The Case
Welcome to WWE: Allied Powers: The World's Greatest Tag Teams, a
presentation of some of wrestling's greatest teams and their memorable matches.
Hosted by John Morrison and the Miz, this ultimate collection takes a closer
look at some of the best tag teams the WWE has ever seen. Here are the
nominees:
• British Bulldogs vs. Hart Foundation at Madison Square Garden
in 1985
The Bulldogs go up against the Harts in this opener, and while
it's not necessarily the most fast-paced match, it's not that bad either. At 17
minutes, this tag team battle is a tad too long, but viewers get to witness at
least some solid wrestling from both teams. The Harts slow down the whole thing
by staying on the defense most of the time, but the Bulldogs deliver some
powerful moves that eventually turn this one into a decent matchup.
• The Steiner Brothers vs. Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki in a
Title vs. Title Match in 1991
Clocking in at 10 minutes, this match is
incredibly entertaining, with the Steiners pulling off a vast array of awesome
high-risk maneuvers and a bunch of other power stunts. They work together well
with their skilled opponents, and the result is one vibrant wrestling match that
absolutely deserves a spot on this collection.
• The Killer Bees vs. Demolition in a 2 out of 3 Falls Tag Team
Match in 1987
This tag team matchup is rather boring after the last one.
Sure, the Killer Bees and the guys from Demolition know what they're doing
inside the ring, but their battle lacks innovation and variety. You get to see
lots of holds, punches, and kicks, but that's about it. At 18 minutes, it's also
a bit too long.
• Edge & Christian vs. The Hardy Boys in a #1 Contender Match
in 1999
Watching these two teams inside the ring is always fun, and this
match is certainly no exception. Edge & Christian and the Hardys do
everything they can to entertain the crowd, and they sure succeed. This one
showcases their flexibility and skills to deliver clean, impressive moves, and
the result is intense. Too bad this match only lasts for 5 minutes.
• The Fabulous Freebirds vs. Kerry Von Erich & Kevin Von
Erich in a Country Whipping Tag Team Match in 1983
Each of the wrestlers
in this 6-minute match carries a leather strap, and that means we get so see
lots of whipping. Unfortunately, that's not all that exciting. High-risk
maneuvers are scarce, and part from a few kicks and punches, this one's got
nothing interesting in store for us. In other words, this is the first big
disappointment of this collection.
• The Funk Brothers vs. Brisco Brothers
At around 3
minutes, this is a pretty short but well-structured battle between the Funks and
Briscos.
• Harlem Heat vs. The Steiner Brothers in a WCW Tag Team
Championship Match in 1996
Even though this is not the worst of tag team
matches, neither Harlem Heat nor the Steiners give it their best in this rather
slow-moving 15-minute battle. The few moves we do end up seeing are
well-coordinated and entertaining, but all in all, this matchup lacks
consistency and energy. It's too bad, really, because both teams have what it
takes to deliver a solid show. Something went wrong in this match, however, and
it certainly does not deserve its spot on this set.
• Fantastics vs. The Midnight Express in a NWA United States Tag
Team Championship Match in 1988
Things are improving in this tag team
title match, during which the four athletes offer their fans a decent variation
of team action, powerful moves, kicks, and a few submission moves. The
Fantastics and the guys from The Midnight Express work together quite well, and
their energy and enthusiasm in this battle make this one highly enjoyable to
experience. Let's hope the good vibes will last for a while.
• Public Enemy vs. The Nasty Boys in a Anything Goes, Falls
County Anywhere Street Fight in 1996
This is by no means the best hardcore
tag team match I've seen, but then again, it's not exactly terrible either. In
fact, I found it quite refreshing to watch Public Enemy and the Nasty Boys
having fun with tables and trash cans outside the ring. The match does get a tad
too monotonous after a while, but all in all, this is still a decently
entertaining battle. At 8 minutes, it's rather short, but amusing
nonetheless.
