First 9
The Rowdy One 
Posts 2421
Registered 1-22-2013 Member Is Offline Mood: Doing the Emma Dance
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| posted on 6-26-2017 at 01:06 AM |
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Are the Usos one of the top ten tag teams in WWE history?
Went back and rewatched the classic Usos vs Wyatt Family match at Battleground 2014(maybe one of the best pure tag team matches ever) and got thinking
on where the Usos rank.
If we keep it WWE-centric, I know the top five for most people would be some combination The Dudleyz, E&C;, The Hardyz, The Hart Foundation,
Demolition, and The Rockers but squeezing it to ten do the Usos make the cut?
Seven years as an active team(I can't think of any WWE team in the last decade that comes close, maybe Epico and Primo?), a solid list of good
to great matches, and thanks to their heel turn some fun promo work.
Along with New Day they might be the only HOF-worthy team in the last ten years. Looking at the straps lineage since 07, it's pretty barren with
the only other noteworthy teams being Miz&Morisson;, the Rhodes Bros and Reigns&Rollins.; After that it's combos of Main Eventers(Jerishow, Team
Hell No, DX), short-lived alliances, or forgettable teams.
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Matte
"Family Man" 
Posts 9586
Registered 12-16-2008 Member Is Offline Mood: #BROKEN
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| posted on 6-26-2017 at 01:24 AM |
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Also Londrick, WGTT, APA, MNM.
"I'm a professional. I know exactly what I'm doing." - Jeff Hardy
The Multiversal MegaTurbo Ultimate Showdown Supreme of the INHUMANS~!
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Flash
The Great One
Posts 3412
Registered 4-22-2005 Location Ontario, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-26-2017 at 01:55 AM |
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No, and by this stage I think it's a long way off... probably not even top 15.
If they one day make the cut, it would be by a narrowly defined 2 person tag team definition slotting them in more by default than by deed, and
it's probably in like the 10 slot... In saying that, with the re-energized tag scene and their heel turn which has refreshed them, I think that
could change in their favour.
When I first saw this thread I couldn't find anything memorable about the Usos-Yeah a few fractured memories like feuding with the Shield, and
the Wyatt's went in their favour, but so much of their history has been ruling over a wasteland of a tag division. I'm hard pressed to
think of one single promo, and Jimmy and Jey have been largely kept indistinguishable from one another... nice entrance, flashy in the ring, but zero
personality for so long.
I don't think anyone would deny that there's talent there; but can something be a top ten thing if most of it's history is confined
to what... fifth down from the top story, and largely C-level feuds? Their Samoan gimmick isn't the first time we've seen it, so they
don't get points for that, and while part of a slew of good matches I don't know if there's anything landmark there.
In no particular order...
1.Edge and Christian
2.Hardy's
3.Dudleys
4.New Age Outlaws
5.British Bulldogs
6.Road Warriors
7.Rockers
8.Demolition
9.Hart Foundation
10. Brothers of Destruction
Miz/Morrison, Hell No, Shield, Evolution, New Day, any combination of super teams could all be thrown out there with maybe a better argument than the
Usos.
Like I said, given time that could change, but for now I don't think they are close to being top 10.
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the goon
Sister Act
Posts 6323
Registered 3-13-2004 Location Charlotte, NC Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-26-2017 at 03:14 AM |
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I'm a big fan of the Usos' current heel gimmick, but am inclined to agree with Flash here...off the top of my head, here's ten WWE
tag teams I'd currently rank ahead of the Usos (in alphabetical order).
British Bulldogs
Bulldog/Owen
Demolition
Dudleys
Edge and Christian
Hardys
Hart Foundation
Legion Of Doom
New Age Outlaws
Rockers
Though where I'll differ from Flash is that I do think they're probably in the top 15 at this point, as I don't think I could come
up with five more WWE tag teams that I would put in front of them; at this point I think they've surpassed teams like MNM, Miz/Morrison, and
TWGTT based on longevity alone.
And on a sidenote, I still think that a heel Roman Reigns/Usos faction would be awesome.
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First 9
The Rowdy One
Posts 2421
Registered 1-22-2013 Member Is Offline Mood: Doing the Emma Dance
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| posted on 6-26-2017 at 03:26 AM |
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Well, Flash beat that notion down with the trip down memory lane. The Outlaws and The British Bulldogs completely slipped my mind. I wasn't so
sure on the Road Warriors because I can't think of a lot of good stuff while in WWE.
