Abandoned: The History of WWE's World Tag Team Championship, Pt. 3
For this edition of Abandoned, I present WWE’s World Tag Team Championship.
Some say the title is made up of three different belts. Arguments can be made for both sides whether it does or not, but I put them together anyway.
The first major tag-team titles for the WWE were the Northeast versions of the NWA United States Tag Team Championship.
They were established in 1956 when the WWE was Capitol Wrestling Corporation and a member of the National Wrestling Alliance.
When CWC withdrew from the NWA in 1963, the company became known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation, and the titles were renamed as such.
The titles were abandoned in 1967 when one of the champions gave up his half of the titles.
The titles were then replaced by the WWWF International Tag Team Championship in 1969. While the WWWF World Tag Team Championship was created in 1971, the international tag belts continued on for a bit.
When the company became WWF in the 1980s, the titles were renamed as such.
They became the WWE Tag Team Championship in 2001 when the company went under another change and in 2002, were renamed the World Tag Team Championship when the belts became exclusive to the Raw brand.
In 2010, the titles were unified with SmackDown’s tag-team titles and since WWE follows the history of the SmackDown titles, the World Tag Team Championship side of the belts was abandoned after 54 years of history.
Throughout those 54 years, the titles have seen over 200 champions.
In part 3, you’ll be seeing the next 52 champions featured!
So let’s get started.
Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels
1 of 53Defeated: Owen Hart and the British Bulldog
Where: Evansville, In.
When: May 25, 1997
Title Reign: 50 days
The titles were declared vacant on July 14, 1997 when Shawn Michaels suffered an injury to his back.
Steve Austin debuted in 1989 in WCCW. Two years later he found himself in WCW.
He stuck around until 1995 winning the tag team championship with Brian Pillman as the Hollywood Blondes as well as the United States and Television championships.
Austin was released by WCW after being told that he would never be marketable and therefore never be a star.
Shawn Michaels would enter into retirement in 1998 after an injury. He would continue to make appearances for WWF after retiring, though.
He became the commissioner for two years and would also be a special referee for matches, most notably at Judgment Day 2000 in an Iron Man match between The Rock and Triple H that saw the return of the Undertaker under the new American Bad Ass gimmick.
Michaels would give commissioner duties to Mick Foley later that year and he left the WWF.
Steve Austin and Dude Love
2 of 53Defeated: Owen Hart and the British Bulldog
Where: San Antonio, Tex.
When: July 14, 1997
Title Reign: 55 days
With Shawn Michaels out with an injury, Steve Austin was able to choose his own partner. Owen Hart and the British Bulldog won a tournament to face Stone Cold and his partner.
After Austin’s partner was revealed to be Dude Love, they defeated Hart and the Bulldog to become the new champions.
The titles were then declared vacant in September 7, 1997 when Austin sustained a neck injury.
After being released by WCW, Austin made his way to ECW. He began with a segment called Monday NyQuil mocking WCW and Eric Bischoff.
He was also a challenger for the ECW World Championship before making the move to the WWF.
Dude Love is better known as Mick Foley.
Foley debuted in 1983 in Pennsylvania. Wrestling as Jack Foley he made appearances for various independent promotions while also appearing as a jobber in the WWF and WCW.
In 1991, Foley hit it big when he was signed to WCW as Cactus Jack.
The Headbangers (Mosh and Thrasher)
3 of 53Defeated: The Legion of Doom, the Godwinns, Owen Hart and the British Bulldog
Where: Louisville, Ky.
When: Sept. 7, 1997
Title Reign: 28 days
This was a fatal four way tag-team match to determine the new champions.
The Headbangers formed in 1996 in the WWF with Mosh and Thrasher. They also appeared briefly as the Flying Nuns before going back to the Headbanger gimmick.
They feuded with the likes of the Godwinns, the Legion of Doom and the New Age Outlaws throughout their tenure.
They would win this title once as well as the NWA Tag Team Championship during the time Jim Cornette had a NWA stable.
After Thrasher went down with an injury, Mosh became Beaver Cleavage and later Chaz.
The Headbangers reformed after the gimmick was dropped but the team disbanded in 2000 after Thrasher was released.
Mosh was released a year later but Thrasher was already retired.
He came out of retirement last year and the Headbangers can now be seen on the independent circuit.
The Godwinns
4 of 53Defeated: The Headbangers
Where: St. Louis, Mo.
When: Oct. 5, 1997
Title Reign: two days
After turning heel, the Godwinns would drop Hillbilly Jim as their manager and bring on Uncle Cletus.
The started to attack their opponents with slop buckets but soon attacked Cletus with one, dropping him as their manager as well.
They soon dropped the pig farmer gimmick completely and became Southern Justice, two men from the south who were hired guns.
They used their real names but the gimmick didn’t last long as Henry sustained an injury and ultimately retired.
Phineas stayed with WWF to become Mideon and Naked Mideon later on until his release in 2001.
Henry was last seen in WWE developmental in 2006 after coming out of retirement but was released the following year.
Phineas last seen working a dark match for the WWE in 2006.
The Legion of Doom
5 of 53Defeated: The Godwinns
Where: Topeka, Kan.
