LOD: the greatest tag team ever?

[Hazardous]

straight forward question. was the Legion of Doom the greatest Tag Team ever?
if you look back on older footage, listen to not only the pop when their music hit, but during the match, the "LOD" chant rivals the "lets go Cena" chant of today. when you herd " UUUUAAAHHHH WHAT A RUSH" everyone and i mean EVERYONE went nuts, young and old. the sholder pads? sick. those were my favorite thing about wrestling when i first started watching. and being the only team to win world tag titles in all three of the top promotions of the 1980s. also i think they were like a 14 or 15 time tag champs. now of course i mean the REAL LOD, or Road warriors. Animal and Hawk. not any the other ones, and NOT droz, as the drug and alcohol angle was very bad on Vince's part.

but what do ya all think about it

 

[PanICattAck313]

LOD greatest tag team ever..... iam gonna have to say they were one of the greats but not the best. In my opinion and i might catch heat for it but the dudley boyz have always been in my opinion the best. I have been a fan my whole life and know all the greats, but it just seems the dudley boyz were the best, they had a solid gimmick could wrestle with any tag team out thier and have a great match, thier tlc matches are legendary, not to mention they have won the most tag team belts of any team and in all 4 federations, WCW,ECW,WWE, and tna. Thier finisher was way better than the doomsday device in my opinion and these guys could work the mic like no other tag team, they could make you love them or hate them. Thier only downfall would be they couldnt catch on as singles wrestlers but niethier could LOD. But were were talking tag teams so i guess that dont matter.

 

[Maestro48239]

I totally agree that the Road Warriors were the Premiere tag team. but unfortunately, Vince got a hold of them, and turned them into clowns. in my opinion some of the greatest feuds they were ever in were in the old NWA or AWA.

WWE/F had to have them sooooo bad that they created an LOD knock-off, Demolition. all talented wrestlers, but unfortunately, they phased out once the LOD came to town. then reduced them to having a doll. hawk playing off his real life problems. and then finally the LOD 2000.

 

[cwill18]

The greatest draw, yes. The greatest team, no. I'd go with Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard as the greatest team, but there is no denying the Road Warriors were probably the biggest draw.

 

[dtroppe]

What defines the greatest tag time? It could be argued the rockers were the greatest as they put on a great match and then Shawn went on to have a great singles career. Or maybe the Hardy boys or edge and Christian as all of them went on to a great singles career after a great tag career. How about Austin and the dude or Rock and sock connection.

 

[lamo78]

I agree with dtroppe. There is no criteria really set here as to what makes the best tag team. Are we talking innovative types? Actual tag teams? Ones they threw together like Kane and X-Pac? There are a lot of good/great tag teams that came through the ranks. For me, nothing topped Demolition. Yes, they were a LOD rip off. But at the time I watched WWF and nothing else so Demolition was all I knew. I also feel that the British Bulldogs were often overlooked in tag team discussions.

The technical ability of Dynamite Kid and the power of Davey were awesome.

 

[GodCompleX]

Greatest Team? ABSOLUTELY. They were not the most technically savvy wrestlers ever but they knew what was important(giving the fans what they wanted to see). People criticize them for not selling enough, but selling wasn't their job in the company. They were innovators of sheer brutality in the ring. They were household names worldwide during the territory days AND when WWF ruled the world. Everywhere they touched ground at they were champions. WWF, NWA, AWA, Japan, 6 Man Tag Champs, etc... They drew, they drew so much they, a tag team, would headline cards! Starcade 84: Night of the Skywalkers was even named for their match! They had a slew of imitators (Demolition, Powers of Pain, Doom, etc) and influenced numerous tag teams (The Dudley's, Public Enemy, Nasty Boys, Skyscrappers, etc). When they entered an arena you knew it. There's a reason that in this industry there is such a thing called "A Road Warrior Pop", it's the epitome of crowd reaction. So yes, in Jericho terms they were the best at what they did.

 

[VencomHardcore]

YES . YES. YES. And to anyone that says no, please go back and watch some old footage. The LOD were the most innovative tag team ever. They brought in the muscular look to wrestling. Before that , you didn't find bodybuilders on the scene. They had unique finishers at that time. They headlined !!!!!

