1. Edge and Christian- Now, for those of you with the benefit of flash photography... the 5 time Tag Team Champions! With all 5 of those title reigns coming in the year 2000, can there be any doubt who was the #1 tag team of the year? True, 2 of those "reigns" were two days long (one of them coming as Los Conquistadors), but their winning ways are impressive none the less. Even more impressive has been their ability to maintain character, making them headliners. This time last year I was wondering why Edge would let his loyalty to his "brother" keep his star power down. Now I know why: Christian may be the more talented all-around of the two.
2. The Hardy Boyz- Sure, having a rising star like Lita at ringside is helpful, but honestly, I think Jeff and Matt would be stars regardless. Whenever I'm watching the WWF and a skeptic is in the room, I want the Hardys to be wrestling. I'd like them tell me how "fake" wrestling is after they see Jeff Hardy's tactics. It is interesting how successful these two (three?) have been given their lack of mic time. I guess their Xtreme repertoires are all the gimmick they need.
3. The Dudley Boyz- The Dudleyz are one of the top teams in the game, but have only held the titles for a total of 36 days, and that was as heels. Buh-Buh and D-Von have risen to stardom as gimmick wrestlers, and that's never good for long-term success. However, I think these two will improve (you can already see a lot of growth in Buh-Buh Ray) and for now, with the Damn Dudleyz only behind the Rock, Y2J, Austin and the Undertaker in terms of pop, the gimmick is working. Look for them to get the titles early in 2001.
4. APA- This is why I don't put any stock in those other WWF Rankings websites: they put too much stock on won-loss records. When outcomes are pre-determined (anyone who doesn't know that- get out; now) won-loss records don't mean near as much as significance and pop. If they did the APA, who did not hold the Tag Titles at all in 2000, would not only rank lower than Too Cool and the RTC on this list, but would be having a down year from their 2 Title reigns of 1999. This is simply not the case. Last year, they were either lackeys of the Undertaker, or lost seeking another gimmick (for those of you who don't know the word Acolyte is derived from the Greek word for follower: since they were no longer followers, they needed a new gimmick). The APA concept (yes, I know what the first "A" stands for) helped them create their own identity, pushing them to the top of the second-tier in the tag team division.
5. The Radicalz- When the WWF first debuted these guys, I figured it was just to show up the WCW, who had been stealing their talent for years (and maybe it was). I knew Benoit was a star, so getting him was a coup; but the other guys seemed gratuitous, the fact that there was 4 of them was more significant than who they actually were (3 mid-carders). 4 Intercontinental Titles, 2 European Titles, and 1 Light-Heavyweight Title later and the Radicalz have emerged as a force in the WWF. Benoit and Guerrero are legitmate stars, and while Malenko and Saturn are still just mid-carders, they're professionals, and you can never have too many of those.
6. Too Cool- Can you believe Too Much is rated sixth for an entire year? There was a time that these guys wouldn't have finished sixth out of six teams (they'd have found a way to finish seventh). But something strange happened when they were remade as Too Cool. They were supposed to be the same pathetic clowns they were before, this time decked out in old hip-hop gear. Instead, people liked the clowns. This led to increased air-time, a bigger role, and eventually the Tag Team Titles. Why? I think it has to do with the highly participatory nature of their act. People go the WWF shows to have fun, and that's what Too Cool are: fun.
7. Road Dogg Jesse James and X-Pac- The New Age Outlaws may be the greatest tag team of all-time. Billy Gunn has the entire package when it comes to wrestling, but is lacking in mic charisma. Jesse James has all the charisma in the world, but very little in-ring ability. This made them a great tag-team, but weak as singles competitors. So when Gunn was hurt, Dogg needed a new partner. X-Pac has made it his own as a singles wrestler, but was most effective when teamed with Kane. So put these two together to represent DX, the coolest wrestling faction ever, and everything should take care of itself, right? The problem is, these two have all the size and power of Kaientai, with none of their in-ring ability. Even in professional wrestling, charisma will only take you so far, and with a tag team, all style in no sustance is really noticeable when its doubled.
8. T&A- This team never took off. Not sure why. Two young, talented guys with power to spare, with the hottest valet in all of professional wrestling. Sure, they have no charisma, but neither did the Acolytes or the Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock, and both of those teams held the titles. These two never got a shot. You'd think they'd have been given a title reign just so they could give Trish more air-play. But they figured out how to give Trish more air-time without these two. Poor Albert and Test, they couldn't get over even with the help of T and A, how much do these two suck?
9. Right to Censor- I find it incredibly unusual that a team with the Goodfather and Val Venis, two guys that had their own followings, and Bull Buchanen, a serious up-and-comer, has Steven Richards as its star. Stevie Richards, the guy that had trouble getting on Heat! But its true, Richards is the star of this unit, and is currently one of the best at playing a role in the WWF. Whether its a promo or a facial expression, Richards sells his role as well as anyone in the WWF. It is because of his ability to sell a role, that I'm sure was supposed to be a temporary gimmick, that the Goodfather and Ivory have been able to revitalize their careers.
10. Al Snow and Steve Blackman- Their bit as the Odd Couple was funny when Al was in charge, they were about as exciting as Low Down when Blackman was in charge. But then Blackman won the Hardcore title, they broke up for good and Blackman's career took off. Strange. The fact is, there wasn't any other tag team around together long enough to make the list, and a top nine is too weird.