When: Oct. 7, 1997
Title Reign: 48 days
Do I really need to explain who the Legion of Doom are again?
They’re one of the most decorated teams in the history of professional wrestling and are largely considered the greatest team to ever grace a ring!
The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg and Billy Gunn)
6 of 53Defeated: The Legion of Doom
Where: Fayetteville, N.C.
When: Nov. 24, 1997
Title Reign: 125 days
The New Age Outlaws formed in 1997 when the Real Double J and Rock-a-Billy became frustrated with their positions in the company.
Now the Road Dogg Jesse James and the Bad Ass Billy Gunn, the Outlaws raised hell in the tag-team division as heels.
At first they didn’t have entrance music; they entered the ring to Road Dogg ranting about the team’s opponents.
The team got so over with the crowd that they were given the titles by the end of the year.
Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie
7 of 53Defeated: The New Age Outlaws
Where: Boston, Mass.
When: March 29, 1998
Title Reign: one day
After signing with WCW, Foley would go onto have memorable feuds with Abdullah the Butcher, Sting and Vader.
His feud with Vader would be the most memorable as it produced the extremely violent Texas Death Match at Halloween Havoc 1993 as well as a match in Germany that ripped off Foley’s ear.
In 1994, Foley would appear for ECW when the two companies very briefly worked together.
Foley would capture the WCW Tag Championship once with Kevin Sullivan before heading to ECW permanently later that year.
Chainsaw Charlie is better known as the legendary Terry Funk.
He debuted in 1965 in Texas and worked his way to the top. He won the NWA World Championship in 1975 and held the title for over a year before losing it to Harley Race.
He has wrestled for every major promotion winning over 40 championships including this title, the ECW World Championship and WCW United States Championship.
He was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004 and the WWE Hall of Fame alongside his brother Dory, Jr. in 2009.
Despite pushing 70 years old and retiring multiple times, Terry Funk can still be seen wrestling in the independents.
The New Age Outlaws
8 of 53Defeated: Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie
Where: Albany, N.Y.
When: March 30, 1998
Title Reign: 105 days
After winning the titles, the team officially became known as the New Age Outlaws after “stealing” the win and Jim Ross dubbing them outlaws.
They soon joined Shawn Michaels and Triple H in D-Generation X and they became one of the most hated teams in the WWF.
One of their more memorable feuds came against Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie in a couple of dumpster matches.
They were also members of DX when the stable, now minus Michaels but with X-Pac, invaded WCW.
Mankind and Kane
9 of 53Defeated: The New Age Outlaws
Where: E. Rutherford, N.J.
When: July 13, 1998
Title Reign: 15 days
After joining ECW in 1994, Foley would also appear for Smokey Mountain Wrestling and in Japan for the next two years.
While with ECW, Foley would capture the tag team championship twice with Mikey Whipwreck.
Foley would leave ECW in 1996 and was signed by the WWF to become Mankind.
Kane debuted in 1992 as Angus King in Missouri. He was also known as the Christmas Creature in USWA and Unabomb in Smokey Mountain Wrestling.
He debuted in the WWF in 1995 as Issac Yankem DDS, Jerry Lawler’s private dentist.
He soon became fake Diesel but the gimmick was dropped after the 1997 Royal Rumble.
Steve Austin and the Undertaker
10 of 53Defeated: Mankind and Kane
Where: Fresno, Cali.
When: July 26, 1998
Title Reign: 15 days
Steve Austin debuted in the WWF in late 1995 as the “Ringmaster” and a protégé of Ted DiBiase.
A year later at the King of the Ring PPV, Austin 3:16 was born and cemented Stone Cold Steve Austin into professional wrestling history forever!
As Stone Cold, Austin became one of the biggest stars to ever grace a WWE ring.
What Hulk Hogan was to the 1980s, Steve Austin was to the late 1990s as he helped usher in the Attitude Era.
Austin would win 13 titles while with the WWF including the World Championship on six occasions.
Steve Austin would retire in 2003 due to problems with his neck.
The Undertaker debuted in 1984 in WCCW as Texas Red and lost his first match to Bruiser Brody.
He also wrestled for the CWF, USWA and the WCWA before heading to WCW in 1989.
Mankind and Kane
11 of 53Defeated: Steve Austin and the Undertaker, the Nation of Domination (Rocky Maivia and D’Lo Brown), the New Age Outlaws
Where: Omaha, Neb.
When: Aug. 10, 1998
Title Reign: 20 days
This was a fatal four way tag-team match.
Debuting with the WWF as Mankind, Foley became a deranged superstar who enjoyed pain, wore a mask and lived in the boiler room.
His first major feud was with the Undertaker and it featured the first-ever boiler room brawl and the infamous Hell in a Cell match a few years later that saw Foley tossed off the cage.
Throughout his career, Foley had won 12 titles including the WWF Championship three times.
He also appeared as Dude Love, Cactus Jack and was the commissioner from 2000-2001.
After making appearances here and there and having the occasional match, Foley left the WWE in 2008.
Kane became Kane in late 1997 after the Undertaker’s former manager told him that his brother was alive.
