The Road Warriors Are Still on Top After 25 Years of Tag Team Wrestling

The Road Warriors snacked on danger and dined on death.

They also beat every tag team in their wake while on top of the Tag Team Division in professional wrestling.

Their success won them world gold in the AWA, WCW and the WWE. Hawk and Animal, with the help of Paul Ellering didn’t just score pin falls, they inflicted pain like no other combination in wrestling.  

Here is a look at the best tag teams of the past 25 years…

20. Rick Rude and Many Fernandez

Both could inflict pain, but contrasting styles made them a great heal tag team.

Rude had a physique that made any body builder jealous and Fernandez was just raw power.

19 Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell

The High Flyers were the predecessors to the Midnight Rockers. Both cruiserweights could fly through the air or mat wrestle with bigger, more polished teams twice their size.

18. The Midnight Express

Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condroy challenged the Road Warriors. They challenged the Rock and Roll Express. They challenged the Fabulous Ones. Well, you get the idea.

Led to the ring by Jim Cornette, they were underrated in skill and respected for their talent.

17. The Von Erichs

Kevin Von Erich is the only remaining member of the famed family from Texas. But in the mid 1980s the fans in the Sportatorium loved their beloved Von Erich brothers.

Kerry and Kevin challenged all opponents to come through Dallas before Kerry took his act to the WWE.

16. Kane and the Undertaker

One of the biggest tag teams ever. Would have loved to see them against the Road Warriors in the 1980s.

Powerful ring generals who intimidated their opponents.

15. The Freebirds

Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy and Buddy Roberts. Any three could team and cause all kinds of trouble for opponents.

Feuded with the Von Erichs for years in the World Class territory. Toward the end of his career, Hayes left the group. Gordy teamed with Steve Williams and Roberts moved on.

14. Lance Storm and Justin Credible

The two were mainstays in ECW. They were the dominant tag team of the decade when ECW was at its height of popularity.

Each tried singles competition after ECW with some to little success. They were popular for their style and Dawn Marie.

13. The Midnight Rockers

The 1980s tag team loved the moment. High flying and full of color and energy. Women loved them, other tag teams wanted to be like them.

Once the spark went out and they went from the AWA or WWE and Shawn Michaels became the greatest singles wrestler in the WWE.

12. Ron Simmons and Bradshaw

Huge superstars who dominated their opponents with brute strength. Simmons is one of the strongest wrestlers to get in the circle. JBL has a close line that can knock the daylights out of someone.

When JBL competed in singles competition, he became one of the most successful champions of all time.

11. Ivan Koloff, Nikita Koloff and Krusher Kruschev

One of my favorites of all time. Nikita wore people down with his bear like tactics or mauling an opponent. Nikita was a dominant tag team and singles wrestler. Kruschev (Barry Darsow) went on to great success as Demolition as well in the WWE.

All three could tag team at any time and their feuds with Dusty Rhodes and the Road Warriors were legendary.

10. The Briscos

Florida Championship Wrestling owes a lot to the work of these two men. Both were great at singles competition (Jack held the NWA world title) and Gerry was world junior heavyweight champion.

Together they were amazing mat technicians.

9. D Generation X

Wiley, crafty and down right mean, Triple H and Shawn Michaels are two of the greatest in-ring performers ever. Bring them together with the aid of Chyna and you have brilliance.

Their skits were funny, crude and obnoxious. And they could bring the house down every night.

8. The Hart Foundation

A great tag team managed by a great manager in Jimmy Hart. Bret Hart is a teacher in the ring. Jim Neidhart was just brutal.

Pink and black never looked so good in the squared circle.

7. The Outsiders

When they moved over to WCW and took over, wrestling was never the same.

Big, strong and in control. they made being bad look cool. The feuds they had with the Steiners were great for the sport. Scott Hall's survey says they were a hit.

6. Edge and Christian

They helped to put extreme wrestling on the map in the WWE.

Both went on to be accomplished singles champions, but their feuds with the Hardys and the Dudleys set wrestling into a whole new chapter of excitement.

5. The Steiners

Great amateur credentials and unlimited talent.

Scott was the powerhouse of the group who could fly off the top rope. Rick was the mauler who could beat you by wrapping you into a ball and turn you inside out.

4. Matt and Jeff Hardy

Young and full of energy and willing to win at any cost. Another team that helped put extreme tag teaming on the map in WWE.

Both held WWE gold in singles competition and have moved on the IMPACT Wrestling.

3. The Four Horseman

The men who ruled tag team and singles wrestling in the NWA and WCW for the majority of the 1980s. But any two of these men could dominate a tag team match.

The Andersons wore you down with submissions and brute strength. Ric Flair was the best in-ring heel there was and Tully Blanchard used the ring as his personal playground. With manager JJ Dillon, they were the best out there.

2. Bubba Ray and Devon Dudley

When you win over 20 tag team titles in different organizations, that means something.

Tables are their best friends and they love to just brawl with people. A winning combination.

1. The Road Warriors

I may take a lot of heat for this, but you win the world titles in three organizations and you are THE BEST. Oh, what a rush. Their domination of tag teams in the 1980s and feuded with some amazing competition. In today's wrestling circles, this will never be duplicated.