I remember going to GCW in Atlanta and them headlining against Andre the Giant and Masked Superstar for the Main Event. When they walked in the roof came off the Omni.

No one up until that time had ever had a crowd reaction in every territory they were in. Not even Rock and Roll express. LOD sold lots of merchandise which was something that tag teams didn't do back in the territories. And believe men since VKM couldn't get them , he created a clone: Demolition.

That speaks volume to how over they were. LOD was the greatest tag team hands down. Technically I would say the Original Minnesota Wrecking Crew, Ole and Gene for really elevating tag team wrestling through great ring work. Ole and Gene were tag team specialist that rarely had singles matches. [ Kind of like 3D ]. Most of the psychology that you see today was created by the Andersons.

But LOD has to be the greatest because in crowd reaction, merchandise sales, championships, populartiy without Vince, Television exposure, headlining, butts in the seats, innovation and looks. THEY DID IT FIRST AND BETTER .

No other tag team anyone on this board can mention is or was as over in these criteria as the LOD. And there have been some great teams. Most recent teams were made by Vince. The LOD weren't !!!! They were the best and biggest without him . That makes them the greatest.

 

[Hartfan]

Come on, you guys can't expect me to believe that the lod was the greatest tag team..... In my opinion the Midnight Express was probably the greatest tag team because they could actually wrestle and carry any team they stepped into the ring with.....

 

[Hazardous]

Come on, you guys can't expect me to believe that the lod was the greatest tag team..... In my opinion the Midnight Express was probably the greatest tag team because they could actually wrestle and carry any team they stepped into the ring with.....

how was the crowd reaction to them though? did they have 91,000 fans on their feet for them? that is why LOD got my nod. they were one the few tag teams who could main event a PPV back in the 90's. and i mean a REAL tag team for the ones who asked. the ones who started as a team, and went their whole careers as a team.

 

[Captain Jive]

They're no Santino & Kozlov, but they're OK.

Seriously though, YES I do believe they are the greatest. Just seeing them come out there, you knew somebody was gonna get the shit kicked out of them. I started watching them when they were in NWA when I was a kid, and there was nothing that could compare to the energy level the crowd had when they came out. Sure, they didn't have a Dean Malenko moveset, but they didn't need it. I believe that if it weren't for the Road Warriors, tag team wrestling wouldn't have been as prominent as it once was. So when you look at crowd reaction and what was done for the industry, that makes them the best ever.

 

[disturbedbob]

OK! So when I was growing up LOD got the loudest pop for a tag team, so from a business perspective they may well have earnt their respective companies the most money, but does that make them the best? This remember though was during a golden age for tag teams. Candidates include:

The British Bulldogs: Talk about innovation, these guys invented the big guy/little guy combos that we saw time and again afterwards. Highly underated.

Hart Foundation - No one mentioned the hitman/anvil. These guys could put on a match with anyone. LOD couldn't (remember the 30 sec squash of Power and Glory....oh dear)

Demolition - maybe LOD ripoffs but they had more memorable matches in my opinion, 2/3 falls against the Harts and the rivalry with the Powers of Pain.

The Brainbusters - 2 of the original 4 Horseman, invented psychology....nuff said.

The Steiner Bros - OMG Steiner line, Frankensteiner, Bulldogs of the top rope, was there another tag team who beat their opponents in so many different ways. (plus they pinned the Road Warriors clean)

Others who deserve a mention: The Blackjacks, Midnight Express, Rock and Roll Express, Orient Express, Freebirds, Rockers, Stike Force.

The only teams around nowadays worth talking about are all in TNA. WWE has allowed their tag team division to be crippled to the point where no one cares about Usos v Harts. Never thought I'd say this, but I would rather watch Ink Inc v The Band. Wolfe and Brutus have teamed for one match and already look a better team than Cryme Time ever were. I hope TNA keep this dying tradition alive. The best of 5 series has been awesome so far.

 

[Jay85]

They are definitely top five. When I was a kid they were definitely my favorite, and they were so good that before they even came to the WWF(E), Vince McMahon made a clone of them in Demolition.