He debuted at the Badd Blood PPV tombstoning the Undertaker and costing him a Hell in a Cell match against Shawn Michaels.
He entered into a major feud with the Undertaker that was continued on and off for the next 13 years.
The Big Red Machine became known for his sadistic behavior but became a face in 2001 after forming the Brother of Destruction with the Undertaker.
The New Age Outlaws
12 of 53Defeated: Mankind
Where: New York City
When: Aug. 30, 1998
Title Reign: 106 days
When Kane no-showed the match, Mankind was forced into defending the titles in a falls-count-anywhere handicap match.
The Outlaws broke up in 1999 to pursue singles careers. The Road Dogg would win the Hardcore Championship and Billy Gunn captured the Intercontinental Championship and the 1999 King of the Ring.
They reformed later that year but would break up once again a year later after Gunn went down with an injury.
The Road Dogg would be released in 2001 while Billy Gunn stayed until his release in 2004.
Ken Shamrock and the Big Boss Man
13 of 53Defeated: The New Age Outlaws
Where: Tacoma, Wash.
When: Dec. 14, 1998
Title Reign: 92 days
Ken Shamrock debuted as a pro wrestler in 1990 in North Carolina. After wrestling in Japan, Shamrock was exposed to mixed martial arts and began a career in MMA in 1993.
He would split his time between wrestling for the UWF and fighting for the UFC before heading to the WWF in 1997.
He spent two years with the company winning this title and the Intercontinental Championship.
He left in 1999 after sustaining an injury. He has since appeared for Ring of Honor, TNA Wrestling and other various independent promotions.
You can still see him in the independents and doing MMA.
The Big Boss Man debuted in 1985 in WCW as Big Bubba Rogers. He soon found himself in the WWF in 1988 and spent five years with the company.
He then found his way back to WCW for five years.
Despite spending a decent amount of time in both companies, Boss Man wouldn’t win a single title until his return to the WWF in 1998.
He won this title once and later entered the hardcore division to win the Hardcore Championship four times.
He left in 2003 and spent the rest of his career in the independents until his passing on September 22, 2004.
Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett
14 of 53Defeated: Ken Shamrock and the Big Boss Man
Where: Phoenix, Ariz.
When: Jan. 25, 1999
Title Reign: 64 days
After joining the Nation of Domination, Owen Hart feuded with D-Generation X and the feud included DX impersonating the Nation.
The stable slowly started to disband and Hart started teaming with Jeff Jarrett.
Hart would quit the WWF but the Blue Blazer soon reappeared. The storyline ended up becoming comical and Hart remained as the Blue Blazer until the tragic accident at the Over the Edge PPV on May 23, 1999.
Owen Hart would pass away from those injuries.
Jeff Jarrett debuted in 1986 as a referee for his father’s wrestling promotion CWA. He soon began wrestling and continued to wrestle for his father until heading to the WWF in 1993.
He bounced back and forth between WWF and WCW until WCW’s demise in 2001.
Between the two companies, Jarrett would capture 15 titles including the WWF Intercontinental Championship six times and the WCW World Championship on four occasions.
After WCW shut down, he and his father founded Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2002.
Jarrett is still with TNA but is working in India on TNA’s promotion Ring Ka King.
Kane and X-Pac
15 of 53Defeated: Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett
Where: Uniondale, N.Y.
When: March 30, 1999
Title Reign: 56 days
Kane soon began to talk and continued on as a face. It was this time he was involved in the horrid Katie Vick storyline.
In 2003, Kane was unmasked and returned to being a heel.
He would bounce back and forth between face and heel before settling into the face role in ECW.
After becoming X-Pac, he joined D-Generation X alongside Triple H. As a member of DX, X-Pac would capture the WWF European Championship.
He would also win the WWF Light Heavyweight and WCW Cruiserweight Championships before leaving once again.
The Acolytes (Faarooq and Bradshaw)
16 of 53Defeated: Kane and X-Pac
Where: Moline, In.
When: May 25, 1999
Title Reign: 35 days
The Acolytes formed in 1998 as Hell’s Henchmen with their manager, the Jackyl.
After Jackyl left the WWF, they joined the Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness and became the Acolytes.
After Vince McMahon’s Corporation stable joined Undertaker to become the Corporate Ministry, the Acolytes started to feud with the tag-team champions, eventually winning the belts
The Hardy Boyz (Jeff and Matt Hardy)
17 of 53Defeated: The Acolytes
Where: Fayetteville, N.C.
When: June 29, 1999
Title Reign: 26 days
Jeff and Matt Hardy started teaming in 1993 in the Trampoline Wrestling Federation.
Just like the name says, the matches took place on a trampoline.
They wrestled for various independent promotions in their home state of North Carolina before getting tryouts with the WWF.
After signing with them in 1998, they trained with Dory Funk, Jr. at the Funkin’ Dojo before officially debuting with Michael Hayes as their manager.
The Acolytes
18 of 53Defeated: The Hardy Boyz and Michael Hayes
Where: Buffalo, N.Y.
When: July 25, 1999
Title Reign: 15 days
This was a 3-on-2 handicap match.
After having random feuds with various other teams, the Acolytes changed their gimmick.