Another set of teams that I was thinking about was the Smackdown Six crew. Edge&Rey;, Los Guerreros, and Angle & Benoit. If we don't count WCW
not even the Guerreros lasted that long(and before oficially breaking up, Eddie had already spent a good few months as a singles competitor) so where
would they rank? Edge and Rey vs Benoit and Angle has to be in the running for the best non-gimmick tag team in WWE and their overall body of work
between the 3 teams is still highly rated to this day.
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Flash
The Great One
Posts 3412
Registered 4-22-2005 Location Ontario, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-26-2017 at 04:32 AM |
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What, you mean you completely forgot the whole Droz the drug dealer to either Hawk or Animal (can't remember which) culminating in the whole
fiasco atop the titantron? I'll forgive you if you can't remember that particular piece of Russo written garbage, lol.
I actually started to write an argument for them being juuuuuuuuust outside the top ten, and how with 3 tag titles to their names, and 7 years
together they were probably well on their way to cracking that list despite the faults I listed... then I started to put together my own top ten I
started to think their history didn't quite measure up to some of the others, and their flaws started to stick out a bit more.
Now look no further than Stone Cold as to how a few years at the end of your career can completely change your legacy... the guy was good, and had a
few noteworthy feuds for the first decade or so of his career, but there's no way you'd put that version of Austin on a top ten list...
probably not even a top 20 list. The Usos are now 31, so that's a lot of gas left in the career tank, and they only seem to be getting better...
I mean the heel turn is a great start, but give them a bit more time on the mic and they latch onto the right gimmick, character, or whatever magic it
is that takes guys to the next level and who knows where they could wind up.
quote:
Originally posted by the goon
And on a sidenote, I still think that a heel Roman Reigns/Usos faction would be awesome.
When I'm fantasy booking my way through WWE 2k17 I generally do lump the three of them together as kind of a heel 2017 Samoan Swat Team, or (and
probably slightly racist) call them the Tribe... Honestly with their family history being what it is, and the potential for an us versus them
mentality (which they did when Rikishi took out Austin years ago so the Rock would be the man) I think the WWE is missing the boat on a faction that
could run roughshod over the WWE... yeah they did a bit of a face thing a year or two ago, but they never quite seemed to be committed to it. I also
used to throw ADR and the Colons together into a faction I called the Cartel (again, probably more racism... but gotta celebrate that rich xenophobic
history of wrestling!)
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salmonjunkie
Best There Is Was or Ever Will Be 
Posts 11770
Registered 6-25-2002 Location Sunny Seattle, WA Member Is Offline Mood: Authoritized
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| posted on 6-26-2017 at 04:43 PM |
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I really really like the Usos. I think one day they could be a top ten tag team, but they're still a long way to go to surpass any team on the
top ten lists above, along with a lot of the honorable mentions mentioned. It will be difficult since there are time periods where the top dogs in a
tag team wasteland, but thankfully that's not what we have now. Part of it though, isn't just who their competition is, it's where
the tag team titles are placed during their time.
As far as comparing them to London/Kendrick, MNM, Miz/Morrison, TWGTT, it's hard to say. The Usos may have been together for 7 years, but they
really weren't that notable until 4 years ago when they came back from NXT and started wearing the face paint. Their in ring work as a tag team
is up there with TWGTT and London/Kendrick (and god, if anyone suffered from being top dogs in a shallow pond, it was London/Kendrick), and while
Miz/Morrison have a big benefit of having great vignettes, they weren't together that long - but the splash they made while they were together
was really big.
I think as time goes on, we'll see where the Usos are on the list. Right now, easy top 20. Maybe top 15. That's as far as I'll
go.
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DKBroiler
SpeciASSl CUMedian 
Posts 1566
Registered 1-25-2008 Location One Inch Right of Philly on a Map Member Is Offline Mood: Old
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| posted on 6-26-2017 at 09:42 PM |
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I agree that at this point top 20 is totally possible and I will say that a decade more of them would put them in the GOAT conversation but it's
a good 5 years away from even starting to think about it.
The Uso Penitentiary gimmick is gold though.
Braun Strowman guy.
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DevilSoprano
Pee Wee's Plaything
Posts 7305
Registered 11-16-2002 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-26-2017 at 11:45 PM |
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They're probably just outside the top 10. Just based on a few teams I've been seeing in this thread, I'd put them above the
Warriors, Bulldog/Owen, and I could even make an argument on the Rockers who always seemed like they were on the cusp of making it to the next level
but never hit that peak of teams like the Bulldogs, Harts, Demolition.