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

Yes, The Road Warriors were, are and will forever be the greatest tage team of all time! (I complete hate to call them The Legion of Doom because realistically, the Legion of Doom consisted of The Road Warriors, Jake Roberts, King Kong Bundy, The Spoiler and---little known fact---a young Arn Anderson was trying to be in The Legion of Doom down in Georgia before he went to the Crocketts).

I will now back track what I just said and say The Road Warriors from 1983-1989 were the greatest tag team of all time. Jim Crockett Promotions made Hawk & Animal the monsters they were. Everyone feared them, even when during their promos they acted like they didn't. The Road Warriors really didn't need titles, as was apparent when it took them almost six years to win their first NWA World Tag Team Titles, and they had to be heels to do it. They were just bad asses.

I said the years between 1983-1989 because no one had ever seen anything like them before. But once the middle of '89 hit and fans started to see The Steiners and what Rick & Scott could do in the ring, it was almost the Hogan/Warrior effect where fans still loved The Road Warriors but they started to really be drawn to The Steiners, which caused the fans to digress away from Hawk & Animal, thus landing them in the WWF, where their careers stalled not once, but twice.

Vince never did right by any of the NWA stars who came over, even though almost all of them won titles (with the exception, oddly enough, of Dusty Rhodes, hell even Kerry Von Eric won the Intercontiental Title). It just never clicked with Hawk & Animal in the WWF and I think the fans saw that and moved further away from them. Fans old enough to remember being scared to death of The Road Warriors when they were on the cover of the March 1984 PWI Magazine (if you don't know what I mean, buy it on ebay) knew what the Road Warriors were all about and THAT verison to me is what will always be the greatest. Long Live The Road Warriors.

 

[Hazardous]

great reply's you guys, after making the thread, i went back and watched all the old footage i could find, and i dont think the tag team division would be what it is toda...err.. bad example.. i dont think it would have been what it was in the early 2000's without LOD/The Road Warriors. you can say that 3D is better, but without LOD there is no 3D, thats like saying Cena is better than Hogan, or any of those other present-Past references.

 

[GodCompleX]

Come on, you guys can't expect me to believe that the lod was the greatest tag team..... In my opinion the Midnight Express was probably the greatest tag team because they could actually wrestle and carry any team they stepped into the ring with.....

To that I say Starcade 84. ME(Condry & Eaton or Eaton & Lane) were fun to watch sometimes but FAR from the greatest. Road Warriors destroyed them numerous times. 2nd to RW's IMO are the Steiners followed by The British Bulldogs, Arn & Tully, The REAL Hart Foundation then ME and RnR Express.

 

[CraigThe13th]

how was the crowd reaction to them though? did they have 91,000 fans on their feet for them? that is why LOD got my nod. they were one the few tag teams who could main event a PPV back in the 90's.

When did either of them events happen? I don't recall LOD being at Wrestlemania III. They were with Crockett then I'm sure. The Only PPV they ever headlined in the 90's was Canadian Stampede as far as I know and they shared top billing with 8 other wrestlers, among them Bret Hart and Stone Cold.

They will always be the most well known and successful tag team in history but the best? Nah I'd go with Arn & Tully or The Rockers, both top notch but well underrated.

 

[Rasha]

I'm a bit disappointed that nobody's mentioned El Dandy and Silver King. They were jam-up guys and serious professionals. Who are you to doubt them? (Bret's greatest mic moment)

Seriously, I think you have to go with LOD/Road Warriors. When I think back on old school WWF, I remember marking out for these guys more than anyone except Hogan. There was a great balance between them in the ring and Hawk was awesome on promos. The Doomsday Device seemed so innovative and visually impressive for its time. When you think of the tag team landscape during their run (Nasty Boyz, Natural Disasters, Bushwhackers), LOD was carrying the division almost single-handedly. Those other teams would've been pretty uninteresting without them.

And though I do belive LOD was #1, I'd like to bring up a team nobody's mentioned yet; The Outsiders. Yes, I know we all just spit on their memory now. But at the time, was there anything cooler than Hall and Nash? I know we give Austin, Rock, and the WWF all the credit for the "Attitude Era," but I think some of it has to go to the Outsiders for what they brought to WCW and what the WWF had to try and counter. The first couple years when they would take over the commentary table, Hall's surveys, Nash's pre-Wolfpac promos... they were amazing. And really, they were pretty solid in the ring as well before Nash lost his knees.