They became card-playing beer drinkers who hustled people out of their money.
In January 2000 the Mean Street Posse asked the Acolytes for protection and after they paid them, they protected the group of preppy superstars.
From there, Faarooq and Bradshaw created the Acolytes Protection Agency.
Kane and X-Pac
19 of 53Defeated: The Acolytes
Where: Chicago, Ill.
When: Aug. 9, 1999
Title Reign: 13 days
Kane debuted with the ECW brand in 2007 and soon became the star of the brand despite still being a member of SmackDown.
He would win the ECW Championship at WrestleMania XXIV in eight seconds and join ECW full-time.
He held the title for three months before losing it to Mark Henry.
Since leaving WWE, X-Pac wrestled under his real name Sean Waltman in TNA, AAA, Wrestling Society X and other various wrestling promotions for the next nine years.
While with TNA Wrestling, he would capture the X-Division Championship on one occasion.
X-Pac is now back with WWE, scouting talent for WWE’s developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling.
The Undertaker and the Big Show
20 of 53Defeated: Kane and X-Pac
Where: Minneapolis, Minn.
When: Aug. 22, 1999
Title Reign: Eight days
Undertaker debuted with WCW in 1989 as Mean Mark Callous and was teamed with Dan Spivey as the Skyscrapers.
They gained the attention of the crowd when they defeated the Road Warriors at Clash of the Champions X but the team never won the tag titles.
As a singles star, he gained the managerial services of Paul E. Dangerously, better known as Paul Heyman. After losing a feud to Lex Luger over the United States Championship, he left WCW for Japan.
In 1990, he headed to the WWF.
The Big Show debuted in 1995 as the Giant in WCW. He was billed as the son of Andre the Giant looking for revenge against Hulk Hogan.
He joined the Dungeon of Doom, who wanted to rid WCW of Hulk Hogan, and he would win the WCW World Championship at the 1995 Halloween Havoc.
His feud with Hogan ended at SuperBrawl VI in 1996 after Hogan defeated him in a steel cage match.
The Rock and Sock Connection (The Rock and Mankind)
21 of 53Defeated: The Undertaker and the Big Show
Where: Boston, Mass.
When: Aug. 30, 1999
Title Reign: Eight days
The Rock and Sock Connection formed when Rock chose Mankind to be his partner moments before winning the titles.
They would lose the titles just over a week later in a buried alive match.
They continued their feud with the Undertaker and his Ministry of Darkness winning the titles back.
The Undertaker and the Big Show
22 of 53Defeated: The Rock and Sock Connection
Where: Albany, N.Y.
When: Sept. 7, 1999
Title Reign: 13 days
This was a buried alive match.
Undertaker made his WWE debut in dark matches in 1990 as Kane the Undertaker and made his television debut at the 1990 Survivor Series as a member of Ted DiBiase’s team.
As just the Undertaker, the Deadman was impervious to pain and became a dominate force.
After feuds with the Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage, Sid Justice and Sergeant Slaughter, the Undertaker challenged Hulk Hogan for the WWF Championship and won it.
Hogan would win it back six days later, though.
The Undertaker’s WrestleMania undefeated streak came by accident as he was booked to win year after year due to his push.
After a while, fans caught on, the streak became legendary and WrestleMania became the Undertaker’s event.
After winning multiple titles with his Deadman/Phenom gimmick, he became the American Bad Ass in 2000.
Big Show would win the WCW Championship from Ric Flair but would lose the title to Hulk Hogan and the nWo.
He soon joined the heel stable a month later but was kicked out later that year after asking Hogan for a title shot.
After rejoining the nWo in 1998, he was kicked out again later that year after losing to Kevin Nash.
Big Show let his contract expire and signed with the WWF in 1999.
The Rock and Sock Connection
23 of 53Defeated: The Big Show, Mideon and Viscera
Where: Houston, Tex.
When: Sept. 20, 1999
Title Reign: one day
This was a Dark Side Rules match. Any of the Undertaker’s followers could have been involved.
Despite it turning into a 3-on-2 handicap match, the Rock and Mankind were able to capture the titles.
After losing the titles to the New Age Outlaws, Mankind presented “This is Your Life” to the Rock at the end of September 1999.
The segment was so huge that it garnered an 8.4 in the ratings on its own.
The segment led to Rock and Mankind teaming one final time.
The New Age Outlaws
24 of 53The New Age Outlaws
Defeated: The Rock and Sock Connection
Where: Dallas, Tex.
When: Sept. 21, 1999
Title Reign: 21 days
Road Dogg joined TNA Wrestling 2002 and became known as B.G. James. A year later he formed the 3Live Kru with Konnan and Ron Killings.
They would win the NWA Tag Championship twice before the debut of Billy Gunn in 2005.
As the Outlaw, the New Age Outlaw and finally Kip James, Gunn at first feuded with Road Dogg and his group before joining them as the 4Live Kru.
The Rock and Sock Connection
25 of 53Defeated: The New Age Outlaws
Where: Birmingham, Al.
When: Oct. 12, 1999
Title Reign: Six days
While the Rock was growing tired of Mankind, the man with the sock in his pants convinced the People’s Champion to team up one more time.