• The Rockers vs. The Brain Busters in 1989
Here's the last
match of the first disc, and it sure doesn't disappoint. Clocking in at 12
minutes, this one's neither too short nor too long, giving both team plenty of
opportunities to put their athleticism on display. A mostly clean battle quickly
ensues, and viewers will be treated to some nice team action, high energy, and a
bunch of good moves. Yes, this one rocks indeed.
• Strike Force vs. Demolition in a World Tag Team Championship
Match in 1988
Disc Two kicks off with a seven-minute tag team title match
between Strike Force and Demolition, but unfortunately, both teams keep the
intense wrestling action to a minimum. Instead of a variety of high-risk
maneuvers, all we get to see for most of the match's duration is a bunch of
kicks and slaps. The final two minutes of the battle are by far more interesting
to follow than the rest, but by then, it's a little too late.
• Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo vs. Iron Sheik & Nikolai
Volkoff in a World Tag Team Championship Match in 1985
This 6-minute fight
isn't as tedious as the previous one, but it's not exactly a memorable wrestling
match either. On a more positive note, we do get to see more classic wrestling
action in this one, and all four athletes keep the match flowing at a steady,
vibrant pace. A quick but well-executed body move here and there keep this one
interesting enough to watch.
• Dudley Boyz vs. Hardy Boys in a Steel Cage Match for the
Unified Tag Team Championship in 2001
I admit I always enjoyed watching
both the Dudley Boyz and the Hardy Boys going at it in the ring, and while this
matchup is at times a tad too predictable, it's also utterly entertaining and by
far one of the most fast-paced fights we've seen in this collection so far.
Clocking in at 15 minutes, both the Dudley Boyz and the Hardy Boys show off
their flexibility and skills in pulling off impressive stunts and dives inside
the ring and from the top of the cage. Bold moves and other risky maneuvers
inject this title match with plenty of energy, and it's quite simply amusing to
witness.
• Outsiders vs. Harlem Heat in a WCW Tag Team Championship in
1996
The Outsiders and Harlem Heat obviously belong into this set, and
while this match is not necessarily their best, it's still quite a vibrant title
fight. At 12 minutes, the matchup features enough variety from both teams, each
offering fans a bunch of solid power moves and strong kicks, several submission
holds, and even a bit of well-executed team action. It's definitely one of the
better matches on here.
• Sting & Nikita Koloff vs. Arn Anderson & Tully
Blanchard in a NWA World Tag Team Championship Match in 1988
This
19-minute tag team battle certainly delivers the goods, with Sting in particular
putting on an intense show that's hard not to enjoy. Koloff occasionally slows
down the match's rapid pace via repetitive submission holds, but all in all,
these four athletes pull off a well-coordinated battle filled with big moves and
strong enough kicks to please the crowd. Great matchup indeed.
• Nick Bockwinkel & Ray Stevens vs. Red Bastien & Billy
Robinson in 1972
With a small audience surrounding the ring, this one
feels a tad more intimate. However, Bockwinkel, Stevens, Bastien, and Robinson
all prove they've got what it takes to deliver a solid match, and they
successfully manage to keep their match interesting enough for a whole 14
minutes. They've clearly got the skills, and they don't shy away from sharing
them with viewers.
• The Miz & John Morrison vs. Rey Mysterio & Shawn
Michaels in 2008
Now the hosts of this collection get to show off their
techniques, and this tag team match against Mysterio and Michaels is anything
but boring. On the contrary, all four athletes display an incredible
flexibility, and although the matchup only lasts for only 8 minutes, it serves
as a vibrant showcase of high-risk maneuvers and other impressive moves.
• Rougeau Brothers vs. Hart Foundation
Sure, both of these
teams had their share of memorable moments, but I wouldn't go as far and call
this tag team battle a classic. At 12 minutes, it's neither too short nor too
long, but the only regret I have here is that neither team really takes the
initiative to turn this in-ring encounter into a great wrestling show. In other
words, there's not that much to get all excited about. The moves we get to see
here mostly work out fine, but in the end, the match as a whole fails to live up
to the quality of some of its predecessors. That's it for Disc Two.