If I had to do my rankings, I'll just do it in eras.
Harts/Demo/Bulldogs are all above them from the 80s.
E&C;/Hardys/Dudleys/Outlaws are all above them from the Attitude era.
And then I think you start at least having to think about the Usos. They're on par, to me, with New Day, Rockers, WGTT, London & Kendrick, Money
Inc, maybe a few others.
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Nobledictator1278
Fella
Posts 385
Registered 4-9-2013 Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-28-2017 at 02:08 PM |
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I know Outlaws were DX and all and were relevant but as a team I always found them overrated and kinda boring.
I think their title length alone puts New Day ahead of the Usos at this time.
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Flash
The Great One
Posts 3412
Registered 4-22-2005 Location Ontario, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 6-28-2017 at 03:33 PM |
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The Outlaws are kind of a funny one, and might be a great comparable to the Usos in that both kind of lorded over a dead tag era in wrestling.
They beat the LOD for the titles, and kind of peaked with a tag match against Foley and Funk at WM 14... other than that they largely served as
HHH's flunkies as DX either feuded with the Nation, or Foley, or some other various random top of the card pairing as this seemed to be an era
where actual tag team wrestling was waning, but main events were filled with random pairings of Austin and Taker, Foley, Rock, whomever against DX,
the Ministry, the Corporation... ect. The NAO would disappear for the most part due to either Gunn's injury, or Road Doggs personal problems by
the time the 99-2000 tag team resurgence that gave us the Hardy's, E&C;, and Dudley came along.
Still; there's something to be said for longevity, 6 WWF/E tag title wins (even if it seems like most of them were won/lost against Mankind
and... Rock/Kane/Snow which further demonstrates how lacking the tag scene was at the time), and just how damned popular they were. I mean who among
us can't still regurgitate their opening promo spiel they spouted before each match? Probably by virtue of riding the coat tails of the
massively popular DX faction they spent a lot of time at the top of the card, or feuding with the biggest names in wrestling history... even if was
just standing behind HHH. Road Dogg to the best of my memory only had like 3 moves, but outside of the Rock he might be one of the most effortless
promo guys in the biz. Gunn was more the muscle, but he could go in the ring... maybe not a technical masterpiece, but a nice combo of power moves and
flash... all while getting a cocky personality across. There's also something to be said about his 11 tag team titles he racked up with Road
Dogg, Bart Gunn, and Chuck Palumbo over his career.
The NAO don't really have the all time great feuds or matches on their resumes; and like I started with their best years seemed to come when
they were just about the only full time tag team... so as far as arguments for all time great teams go, they definitely lose out in that department...
They did also seem to spend most of their time at the top of the card as heads number 2 and 3 over HHH's shoulder.... if you strip that away,
from a wrestling POV they aren't that great (and I agree fairly boring in the ring for the most part, but I think that owed to a lot of paint by
number matches of the era when they faced two mega faces... guy 1 in peril, hot tag, finish... ect); but wrestling is more than just what happens in
the ring (and some of those matches were pretty good); it's the total package, and legacies are founded just as much on being memorable in all
there others ways as it is wrestling holds... besides; being the guys behind the guy did wonders for the rest of the Four Horsemen, so the NAO are in
good company.
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CamstunPWG187
Man of a Thousand Holds
Posts 1607
Registered 5-2-2010 Location Harbin, China Member Is OnlineMood: Barbeque
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| posted on 6-28-2017 at 07:06 PM |
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Yeah, but the Outlaws had some seriously good storyline moments, including being a focal point of the Corporation recruiting new members for a 2 week
period. One time, they were teasing an Outlaws turn, and on an episode of Shotgun Saturday Night in late 98/early 99, Vince even appeared in the
aisle with Shane during a match involving one of them. That was the first and only time I ever remember Vince appearing on a C-show in a meaningful
capacity.
Outlaws also had the crowd in their hands when they turned face. Everyone knew their spiel, and they were molten hot for more than a year, and then
the spring/summer of 99 came, and the act lost steam, mainly due to Triple H's heel turn.
Usos have a strong case for ME because of their longevity and quality of PPV title defenses from 2012-2014. I love me some Usos.
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shashwat mishra
Showstopper
Posts 642
Registered 9-27-2002 Location Bhubaneswar, India Member Is Offline Mood: Nostalgic
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| posted on 6-29-2017 at 05:48 AM |
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What? No Love for The Steiners (American Alpha is a rehash)? The Headshrinkers? Money Inc? The Smoking Guns?