He didn’t tell the Rock who their opponents were and they won the tag titles one final time.
After losing the belts, the team disbanded for good.
They would appear together briefly in 2000 to battle the McMahon-Helmsley faction but Mankind would retire and the Rock started to act in films more.
They appeared as a team one last time at WrestleMania XX in a losing effort against Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Batista.
The Rock is now back with WWE and will be facing John Cena at WrestleMania XXVIII.
Mick Foley can still be seen in WWE as well making the occasional appearance. He’s also rumored to be having a match at WrestleMania XXVIII.
Hardcore and Crash Holly
26 of 53Defeated: The Rock and Sock Connection
Where: Columbus, Ohio
When: Oct. 18, 1999
Title Reign: 15 days
The Holly’s formed when Crash Holly debuted with the WWF in 1999.
After feuding for a bit, they began teaming on a regular basis in September. They called themselves superheavyweights and they wrestled with real superheavyweights like Viscera.
They surprised everyone when they won the titles but the cousins only held the them for a little over two weeks.
In 2000, they started to feud over the Hardcore Championship but reformed with the addition of Molly Holly towards the end of the year.
They tried and failed to win the titles on multiple occasions and broke up for good in 2001 when Molly joined Spike Dudley, Hardcore was injured and Crash was left by himself.
Hardcore Holly stayed with the WWE until 2009 and can now be seen on the independent circuit.
Crash Holly was released in 2003 and appeared for TNA until his passing on November 6, 2003.
Mankind and Al Snow
27 of 53Defeated: Hardcore and Crash Holly
Where: Philadelphia, Penn.
When: Nov. 2, 1999
Title Reign: six days
After leaving WWE, Foley went to TNA Wrestling for three years. While initially appearing in a non-wrestling role, Foley did return to the ring on multiple occasions.
He would capture the Legends Championship and the World Championship after a steel cage match with Sting.
He last appeared as a consultant for the Network but the story was quickly dropped after Foley didn’t renew his contract.
Foley then returned to WWE in 2011 where he’ll make the occasional appearance.
Al Snow debuted in 1982 after participating in a tryout camp held by the legendary Minnesota Wrecking Crew.
He wrestled for MCW and the NWA as a ninja-like character Shinobi before heading to ECW in 1995.
Snow became famous for talking to and bringing a mannequin head to the ring with him.
After bouncing back and forth between ECW and WWF, he settled in with WWF in 1998.
He made headlines a year later when his action figure was pulled from shelves due to it coming with what looked like a severed woman’s head.
Snow was mostly used as a comedy character but did capture the European, Tag Team and Hardcore championships in his WWF career.
After becoming a trainer and wrestling on occasion, he was released from WWE 2008.
You can now see Al Snow in TNA Wrestling as a road agent and a producer.
The New Age Outlaws
28 of 53Defeated: Mankind and Al Snow
Where: State College, Penn.
When: Nov. 8, 1999
Title Reign: 111 days
After the 4Live Kru broke up, the Outlaws became the James Gang and later the Voodoo Kin Mafia when they declared war on Vincent Kennedy McMahon and Triple H.
They broke up once again in 2008 when Kip turned on B.G. after he chose his father Bob Armstrong for a shot at the titles.
The Road Dogg is now back with WWE as a road agent and producer while Billy Gunn works the independents.
The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley)
29 of 53Defeated: The New Age Outlaws
Where: Hartford, Conn.
When: Feb. 27, 1999
Title Reign: 35 days
After fighting amongst themselves as the Dudley Family in ECW, Bubba Ray and D-Von began teaming in 1997 to form the Dudley Boyz.
The Dudleyz would become one of the company’s biggest draws due to their use of tables.
They would soon become one of the most decorated tag teams in the history of the business.
Edge and Christian
30 of 53Defeated: The Dudley Boyz, the Hardy Boyz
Where: Anaheim, Cali.
When: April 2, 2000
Title Reign: 57 days
His was a triple threat tag-team ladder match.
Edge and Christian formed in 1990 on the independent scene.
Edge was known as Sexton Hardcastle and Christian was known as Christian Cage.
Their team had several names including High Impact, Revolution X and the Canadian Rockers.
They soon started wrestling in the United States and were signed by the WWF in 1998.
Too Cool (Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty)
31 of 53Defeated: Edge and Christian
Where: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
When: May 29, 2000
Title Reign: 27 days
Too Cool formed in 1998 as the heel team Too Much.
It wasn’t until the summer of 1999 when they became Too Cool. Later that year, Rikishi was added to the team and the group became faces.
One of their most memorable moments would take place at the 2000 Royal Rumble. When the three men were the only three in the ring, they danced to their music instead of fighting.
That is until Rikishi eliminated both of them.
They would win this title once before disbanding in 2001 when Rikishi became a heel, Scotty went down with an injury and Sexay was released by the WWE.
The team would reform in 2003 when just Scotty and Rikishi but they would break up after Rikishi was released in 2004.
You can still see the team together on the independent circuit, though rarely all three of them together.
Edge and Christian
32 of 53Defeated: Too Cool, T&A (Test and Albert), the Hardy Boyz
Where: Boston, Mass.