• Edge & Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. The Hardy Boys in
a TLC Match for the World Tag Team Championship in 2000
Tables, ladders,
chairs, the Hardys, Dudley Boyz, and Edge & Christian—what more do you
want? Watching these teams battle each other is usually tons of fun, and this
encounter is no exception. These guys know exactly what they're doing, and they
offer us a variety of crazy stunts and impressive maneuvers that should have
every hardcore wrestling fan cheering. Way to kick off Disc Three.
• The Rock 'N' Roll Express vs. Ivan Koloff & Khrusher
Khruschev in 1985
NWA fans rejoice, because this tag team match lasts for
27 minutes. Surprisingly, it's not even boring or in any way dragging, really.
Both teams handle the action quite well, and the series of moves, submission
holds, punches, and kicks these four wrestlers deliver turn out to be both
efficient and quite entertaining as well. Okay, maybe this one runs a tiny bit
too long, but to be honest, it's not really a big issue.
• The New Age Outlaws vs. The Rock 'N' Sock Connection in 1999
Yeah, I clearly remember this one. Watching The Rock and Mankind team up
inside the ring always used to be a lot of fun, and this matchup proves these
two superstars were dab hands at working together. Except for the final act,
this 16-minute tag team battle is wildly amusing, with both teams showing off
their energy and athletic skills via a series of quick, coordinated, and
powerful moves. In the end, it's a great addition to this set.
• D-X vs. Edge & Randy Orton in 2006
This one is still
a fairly recent one, but I believe it deserves its spot on this set,
particularly because all four wrestlers display a lot of endurance and
willingness to deliver an epic show in this 17-minute fight. Needless to say,
every single athlete involved in this matchup fully masters his moves and
techniques, and that's certainly a big contributing factor to the matchup's
overall success. I could have done with a better ending, but all in all, this
one's really amusing throughout.
• Los Guerreros vs. World's Greatest Tag Team in 2003
The
Guerreros delivered many matches during the past years, and although this one
was certainly not their best, it does however serve as a solid showcase for
their wrestling skills and ability to work flawlessly as a team. Clocking in at
12 minutes, this is a mostly amusing and technically interesting match, despite
a rather disappointing finish.
• Tully Blanchard & Lex Luger vs. Nikita Koloff & Dusty
Rhodes in 1987
I really hoped this collection would go out with a bang,
but that's not the case, as the two final matches don't quite live up to the
level of quality of most other battles on these three discs. This 17-minute tag
team matchup, for instance, failed to keep me engaged. You would expect
something unforgettable from these talents, but this is one to miss.
• The Legion of Doom vs. Money Inc. in 1992
Both these
teams look hilarious in their respective costumes, but sadly enough, their
performance inside the ring isn't as energetic or creative. The match between
Doom and Money Inc. is by no means a waste of time, but the battle lacks the
spark and action potential of previous matches.
As far as special features are concerned, the second disc offers a mix of
backstage interviews, short vignettes, and a series of other mostly hilarious
sketches featuring some WWE's greatest tag teams. As usual, most of these clips
are ridiculously silly, but at least they provide a humorous break between all
these matches.
From a technical point of view, the three discs offer decent full-frame
presentations, with the quality of the image varying based on how old the
footage is. Most of the footage looks clean, and I have no complaints whatsoever
when it comes to the video transfer. The same applies to the audio.
WWE: Allied Powers: The World's Greatest Tag Teams is yet another
solid DVD collection released by the WWE. Although the set clearly misses some
tag teams and memorable matches that should've been included, I admit I enjoyed
revisiting some of these great fights. Some of the matches on here fail to
entertain, but all in all, this is a set I would recommend to every wrestling
fan.
