Top 30 Tag Teams of 2017 (15-1)

Yesterday saw us count down the first 15 teams in our end of year list, and that can be found here. Today we round out the list by counting down from 15 to 1. Without further ado, here is the list.

15. South Pacific Power Trip (Travis Banks & TK Cooper) - Independent

In an article I wrote 6 months ago for Cultured Vultures I ranked SPPT as the number one tag team at the half way point of the year. The second half of the year has been less prolific though, as shortly after they reunited, following a visa issue, TK Cooper got injured. You can pick any of their matches from the first half of the year and you will be guaranteed that it will be great.

14. #DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) - WWE

Another team that only wrestled for the first half of the year, but nevertheless left a lasting impression. All of their TakeOver matches delivered to a high standard, with the triple threat from TakeOver: Orlando being one of the best matches to take place in a WWE ring this year. It wasn't just their in ring work that was great though, as they showed a bucketload of charisma and their break up, and Ciampa's subsequent heel turn, was one of the most memorable and well executed moments in wrestling this year.

13. ReDRagon/Undisputed Era (Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) - WWE & Independent

They spent the first half of the year travelling the indies, having a series of what were essentially dream matches against the likes of War Machine, Leaders of the New School, Chosen Bros, and the Lucha Bros. The second half of the year was spent establishing themselves on NXT. They had a good tag match against Moustache Mountain on NXT TV, and were also involved in the fun brawl that was the WarGames match. They have rounded out the year by winning the NXT Tag Titles from SAnitY.

12. Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose - WWE

This team basically came about because creative didn't have anything better to do with either of them. Well, they ran with it and it has worked out very well. Their feud with The Bar has been a highlight of Raw in the second half of the year, producing great matches regularly. They were also involved in the excellent Shield vs New Day match at Survivor Series. They are an excellent team that feed off each other really well.

11. CIMA & Dragon Kid - Dragon Gate

These two guys are both members of the Over Generation stable in Dragon Gate and they have spent the entire year as that company's Open the Twin Gate champions. As is the case with Dragon Gate they have been involved in a lot of 6,8 & 10-man tags but when they have been in traditional tag matches they have been fantastic. Their matches at Gate of Destiny and Dangerous Gate were both great examples of how good they are.

10. Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff Hardy) - WWE, ROH & Impact Wrestling

In the first 4 months of the year the Hardys held the Impact Wrestling, ROH & WWE Raw tag titles. In fact they dropped the ROH tag titles in an excellent ladder match to the Young Bucks and won the Raw tag titles in another great ladder match the next night at WrestleMania, a return that garnered a huge pop. They spent the next few months in and around the tag title picture before Jeff picked up an injury and Matt embraced his Broken character. It has been a somewhat unexpected revival year for them.

9. Lucha Bros (Rey Fenix & Penta El Zero M) - Independent

When these two guys were put together I felt like it was more a marriage of convenience than anything else, and maybe it was, but they have been fantastic. They look amazing, both are great wrestlers, and their tag team chemistry is off the charts. Their matches in PWG have been a particular highlight for me, with them pretty much stealing the show every time.

8. Strong BJ (Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi) - BJPW & AJPW

Okay, so here we go, the single most underrated team in the world of wrestling. I may even have them too low on this list. A major reason for this is that they only really wrestle for Big Japan and All Japan, but they deliver every time. If you are looking for a hoss team that just beat the shit out of everyone in their path then there are none better. 

7. War Machine (Hanson & Ray Rowe) - NJPW & Independent

War Machine have had a metric fuck ton of matches this year, comfortably over 100, and they have been kicking ass and winning titles along the way. They aren't the typical big man team either as they are more than happy to throw themselves around, with Hanson in particular an athletic specimen. They are the sort of team that can match up well with anyone, and I would love to see them have a run in the WWE. Check out the triple threat match against Best Friends and Young Bucks from ROH Best In The World, you'll be glad you did.

6. Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) - WWE

If you had told me a year ago that I would be rating AoP this highly on an end of year list, I would have said you were mad, but the improvement they have shown over the last 12 months has been astounding. They have been arguably the most reliable performers on TakeOver shows this year, with all of their matches ranging from very good to excellent, and at 23 and 24 years old they have all the time in the world to establish themselves as a great modern tag team.

5. Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate & Trent Seven) - Independent & WWE

Whether as a tag team, or part of British Strong Style with Pete Dunne, Moustache Mountain have been an absolute delight to watch. They haven't wrestled many matches together in WWE but on the British scene they have been prolific, and have established themselves as one of the go to teams for guaranteed quality. Their work in PROGRESS this year has been exceptional, with their tag title run providing a plethora of great matches against the likes of CCK and Ringkampf. 

4. New Day (Big E, Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) - WWE

There was a time, not that long ago, when the New Day were floundering. They had the Raw tag titles but their feuds felt stale and their matches were mostly just OK. None of that can be leveled at them now. Since they moved to Smackdown they have been on the very top of their game. Their feud with the Usos has been one of the best this year, producing a seemingly never ending supply of fantastic matches. The Hell In A Cell match was a thing of beauty. Also, Big E is a fucking legend.

3. Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) - NJPW, ROH & Independent

Easily the most polarising act in wrestling. They get a lot of shit for using too many superkicks (pretty fair) and not telling a story in the ring (not fair at all). They have a gimmick that gets them over wherever they go and they are always involved in high profile matches. In NJPW, their matches with Roppongi Vice were great and their ROH feud with the Hardys was a highlight of the first part of the year. Their most fun stuff comes in PWG though.

2. The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro) - WWE

Who would have thought when these two were put together, out of convenience, that they would be one of the premier teams in wrestling? They were involved in the ladder match at WrestleMania and that led to a good feud with the Hardys, which included a great Ironman match at Great Balls of Fire. Their best feud came against Rollins and Ambrose, with excellent matches at both Summerslam and No Mercy. This team has rejuvenated Cesaro and has been the best thing Sheamus has done in his entire WWE career.

1. The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) - WWE

The heel turn was the best thing that could have happened to the Usos, as it turned them from bland babyfaces to cool, relevant heels. They may be tweeners now but that wouldn't have been possible without the heel turn. If you need further proof of the change in attitude towards the Usos, check their 2016 and 2017 ratings on Cagematch.net, the difference is astounding. This has also been their best year from an in ring perspective, as they have busted their ass week in and week out to prove that they deserve to be considered the best. Their feud with the New Day was consistently the best thing on WWE PPVs this year and the Hell In A Cell match was incredible. The Usos have earned their place at the top of this list.