5 Chaotic WWE tag teams that worked
Over the years, WWE has given the audience some strange combinations of superstars to load up the tag team division and give performers something interesting to do. Sometimes, they don't catch fire like the powers that be would hope, but in special cases, these oddball pairs capture the hearts of fans and become one of the hottest acts going.
Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes as the Rhodes Scholars? It's a great name, but an incredibly forgettable pairing. Damien Mizdow as The Miz's stunt double? It was a hilarious duo that had fans thinking Sandow was on his way to the top of the card in a few years. Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie? It didn't last long enough to make too much of an impact. However, Mick Foley received more chances with a few superstars whom we might cover later.
Today, we'll look at some of the strangest and most chaotic tag teams in WWE history and what made them so likable. We'll kick things off with a current pairing catching fire down in NXT.
#5 Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker on NXT
In early 2023, Baron Corbin made his way to WWE NXT to reinvent himself while also putting up-and-coming Superstars through the ringer before they jumped to the main roster. He's taken on the likes of Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams, Ilja Dragunov, and Wes Lee and even picked up a win over Bron Breakker at No Mercy 2023.
Oddly enough, Corbin and Breakker decided to enter the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic this year, stating that they're both violent, antagonistic a**holes (their words) that could win the whole thing. This isn't the first time Corbin's been paired with an aggressive brawler with a great Spear, as Corbin was in the first Dusty Cup, where he teamed with Rhino and got to the finals.
This time, there is more personality to Corbin, who is helping Breakker find himself with some hilarious backstage segments. Surprisingly, these two make an exciting powerhouse duo. Their match against Gallus proved that the "Wolf Dogs" are just as dominant and incredibly entertaining.
#4 William Regal and Tajiri (Former WWE World Tag Team Champions)
William Regal is up there with R-Truth for the funniest wrestlers. Regal brought in Tajiri as his sidekick as the WWF commissioner during the Invasion storyline. They were fantastic together, though it was short-lived. Regal attempted to teach Tajiri how to behave like a proper English gentleman several times, but he failed.
Once the Invasion ended, Tajiri went to SmackDown to jump into the Cruiserweight division, and Regal joined the Un-Americans.
In 2005, though, Regal and Tajri reunited for a run on Monday Night RAW. Regal was a tag team champion with Eugene at the time, but his partner was injured for six months.
This led Regal to bring in Tajiri to win the gold back from La Resistance.
It's good that they reunited because the rest of that tag division was lackluster. The Heartthrobs, Simon Dean, and Maven, it was a sad time to be a tag team fan.
Years later, William Regal saw Tajiri again during the WWE Cruiserweight Classic. This led to Regal telling a hilarious story on WWE Network's Story Time, which you can check above.
#3 Booker T and Goldust (One-time WWE World Tag Team Champions)
To this day, one of the greatest pairings in the Ruthless Aggression Era came from the five-time WCW Champion Booker T and the perverse pursuer of all things that glimmer, Goldust.
After a short stint with NWO that ended with him getting kicked out by Shawn Michaels, Booker T reluctantly aligned with the Prince of Perversion to get back at his former teammates. Eventually, this outlandish team would be challenging for tag team gold.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Booker said it felt like they were stealing money as they were just being paid to have fun.
"Some of my best work [was] with Goldust because we were friends... Goldy and I, we were coming to work, and we would have nothing to do but a skit... This went on for weeks. We didn't have to wrestle at all, and we would be like, 'Man, we're stealing money! They're paying us to do this. Are you kidding me?' [...] You've gotta know when to put it in like cruise control, when to just kickback and relax and know this business works in circles," Booker said. [0:04 - 0:45]
At Armageddon 2002, Booker T and Goldust captured their only World Tag Team Championship by defeating Christian and Chris Jericho, alongside William Regal & Lance Storm and the Dudley Boyz in a four-way match. Their reign lasted three weeks before dropping the gold to Regal and Storm on an episode of Monday Night RAW.
Though they opted to split after their failed rematch, Goldust and Booker T remained friends. Goldust even assisted the Hall of Famer in his quest to become World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 19.
#2 Team Hell No (One-time WWE Tag Team Champions)
Kane could have his list of strange partners. Though his best-known tandem involves his kayfabe brother, The Undertaker, whom he both teamed and feuded with multiple times over their respective WWE Hall of Fame careers, his most successful run tag team-wise came about when he began working with Daniel Bryan.
After repeated failures at the top level, including an embarrassing loss to Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII, Bryan's anger issues began to take over. He and Kane feuded with CM Punk for the WWE Championship, leading to the two facing off at SummerSlam. Their frustrations and outbursts led to RAW General Manager AJ Lee sending the two to Anger Management, where Dr. Shelby attempted, and essentially failed, to cure their issues.
However, after several hysterical segments in group therapy, Dr. Shelby and AJ Lee more or less forced them to team together. Despite their constant arguing during their matches, the two were quite a formidable tandem. Eventually, they captured the WWE Tag Team Championship when they defeated Kofi Kingston and R-Truth at Night of Champions 2012.
Throughout their reign, they bickered and repeatedly squabbled their way to victory, ending matches by declaring, "I am the Tag Team Champions!" It was ridiculous, but it was exactly what the WWE Universe wanted.
Team Hell No held the belts for 246 days before dropping them to The Shield at Extreme Rules 2023.
#1 The Rock 'n' Sock Connection (Three-time WWE Tag Team Champions)
Without a doubt, the greatest chaotic, oddball tag team combination in WWE history is The Rock 'n' Sock Connection. As of this writing, this is also the most successful duo on the list. The Rock and Mick Foley top the charts of bizarre WWE pairings as individuals and as a unit.
After a vicious and bitter feud that saw The Rock nearly cave Mick Foley's face in during an 'I Quit' match, it's wild to think the two would become friends. However, that's the beauty of Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy.
Six months after their last match for the then-WWF Championship, Foley convinced The Rock to let him be his tag team partner against The Undertaker and the Big Show, known as The Unholy Union.
This led to their first run as WWF Tag Team Champions, which only lasted eight days before they lost them right back to Taker and Show. Honestly, it wasn't the wrestling that made this pair special, but the incredible segments. Foley and Rock played off each other perfectly, giving the fans a fantastic, if incredibly brief, run with two icons. Three title runs combined for 15 days, but fans lept out of their chair every time.
The Rock and Mick Foley's friendship was so iconic that it has spawned several other teams over the decades. Most notably, the Boss 'n' Hug Connection of Sasha Banks and Bayley might be the greatest women's tag team ever created.
Is there a team we left off that should've been mentioned? Head Cheese? Steve Austin and Dude Love? Awesome Truth? Let us know in the comments below!