Overrated/Underrated: The Outsiders

[TheOneBigWill]

Simple.. was this Tag Team a dominating Tag Team and perhaps one of the very best in the business, or was this Tag Team very overrated merely because it had two high profile and very successful single's wrestlers?

According to Wiki, they've been 6 time W.C.W. Tag Team Champions. That's highly impressive, but a lot of teams held the W.C.W. Tag titles an outrageous number of times, so in looking back, it's not AS impressive.

From personal opinion, I loved this Tag Team and was a huge fan of them being paired together. They were the sole reason I began watching W.C.W. and got hooked, and that's the truth. I could've cared less for Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and the Horsemen, or Sting. But it was the n.W.o. and the Outsider's as a team that hooked me into loving everything else about W.C.W.

Still, that doesn't proclaim them as worthy enough to be considered a great duo.

If I'm also being fair in my opinion, I have to look at how much the Outsiders didn't truly do anything on their own, and a lot of their Tag Title victories came through n.W.o. tactics. Granted that was the whole purpose, but still. It doesn't make them a great Tag Team, so much as an amazing faction.

I'm honestly going to say I believe they were overrated for being nothing more than a Tag Team that came in mid-1996 and split up a mere two years later. Only to rejoin and roughly do nothing other than backstage skits after that.

What is everyone else's opinions on this Tag Team? Overrated, Underrated, or Just Right? Give your opinions on them and make sure you explain yourself.

 

[klunderbunker]

I said overrated. To me, they were over for a few weeks and then it wasn't them that was over, it was Hogan and them by association. Six title reigns? Really? I remember I think 2. I know there were more but they really ran together. Hall and Nash were two big men that were intimidating, were both great on the mic and good in the ring, but to me they were nothing more than Hogan's lackies. Hall was kind of left off to the side as Nash began fighting with Hogan for power in the NWO. I believe it was Halloween Havoc 1998 where they officially broke up and there was no real shock to it, meaning it was a long time coming. They were big for one thing and then after that, just there. To me, overrated, but still cool.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

I said overrated. To me, they were over for a few weeks and then it wasn't them that was over, it was Hogan and them by association. Six title reigns? Really? I remember I think 2. I know there were more but they really ran together.

That's honestly what I thought too. I knew they had more than six, cause I remembered two against Harlem Heat, one or two possibly against the Steiner's, and I almost wanna say one against Flair and Piper. But that doesn't sound right. It was likely 3 against the Steiner's, 2 against Harlem Heat & 1 against Lex Luger & the Giant.

The overall point is, like you said, they all ran together so much that only the first one really meant something worth anything. It's not like Harlem Heat's 11. I mean, at least more than 1 of those meant something.

Hall and Nash were two big men that were intimidating, were both great on the mic and good in the ring, but to me they were nothing more than Hogan's lackies.

I refuse to say they were Hogan's "lackies" because I'm on the slim side fighting to claim Hogan was helped in being "reborn" by Nash & Hall, instead of fading into being just another old guy on the roster. (yeah, I said it)

But the fact is, that makes them a great faction, not a great Tag Team.

Hall was kind of left off to the side as Nash began fighting with Hogan for power in the NWO.

That was more Scott Hall's own personal real life issues than anything else. I'm sure he would've played a great deal more in a much larger role since he was one of the original 3.

I believe it was Halloween Havoc 1998 where they officially broke up and there was no real shock to it, meaning it was a long time coming. They were big for one thing and then after that, just there. To me, overrated, but still cool.

It was Slammboree 1998 in which Hall turned on Nash. They had a match at Halloween Havoc 98, that was a match I greatly looked forward to and to be honest (to me) it didn't disappoint until the ending, when Nash just more or less owned Hall throughout then "walked out" allowing Hall to win via countout, all because Nash just wanted to prove a point.

Their break-up was widely viewed by millions as "foreseeable" however, so I agree there that it wasn't shocking. Especially as the Scott Steiner turn, well, not AS much anyways. I kinda felt with how cocky Steiner was turning that he'd turn.. but it's still shocking to see that happen.

 

[klunderbunker]

Hogan was just another old guy on the roster. He had his time, and by the end of the company he was as dull as everyone else was. Hall and Nash were built up as these badasses who were a real threat because they were the unknown. They came from that other company up north, and who knew who the third guy could be. When it became known that Hogan was the third man, they couldn't help but be overshadowed by Hogan. That was the biggest shock in wrestling history and no one would have been able to make their push last through it. Hall was indeed plagued by his own issues. Had he not had those, who knows what he could have done? Hall and Nash just don't have the long term qualifications to me to be one of the biggest teams ever. They made a huge impact, but it didn't last long enough with it being just those two.

 

[Shocky]

Hall is very under rated when it comes to his in ring work. He was easily the in ring general of the two, and very capable of going long times in the ring before getting the hot tag. This team is under rated, and highly under rated.

This was the stereotypical formula that made a great tag team. As I said earlier, Hall, even at 6'8" was the technical wrestler. Hall could get around the ring like a guy 6 inches shorter then him, yet had the strength of guys his size and larger. He was the perfect blend of smart wrestler and brute strength.

Nash was simply put, the powerhouse. The guy that came in and simply kicked the shit out of people. Nothing was as amazing as Hall pissing people off, going over and getting the quick tag to Nash, doing his taunt behind Nash, and Nash fixing his gloves ready to kill someone.

Beyond that, they brought white hot heat to the WCW tag team titles. With great teams like the Steiners and Harlem Heat chasing them, those titles were very prestigious because of the too mega heels that kept them hot.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

I was a HUGE fan of The Outsiders when I was younger. Hall is honestly one of my favorite superstars and as Shocky said he is very underrated in the ring. Kevin Nash is another I quietly marked out for back in the day too. But I see him as overrated. It's also very true that they were the perfect formula for a tag team. One of the greatest of that era. Possibly the biggest or second biggest era of all time. I have to go and say that they were rated just about right. They held enough titles, the did a good job as a team, and they split up when they should. Solid tag team that was neither underrated or overrated.