I am pretty sure someone here would have seen The Steiners vs The Harts. Not very easy to get hands on but one of the best tag matches I have ever
seen.
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GodEatGod
Man of a Thousand Holds 
Posts 1289
Registered 1-14-2004 Location Monroe, LA Member Is Offline Mood: Weird
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| posted on 6-29-2017 at 07:18 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by shashwat mishra
What? No Love for The Steiners (American Alpha is a rehash)? The Headshrinkers? Money Inc? The Smoking Guns?
I am pretty sure someone here would have seen The Steiners vs The Harts. Not very easy to get hands on but one of the best tag matches I have ever
seen.
The Steiners are rightly seen as a WCW/NWA team - they had a cup of coffee in the WWE, but, outside of that one great match, they didn't really
make a huge impact and were big at a time when the company was down all around.
The Headshrinkers, Money Inc. and the Guns all had significant title runs, but, frankly, are outclassed in the ring compared to the Usos. The
'shrinkers could go sometimes, but they often just...didn't. Dibiase's great, but both he and IRS were on the downside of their
career and had big angles and boring matches. The Guns were...the Guns. They were okay, but cheesy.
I'm not sure if they're top ten all time - I agree with top twenty for sure and with the potential to be greater. But I would say
they're definitely better than the teams you mentioned, with the possible exception of the Steiners who just made their bones elsewhere.
[Edited on 6-29-2017 by GodEatGod]
"It is an impressively arrogant move to conclude that just because you don't like something, it is empirically not good. I don't like
Chinese food, but I don't write articles trying to prove it doesn't exist." - Tina Fey
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ulsterphil
And I am AWESOME
Posts 195
Registered 10-2-2007 Location Northern Ireland Member Is Offline Mood: Housified
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| posted on 7-6-2017 at 12:27 PM |
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My problem with the Uso's is that they just aren't that memorable. They are two cruisers who have face-paint and that's about it
for me.
If I was asked to name 30 tag teams from WWE (not counting super-teams) I could get well into the 20's without even thinking of the
Uso's.
EDIT: I just checked their billed weight and no fucking way is Jimmy Uso coming in at 251 when Trips is 255. I know hes samoan and shit but
that's way off.
[Edited on 7-6-2017 by ulsterphil]
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Chris Is Good517
Best There Is Was or Ever Will Be 
Posts 12549
Registered 1-10-2002 Location Little Rock, AR Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 7-7-2017 at 09:39 PM |
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I know this is a smark-friendly forum but holy shit, the fucking BROTHERS OF DESTRUCTION ranking higher than the Usos? Fucking Christ. (No offense
Flash)
I'd say just for longevity alone, yes, they're at the bottom of (or perhaps just on the cusp of) the top 10. But then I'd
factor in that as well as longevity they also have a pretty impressive body of good-to-great ringwork, are consistently over with live crowds, and
have mostly avoided being dragged into especially bad or stupid angles, and it's pretty fucking dumb to try to make the argument that some flash
in the pan tag teams like MNM or WGTT (who I absolutely adored but were together as a team for what, a year and a half? And did nothing particularly
memorable) should be rated higher than a team that's been a consistent presence for close to a decade now (and have reliably delivered excellent
matches for the last five or six). If you aren't a fan personally than that's fine but by no objective metric should people be trying to
argue that Miz and Morrison were a better or more significant tag team.
Monday Night Flaw, a podcast about professional wrestling starring OO's own
Figure Foreskin as Andy the Smarmy Host and Chris Is Good517 as Cousin Balki.
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Flash
The Great One
Posts 3412
Registered 4-22-2005 Location Ontario, Canada Member Is Offline Mood:
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| posted on 7-7-2017 at 10:26 PM |
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None taken CiG;
I threw the Brothers of Destruction out there because I was trying to look at a combination of longevity (which the Usos have), matches,
prominence/legacy at the time of their run, and how over they were.
I think even together the Brothers check more boxes than the Usos; even if the Usos are a better tag team in terms of sticking together. I think match
quality can be a bit of a tough one as while a Kane/Undertaker match was pretty by the numbers, it still scratched the itch of what you'd
want/expect out of two big hosses like that, even if it's not on the work rate level of the Usos.
I guess in a lot of ways the age old problem of wrestling- a perennial curtain jerker might be ten times better in the ring than a guy at the top of
the card for a couple of years, but the guy at the top is probably going to be the one you remember, and will definitely be seen by more people- which
in wrestling does count for something. (Like think Dean Malenko compared to Ultimate Warrior)
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