BUFF BAGWELL AND A VACANT FREE LIST!
I did not give Marcus Alexander Bagwell much mind until the New World Order. He was a great-looking, young performer, but he did not seem to have any personality. Bagwell was a subdued version of WCW's "Lionheart" Chris Jericho. That maybe a good thing because I could not stand Lionheart, but that mean I just did not give a damn about Bagwell. Thus, I cannot give damn about any of his pre-NWO tag teams. If only Vicious and Delicious would have gotten a run...
The 35th Real World Tag Team Champions:
ECW's Public Enemy (2) - 11/5/1994 to 2/4/1995
It was a tough determination because as performers, Rocco Rock and Johnny Grunge are not better that Paul Roma and Paul Orndorff who will lose their belts to white meat babyfaces just so Harlem Heat will be hot heels to run rough shot over the tag division. Public Enemy is the more likable team and this title reign will end in a double tables match. You just cannot get epic from Buff Bagwell and the Patriot. The WWF title recently vacated by Shawn Michaels and Diesel.
The 36th Real World Tag Team Champions:
WCW's Harlem Heat (Stevie Ray and Booker T) - 2/4/95 to 5/21/95
Tazmaniac and Sabu never quite had the chemistry of future reluctant tag teams and The Smoking Gunns were the only relevant team still left in the WWF division.
The 37th Real World Tag Team Champions:
WWF's Owen Hart, Yokozuna and Davey Boy Smith - 5/21/95 to 9/25/95
I would say this is the first team of recent main eventers that had the chemistry to reign over a division. The Mega Powers was based around inevitable jealousy breaking them up. Jealously would arise between Smith and Hart, but they would overcome it leading to a pretty dominant stable. Yokozuna also gets to keep his relevance despite being designed like a disposable monster heel.
The 38th Real World Tag Team Champions:
WWF's Smoking Gunns (Bart and Billy Gunn)- 9/25/95 to 2/15/96
This is a Bagwell-free list, but the American Males (Bagwell and Scotty Riggs) were not going to supplant a long-established team that regained their titles. The Pitbulls in ECW appeared monstrous, but they were a hiccup in Raven/Stevie Richards feud with the Public Enemy.
The 39th Real World Tag Team Champions:
WCW's Sting and Lex Luger - 2/15/96 to 6/24/96
WWF's championship was vacated. ECW had the Eliminators (John Kronus and Perry Saturn), but the Raven's nest angle took the luster of Whipwreck and Cactus Jack's second reign (Whipwreck defeated 2 Cold Scorpio for both the TV and Tag Team Championships, and Jack declared himself Mikey's partner). With the decent length of Sting and Luger's, it at least tells us that their 1988 Jim Crockett Memorial Cup win was warranted.
The 40th Real World Tag Team Champions:
WCW's Harlem Heat (2) - 6/24/96 to 7/24/96
The 41st Real World Tag Team Champions:
ECW's Eliminators (John Kronus and Perry Saturn) - 7/24/96 to 8/3/96
Why do the Steiners always get their belts flip flopped on house shows? I would say this was to pop racist Southerners, but these changed in Ohio. As for the WWE, their answer to WCW and ECW were: The Bodydonnas (Chris "Skip" Candido and Dr. Tom "Zip" Prichard); The Godwinns (Henry O. and Phineas I.).
The 42nd Real World Tag Team Champions:
WCW's Harlem Heat (3) - 8/3/96 to 9/23/96
I thing the Gangstas (Mustapha Saed and New Jack) may have been around as long as Heat, but I think ECW treated them as the answer to that tag team. In WWE, the Smoking Guns had regained the title, but the gimmick was on its way out.
The 43rd Real World Tag Team Champions:
WWF's Davey Boy Smith and Owen Hart (2) - 9/23/96 to 5/26/97
Smith and Hart would win secondary single titles (European and Intercontinental) and feuded with each other until challenged by impromptu teams comprised of the top draws at the time. That is quite the workload.
The 44th Real World Tag Team Champions:
WCW/nWo's Wolfpac (Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Syxx) - 5/26/97 to 10/13/97
This was the peak of WCW and the champions were essentially the ones who allowed the promotion to be number one for the entire year.
The 45th Real World Tag Team Champions:
WCW/nWo' Steiner Brothers (2) - 10/13/97 to 1/12/98
The 46th Real World Tag Team Champions:
ECW's Chris Candido and Lance Storm - 1/12/98 to 6/27/98
The Steiners would trade the titles with The Outsiders, and then lose the titles back again when Scott turned on Rick. That seemed like an overextended heel turn Candido and Storm were formed to forward a main event angle (Bam Bam Bigelow turning on The Triple Threat).
Would Storm be the newest member of The Triple Threat? Once Bigelow returned to the faction, Candido turned on Storm. ECW would not vacate the title and forced them to remain a team. If one of them intentionally cost the other the title, that team member would be terminated. To have a 180+ day reign in spite of that is more impressive than WWF's New Age Outlaws screwy feud with Cactus Jack and Terry "Chainsaw Charlie" Funk involving the belt being vacated.
The 47th Real World Tag Team Champions:
ECW's Rob Van Dam and Sabu - 6/27/98 to 10/24/98
The 48th Real World Tag Team Champions:
WWF's New Age Outlaws (Jesse James and Billy Gunn) - 10/24/98 to 12/14/98
The Dudley Boyz were dropping the titles to pop Japanese crowds and to build up the number of reigns as ECW Champions (five at this point in time). WCW's belt was still being used as a prop for the NWO to solely change character motivations. The Outlaws was a top five act in WWF and perhaps more over than The Rock and Triple H at this time.
The 49th Real World Tag Team Champions:
ECW's Sabu and Rob Van Dam (2) - 12/14/98 to 4/17/99
The Outlaws lost their titles to Ken Shamrock and The Big Boss Man, a no chemistry team. Shamrock and Boss Man had two secondary titles (Intercontinental and Hardcore), but Sabu had the unrecognized FTW Championship while RVD was in the midst of elevating the TV Championship above the World Championship. WCW's titles would soon be vacated, and Eric Bischoff acknowledged his lack of concern for them.
The 50th Real World Tag Team Champions:
ECW's Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley) - 4/19/99 to 7/18/99
The 51st Real World Tag Team Champions:
ECW's Little Spike Dudley and Balls Mahoney - 7/18/99 to 8/13/99
The 52nd Real World Tag Team Champions:
ECW's Dudley Boyz (2) - 8/13/99 to 8/14/99
At the time, this was the main event angle in ECW. Taz did not have any contenders and was on the way out. But, we did not know Taz was leaving. The Dudleys leaving for WWF was a definite, and they used that in the angle. The damned Dudleys were going to win the belts with the sole intention of delivering them to Vince McMahon, meaning any loss by the ECW faithful could kill the company.
The 53rd Real World Tag Team Champions:
ECW's Little Spike Dudley and Balls Mahoney (2) - 8/14/99 to 8/26/99
The 54th Real World Tag Team Champions:
ECW's Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley (3) - 8/26/99
The 55th Real World Tag Team Champions:
ECW's Tommy Dreamer and Raven - 8/26/99 to 1/9/2000
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