was of note was when they were involved with Beer Money. Of course this award being based on fan polling, I wouldn't expect them to get it right.

Beer Money was easily the best in 2008.
Beer Money was easily the best in 2009.
Beer Money is easily the best of 2010.

 

[misterb]

Easy answer. 1991. No greater travesty ever. LOD dominates the division (undefeated for over a year), wins the WWF tag titles, completes Triple Crown (which no one else would ever do)...and loses out to the Enforcers. A team that doesn't even last through September.

Great choice, PWI. As much as Arn Anderson rules, this was a horrible choice. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the "We can't give BOTH top awards to the WWF in the same year!" rule.

Even though I know the awards are a total work, 1991 still annoys me.

 

[#hamler]

2000 and 2001 both go to Edge and Christian
In 2000 they dropped the stupid "New Brood" gimmicks and became Santino like Commedy Heels. In 2000 the Hardy's weren't cutting great promos, they weren't 5 second posing and dressing in outlandish costumes to embarrass their opponents. In Wrestlemania2000, they went over the Dudley's and the Hardys in a triangle ladder match in which the match stole the show. They defeated DX for the Tag Team Championships at Backlash and beat Too-Cool for their second tag championhips later (after dropping the titles to them) in a four corners tag team championship match which included the hardys and T&A. At Summerslam that year, they defeated Hardyz and Dudleyz in the first ever TLC match which was less famous but equally as entertaining as the WM17 match (which was to come). In 2001 they defeated hardyz and Dudleyz again in the second TLC match. Edge also went on to win the King of the Ring tounoment and had feuded with his "brother", Christian. Dudley did little in 2001 besides a few matches and joining the "oh so boring" Alliance faction. Edge and Christain over Dudleys and Hardyz in 2000 AND 2001.

 

[Dyno Kid]

I thought that while not a rip-off that Ted Dibiase & Steve Williams should have won in 1985 over the Road Warriors. They had a great series of matches with the Rock n Roll Express, the Fantastics, Jake Roberts & the Barbarian, and the Guerreros and were just so much better workers than the Warriors.