Cesaro and Sheamus Beat Hardy Boyz, Retain Tag Team Title in Iron Man Match

Cesaro and Sheamus survived The Hardy Boyz in a 30-minute Iron Man match Sunday at Great Balls of Fire to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships with a 4-3 win.

After trailing for nearly the entire match, Matt connected with a Twist of Fate on Sheamus from the second rope to tie the match at three falls apiece.

Jeff looked to be in the process of giving The Hardy Boyz the lead following a Swanton Bomb on Sheamus. However, Cesaro was the legal man and quickly ran into the ring to pin Jeff. As a result, Cesaro and Sheamus went up 4-3 with 20 seconds remaining.

Jeff ran out of time before he could pin Cesaro and potentially tie the match back up.

WWE showed the victorious tag champions:

MLB Network's Robert Flores enjoyed the match:

WhatCulture's Adam Pacitti thought the finish, in particular, was strong:

After competing in multiple different match types and feuding for months, Raw general manager Kurt Angle decided to put the teams in a bout that would help decide who was truly the best once and for all.

Since shockingly returning to WWE at WrestleMania, the Hardys have largely been at odds with Cesaro and Sheamus.

Matt and Jeff won the Raw Tag Team Championships in a ladder match that featured three other teams before engaging in a long-running series of matches with Shesaro.

After many failed attempts, everything finally came together for Cesaro and Sheamus when they won a steel cage match at Extreme Rules to secure the titles.

The Hardy Boyz had an opportunity to win them back in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match on Raw, but it devolved into chaos prior to the third fall, which set the stage for another rematch at Great Balls of Fire.

Sunday's contest marked the first tag team Iron Man match in WWE history, and it was fitting that it featured two teams that have displayed such impressive in-ring chemistry during their time working together.

While the Hardy Boyz are unquestionably among the greatest tag teams of all time, they may have been at a disadvantage entering the pay-per-view.

Cesaro and Sheamus are both younger than the Hardys, which meant an Iron Man match favored them in terms of playing up to their stamina.

A similar situation occurred in the steel cage match when Jeff's risk-taking caught up to the Hardys and allowed Cesaro and Sheamus to become Raw Tag Team champions for the second time.

The Hardys are anomalies, though, and it is incredible to fathom that they are still able to consistently perform at such a high level despite putting their bodies on the line for so many years.

Cesaro and Sheamus are physical specimens who have done well to put their egos aside to form a successful tag team in their own right, and they had a chance to add another impressive victory to their resume at Great Balls of Fire.

After dispatching The Hardy Boyz for the second consecutive pay-per-view, Cesaro and Sheamus figure to move on, which will present an opportunity for another team to step up.

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