When: June 25, 2000
Title Reign: 91 days
This was a fatal four way tag-team elimination match.
Edge debuted during the summer of 1998 and soon started a feud with Gangrel. Christian debuted in the fall and the two initially feuded due to Christian’s allegiance to Gangrel.
Edge soon joined them and they became the Brood.
The stable briefly joined the Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness but were thrown out after Christian revealed where Stephanie McMahon was after he was attacked by Ken Shamrock.
After feuding with the Ministry, Gangrel turned on Edge and Christian turned on Gangrel to side with Edge.
The Hardy Boyz
33 of 53Defeated: Edge and Christian
Where: Philadelphia, Penn.
When: Sept. 24, 2000
Title Reign: 28 days
They debuted as faces with the Fabulous Freebird Michael Hayes in their corner. They soon attacked Hayes and became heels after joining the Brood with Gangrel.
Their heel turn didn’t last long as they won they won the Terri Invitational Tournament to get the managerial services of Terri Runnels.
They ditched Gangrel and became faces once again.
They began a feud with Edge and Christian, which became one of the most memorable feuds in WWE history.
They soon joined up with Lita to become Team Xtreme.
Los Conquistadors (Edge and Christian)
34 of 53Defeated: The Hardy Boyz
Where: Albany, N.Y.
When: Oct. 22, 2000
Title Reign: one day
After feuding with a heel Hardy Boyz team, the Hardy's turned face and Edge and Christian turned into heels.
To be more specific, they were comedy heels.
They would make fun of their opponents, use phrases such as “reeking of awesomeness” to describe themselves and dress in very outlandish costumes to get under the crowd’s skin.
One of their costumes included dressing up as fat Elvis Presley’s in Nashville.
They also had their five-second pose for those with the “benefit of flash photography.”
Despite being heels, their antics made them must-see superstars.
The Hardy Boyz
35 of 53Defeated: Recognized
Where: Hartford, Conn.
When: Oct. 23, 2000
Title Reign: 14 days
Edge and Christian were prohibited to have a shot at the WWF World Tag Team Championship as long as the Hardy Boyz were the champions. So they wrestled under the masks of the Los Conquistadors the previous night and won the titles.
The next night, to trick Commissioner Mick Foley into thinking the Conquistadors win was legitimate, they asked two other superstars to where the masks and lose to them.
The Hardy Boyz replaced Edge and Christian’s handpicked Los Conquistadors without their knowledge. After the win, they took off the masks to reveal who they really were.
Commissioner Foley let the win stand so the Hardy Boyz were recognized as the champions.
As Team Xtreme, the Hardy Boyz and Lita became some of the most popular superstars in the WWE.
While continuing their feud with Edge and Christian, they also feuded with the Dudley Boyz and the three teams participated in the first TLC match, which is considered one of the best matches to ever occur.
They would also hold singles titles during their partnership and would break up in 2003.
The Right to Censor (The Goodfather and Bull Buchanan)
36 of 53Defeated: The Hardy Boyz
Where: Houston, Tex.
When: Nov. 6, 2000
Title Reign: 34 days
The Right to Censor first started to appear in 2000 when Steven Richards began to cover up the Diva’s revealing outfits.
He also tried to outlaw weapons such as the Dudley Boyz tables.
He was soon joined by Bull Buchanan and the Goodfather. They then converted Val Venis from his porn star gimmick and brought in Ivory as well.
After feuding with the likes of the Dudleyz, the APA, Mr. Ass and Chyna, the stable disbanded in 2001.
The Right to Censor had entered into a feud with the Brother of Destruction, and after the Undertaker delivered the Last Ride to Richards, the rest of stable left him there and broke up.
The Goodfather retired in 2003 and now owns a strip club in Las Vegas. He will appear once in a while, though, as his Godfather gimmick at the occasional independent show. He recently appeared as an old gimmick, Papa Shango.
Bull Buchanan left WWE in 2003 and has appeared in the independents ever since.
He recently appeared for WWE in November 2011, though, for a “This is Your Life” John Cena.
Edge and Christian
37 of 53Defeated: The Right to Censor, Road Dogg and K-Kwick, the Dudley Boyz
Where: Birmingham, Al.
When: Dec. 10, 2000
Title Reign: eight days
This was a fatal four way tag-team elimination match.
In 2000, Edge and Christian started to team with Kurt Angle forming Team ECK.
They continued on with their comedic antics while at the same time racking up titles left and right between the three of them.
Rhyno eventually joined the group to become Team RECK.
The Undertaker and the Rock
38 of 53Defeated: Edge and Christian
Where: Greenville, S.C.
When: Dec. 18, 2000
Title Reign: one day
As the American Bad Ass, the Undertaker rode a motorcycle down to the ring to the Kid Rock song and proclaimed that the ring was his “yard.”
As soon as you stepped inside of it, you were in for a world of hurt.
After bouncing back and forth between face and heel, and winning tag-team, hardcore and world heavyweight gold, Undertaker took a break after being buried alive in 2003.
The Rock debuted in 1996 in the WWF as Rocky Maivia, taking his father’s first name and his grandfather’s last name.
