Inspired by the total lack of respect the Sheepherders/Bushwhackers have been getting on this site. Seems like no one wants to remember the bloodthirsty Sheepherders I feared as a boy. All they want to do is bad mouth the HOF induction of the head licking mid card Bushwhackers.
Just a simple thread, give a tag team that has gotten lost over the years.
I'll start with Bad Company (Pat Tanaka and Paul Diamond) former AWA and CWA champs and in the WWF known as the Oriental Express (Tanaka and Kato). They were managed by one Diamond Dallas Page and accompanied to the ring by the Diamond Doll. Both guys stumbled around the territories for years before teaming up. Diamond used a Commando gimmick for a while, and Tanaka was involved in Jeff Jarretts rookie year angles. Anyways these guys are all but forgotten but were major players back in the late 80's early 90's.
"Playboy" Buddy Rose and "Pretty Boy" Doug Somers. When I first was exposed to AWA (thank you ESPN Classic), I absolutely hated these guys. Hated them. Just great heel work. I found myself getting caught up like a child wanting to see these guys get their asses kicked.
But man, with time (and age) I really grew to love these guys, especially Buddy Rose. I've found some clips of Buddy in Portland and he's just awesome. But the team itself is one of my favorite parts of great 80s AWA. Really don't see them talked about much.
Also, the Heavenly Bodies. Another team that I initially hated, being that I was in grade school when they were featured in the WWF. Just a solid traditional tag team made even better by Jim Cornette. The chemistry these three had together was great! Playing off of each other. Jimmy Del Ray dancing and rubbing himself as Tom Pritchard laughed and Cornette pointed at him with the tennis racket. Just great. My gift to you all:
^ Just a small correction, they were the Orient Express in WWF, not Oriental. But agreed they were freaking awesome, and I loved their feud with The Rockers.
The Can Am Connection were pretty good. Martel and Tom Zenk were popular, but they were broken up and all of a sudden it was Rick Martel and Tito Santana as Strike Force.
Ernie and Emil, The Dusek Riot Squad, 7-time tag team champions across many territories. They had matches featuring legends like Tim Woods, Jim Londos and Lou Thesz but seem to have been forgotten by almost everybody. One of the innovators of the brotherly tag team, I always feel like these guys should get a bit more credit for everything they did for tag team wrestling in the United States.
One of the three greatest tag teams of all time right there!!!!!!!
They are the main innovators of tag team wrestling and the first guys to make it popular. The Kangaroos and The Road Warriors are right there with them to me.
They had a good 6 year run in several territories, primarily Memphis, Central States and Mid South. Green rep for anyone who can name their manager in the picture without using the web....Scouts honor
In my humble opinion, the greatest tag team in the history of pro wrestling, The Miracle Violence Connection. Often overshadowed by Doc's legendary solo career and Gordy's time in the Fabulous Freebirds.
The owner of the best dropkick in wrestling Ricky Rice and either Jon Paul or Derrick Dukes as the Top Guns in the AWA.. I'm guessing only a very very select few have ever even heard of these guys..
Ahhh...The good ole days of wrestling on ESPN. And you can't bring up The Top Guns without Badd Company and I know Orient Express was mentioned but Badd Company was so much more badass in the AWA.
Also Kengo Kimura and Tatsumi Fujinami were great. I know that might be a bit of a stretch.
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