 

[Hazardous]

When did either of them events happen?

the event im talking about was Wembly stadium, Summerslam? survivor series? 1992. and i didnt say they DID main event, i said they were one of the few who COULD. if they put them in the main event, the crowd would still love it.

 

[Buddrunk420]

Awesome ring entrance? Hell yeah... Besides Vinny Macs cheap rip off with Demolition nobody has ever looked as crazy and intemidating as the LOD coming to the ring. Cool face paint, Spiked shoulder pads, and sometimes Motor cycles. Thats Awesome! After that im not so impressed. Sure for there time and place they were Great but not the Greatest.

In my opinion the Steiners and British Bulldogs are alot better but only for one reason. These 2 teams could actually wrestle. Steiners being the GREATEST OF ALL TIME.

I will say this... When i was 10 yrs old, i had my brothers old football pads spray painted black and glued toilet paper rolls wrapped in alluminum foil for spikes. So i was a Hugh mark for the LOD. I just dont feel they are the GREATEST ever.

Steiners
Bulldogs
LOD
Hart Foundation
Hollywood Blonds

 

[mulkeymania]

most definitely they were the greatest--probably didnt have the greatest in ring skills but with that raw power who needs to wrestle? just awesome with the iron man theme song and loved them with precious paul ellering beside them.

i agree with maestro that vince mcmahon made a joke of them and probably tarnished their legacy somewhat but that was expected since he didnt create them so just like everything he didnt create he just crapped on them. how in the world could anyone buy the road dogg and billy gunn as being superior to LOD? seriously?

 

[Davi323]

If you are too young to remember them pre-WWF, you probably wouldn't think they were the best. If you go back and include their lengthy AWA, NWA and Japan runs, and how they just ran over people, the answer is obvious. Of course Animal and Hawk are the greatest tag team ever.

Great gimmick? Check.
Great entrance? Check.
Memorable catch phrase? Check.
Over with the crowd? Check.
20 plus year career as a team together? Check.
A shitload of championships from multiple promotions all over the world? Check.

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

Arguably yes...

The other teams that are considered the best were around at the same time...you cannot look at a team now and say theya re the best because back when LOD were together, there were amazing tag teams around..

Others considered as greatest are The Hart Foundation, The Andersons, Steiner Brothers, The Fabolous Freebirds, The British Bulldogs, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson, Terry Funk and Dory Funk Jr, Stan Hansen and Bruiser Brody...


Anyone can argue, there is no real asnwer....However, LOD were a big force back in the days and were BIG draws...

 

[Tenta]

Hmm... I figures this would be the case. Ok, guys, let Father Tenta in to see the damage. The truth is, The Road Warriors are a great draw, but definitely not the greatest tag team of all time. That right there has to go to the New Age Outlaws. Look, The Road Warriors had a great look, and that's about it. Really, they are the Hulk Hogan of the Tag Division, except they didn't do half for the business what Hulk Hogan did. I always found their ring work awkward and just couldn't get myself in their matches. I hated the way they no sold just about everyone, up until Doom came around. I mean, My God, they no sold a Pile Driver from the Midnight Express, Bobby Eaton specifically. Think about that; the piledriver was considered deadly at the time, and Hawk no sold it like it was nothing. Their promos were never that great, and the New Age Outlaws, along with The Outsiders, Demolition, The British Bulldogs, and probably Edge and Christian, outclass them in every single way possible. They were a duo of big bodybuilders who worked in a division of smaller tag teams that could carry them, like the Midnight Express, The Horsemen, etc. That could make them look like gold. If anything, I'd even say the Midnight Express were better than The Road Warriors.

Are they legendary? Sure. The best ever? Abso-fucking lutely not. And I'd love to see someone change my opinion

 

[mulkeymania]

id try to change your opinion but if someone thinks demolition,the new age outlaws and the outsiders performed better than LOD it abso-fucking lutely cant be done. i will give credit to the bulldogs and midnight express and arn anderson/tully blanchard team but ill always say LOD were the greatest--kind of like people consider hogan great because he drew money but couldnt wrestle a lick either.