The Rock would soon become one of the biggest superstars in the history of the WWE.
The Rock went on to win 16 titles including this title five times, the Intercontinental and WCW World Championships twice each and the WWE Championship on seven occasions.
After an eight-year career with WWE, the Rock left the company to pursue acting.
Edge and Christian
39 of 53Defeated: The Undertaker and the Rock
Where: Charlotte, N.C.
When: Dec. 19, 2000
Title Reign: 33 days
After Edge won the 2001 King of the Ring, Christian became jealous and the team disbanded.
As singles wrestlers, both would become huge stars but Edge would become bigger.
The man later known as the Rated R Superstar would go onto win 11 World Championships while also winning the Intercontinental and United States championships.
He would also win the very first Money in the Bank match and the 2010 Royal Rumble.
Christian would stay in the midcard winning the Intercontinental, European and Hardcore championships.
He finally entered into the main event when he joined TNA Wrestling in 2005 when he won the NWA World Championship on two occasions.
He returned to WWE in 2009 and finally won the World Heavyweight Championship last year.
The Dudley Boyz
40 of 53Defeated: Edge and Christian
Where: New Orleans, Lou.
When: Jan. 12, 2001
Title Reign: 43 days
The Dudley Boyz would capture the ECW Tag Team Championship a record eight times while feuding with other top teams in ECW before making the move to WWF in 1999.
While they would have the occasional singles match, Bubba Ray and D-Von stayed together for their three years in the Land of Extreme.
The Hardy Boyz
41 of 53Defeated: The Dudley Boyz
Where: Washington D.C.
When: March 5, 2001
Title Reign: 14 days
After breaking up, Jeff would feud with the Undertaker but was released in 2003 after no-showing some events.
He then headed to TNA Wrestling in 2004 but was released in 2006 for the same reasons as his WWE release.
Later that year, Jeff returned to the WWE.
Matt created Mattitude and would win the Cruiserweight championship.
After losing the title, he entered into midcard obscurity and was released in 2005 after real-life issues with Lita and Edge.
We would return a few months later, though.
Edge and Christian
42 of 53Defeated: The Hardy Boyz
Where: Albany, N.Y.
When: March 19, 2001
Title Reign: Under an hour
Edge and Christian would reunite in 2011 during Edge’s feud with Alberto Del Rio.
On an episode of SmackDown, they teamed for the first time in 10 years to defeat Del Rio and his NXT rookie Brodus Clay.
While they stayed aligned, that would be the only time they would team.
The Dudley Boyz
43 of 53Defeated: Edge and Christian
Where: Albany, N.Y.
When: March 19, 2001
Title Reign: 13 days
After joining the WWF in 1999, the Dudleyz went on to win the WWF/E Tag Team Championship a total of nine times.
They also capture the WCW Tag Team Championship once while the belts were under WWF control and became the final team to ever hold the belts.
This made them 18-time tag champions.
Edge and Christian
44 of 53Defeated: The Dudley Boyz, the Hardy Boyz
Where: Houston, Tex.
When: April 1, 2001
Title Reign: 16 days
This was a triple threat tables, ladders and chairs match. It is regarded as one of the best matches in the history of the WWE!
Edge and Christian disbanded again after WrestleMania XXVII when Edge announced his retirement.
The Rated R Superstar went out on top as he retired as world heavyweight champion.
Edge will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year.
Christian would win the world title after it was declared vacant but his eventual two reigns as champion were cut short by Randy Orton.
You can still see Christian on SmackDown.
The Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane)
45 of 53Defeated: Edge and Christian
Where: Nashville, Tenn.
When: April 17, 2001
Title Reign: 12 days
The Brothers of Destruction debuted in 1997 though they weren’t initially a team.
The Undertaker and Kane waged war with one another for the next few years but they would unite on occasion.
The Brothers of Destruction was officially formed in 2001 after working together in the Royal Rumble match.
While still having their singles feuds, the Undertaker and Kane would continue to team.
The team took off when WCW and ECW invaded the WWF and the brothers became major fan favorites as they dismantled members of the alliance.
The Two-Man Power Trip (Steve Austin and Triple H)
46 of 53Defeated: The Brothers of Destruction
Where: Chicago, Ill.
When: April 29, 2001
Title Reign: 22 days
The Two-Man Power Trip surprisingly formed in April 2001 after Steve Austin aligned himself with Vince McMahon with Triple H later following suit.
The Power Trip would soon hold all of the gold when they won this title while Austin was already the world champion and Triple H was the current Intercontinental champion.
The team would breakup later that year when Triple H went down with an injury.
Despite retiring, you can still see Austin making appearances for WWE, mostly to be a special referee of some kind.
Every time he appears, though, somebody will always be left out cold due to the Stone Cold Stunner!
Triple H is now the chief operating officer of WWE and can be seen on Raw feuding with the Undertaker.
Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit
47 of 53Defeated: The Two Man Power Trip
Where: San Jose, Cali.
When: May 21, 2001
Title Reign: 29 days
Chris Jericho debuted in 1990 in Canada. He wrestled for Mexico, Japan and Smokey Mountain Wrestling before debuting with ECW in 1996.
While with ECW, he could capture the television championship once as well as the attention of WCW at the same time.
Chris Jericho left ECW later that year and signed with WCW in 1996.
Chris Benoit debuted in 1985 in Canada. He got his first major exposure working for New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1986 under the mask of the Pegasus Kid.
He would win the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship before being unmasked and heading to WCW in 1992.
He only spent a year there and headed to ECW for a year in 1994.
He would capture the Tag Team Championship with Dean Malenko before heading back to WCW.
The Dudley Boyz
48 of 53Defeated: Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit
Where: Orlando, Fl.
When: June 19, 2001
Title Reign: 20 days
The Dudley Boyz would go their separate ways in 2002 when Raw and SmackDown became two different rosters.
Bubba Ray ended up on Monday nights while D-Von landed on Thursday nights.
D-Von would become Reverend D-Von but he didn't accomplish much under the gimmick.
Bubba Ray gained a decent amount of success as a singles star in the hardcore division, winning the Hardcore Championship 11 times.
The Acolytes Protection Agency (Faarooq and Bradshaw)
49 of 53Defeated: The Dudley Boyz
Where: Atlanta, Ga.
When: July 9, 2001
Title Reign: 29 days
The APA mainly focused on protecting various superstars, who they met with in an office backstage.
They frequently had card games, drinking games and backstage brawls.
They would only win the tag titles once as the APA and would breakup in 2002 when the roster was split into two for the first time.
They reformed a year later when both of them ended up on SmackDown and continued the APA gimmick.
They broke up again in 2003 after Faarooq retired.
The APA appeared together one last time in 2007 to help Hornswoggle in a match against Jonathan Coachman and Carlito.
Faarooq began to use his real name Ron Simmons and would show up in backstage segments to yell “Damn!”
He’ll still show up once and while to do that and he will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year.
Bradshaw went onto win the WWE Championship but retired in 2009.
Bradshaw was last seen before WrestleMania last year getting a Stone Cold Stunner.
Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon
50 of 53Defeated: The A.P.A
Where: Los Angeles, Cali.
When: Aug. 7, 2001
Title Reign: 64 days
Diamond Dallas Page debuted in 1988 as a manager in the AWA as well as WCW. He soon began wrestling and became a star, winning Television and United States championships.
He wouldn’t become world champion until the dying days of the company in 1999.
After WCW was bought by the WWF, Page found himself there feuding with the Undertaker. He would hold tag-team and European gold before leaving in 2002.
In 2004, he spent a year in TNA before heading to the independents.
DDP would retire in 2009 and you can still see him at the occasional independent show and convention.
Chris Kanyon debuted in 1992 in New York. He popped up in the WWF two years later as a jobber before heading to WCW in 1995 as Mortis.
Kanyon was mostly a tag-team wrestler, being a member of the Flock and the Jersey Triad.
The only singles title of his career would come when WCW debuted on WWF television and Booker T awarded him the WCW United States Championship.
While with WWF/E, he was mostly used as a jobber and retired in 2004.
He would still appear at the occasional show to wrestle until his passing on April 2, 2010.
The Brothers of Destruction
51 of 53Defeated: Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Kanyon
Where: San Jose, Cali.
When: Aug. 19, 2001
Title Reign: 29 days
After winning these titles twice and the WCW Tag Team Championship once, the Undertaker turned heel and the team broke up.
The Undertaker and Kane would reunite here and there from 2002-2010 but they would rarely actually team; just help one another when their feuds crossed.
In 2010, they continued their very long feud that Kane won after burying the Undertaker alive at the Bragging Rights PPV.
Both superstars are still with WWE and are both on Raw.
Kane just finished a feud with John Cena and will looking for a new victim while the Undertaker is feuding with Triple H.
The Dudley Boyz
52 of 53Defeated: The Brothers of Destruction
Where: Nashville, Tenn.
When: Sept. 17, 2001
Title Reign: 35 days
Bubba Ray would reform the Dudley Boyz with Spike Dudley while on Raw but D-Von would be traded to Monday nights by the end of the year and the Dudleyz were back to normal.
They would stay together as a team, bouncing back and forth between face and heel until they left the WWE in 2005.
The Final Part Coming Soon
53 of 53Thanks for reading!
The final part will be up as soon as I’m able to finish it. I’m aiming for Sunday, though.
And it turns out this will not be the final edition after all!
As I was researching something completely different, I came across one more title from the WWWF days.
What’s the title? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see!
Previous Installments
WWE Women’s│WWE European│ECW Television│WCW Hardcore│WCW US Tag Team│WWF Martial Arts│WWF International│WCW Women’s│ECW World│WWE Cruiserweight│WWF Light Weight│ECW Tag Team│FTW World│WCW 6-Man Tag Team│Million Dollar│WWF Junior│WWF Women’s Tag Team│WCW International│ WCW TV pt.1│WCW TV pt. 2│WWE Hardcore │WCW Tag Team pt. 1│WCW Tag Team pt. 2│World Tag Team pt. 1│World Tag Team pt. 2
Sources
Photos: onlineworldofwrestling.com unless noted otherwise
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