Tag Team wrestling has been crucial to the hype built around the NXT brand in WWE, as they have set the bar for tag team wrestling for the company in recent years. Some of the best tandems in WWE today either got their start, or resided in NXT.
This is just a mere recap of what makes five teams in particular, maybe the best in the brands history. Some honorable mentions before I get started include Authors Of Pain, Moustache Mountain, and Enzo & Cass. Those teams all left lasting impacts on NXT, through dominant title reigns, classic matches, or sheer entertainment.
War/Viking Raiders
Coming in at Number 5 for me, are the current RAW Tag Team Champion, The Viking Raiders Ivar & Erik, or as they were known in NXT: Hanson & Rowe, War Raiders. This dominant force debutted at a TV taping just before NXT Takeover New Orleans, breaking down a tag match between Heavy Machinery and Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss. They would go on a rampage through the NXT tag roster, making a stop in War Games teaming with Ricochet & Pete Dunne to defeat Undisputed Era, before taking the tag titles from The Undisputed Era at NXT Takeover Phoenix. They would leave NXT after vacating the championships, claiming no one there could beat them for them. The team gave us some incredible matches, and strong moments, but their time in NXT was brief and them simply leaving and vacating the championships was underwhelming.
American Alpha
Before Chad Gable was Shorty G & Jason Jordan was Kurt Angles son, they were American Alpha in NXT. The who amatuer grappling masters had some of the best tag matches in NXT history with the likes of The Revival, TM61, and #DIY on their way to tag team glory. The natural charisma of Chad Gable and Jason Jordans freaky strength made them fan favorites, and their series of matches with The Revival were textbook examples of tag team wrestling. After leaving NXT, they also claimed the Smackdown Tag Team Championships, before Jason Jordan went solo & Chad Gable cycled through tag partners. They are one of the teams who are responsible for the tag team style NXT is known for today, and one often forgotten to time.
#DIY
NXT fans are far from strangers to Johnny Gargano & Tomassao Ciampa, who are two of the biggest stars in the brand history. While their blood-feud in 2018 might have defined their singles careers, it’s important to not forget just how incredible a tag team they were before that point. Their Two-Out-Of-Three Falls match at NXT Takeover Toronto with The Revival is one of the few matches in recent years I would call absolutely perfect. Their chemistry was impeccable, fans were firmly behind them, and that just made their eventual breakup that much worse. Gargano & Ciampa have teamed sparsely since their time trying to kill each other, and with them being the heart & soul of NXT, I feel like we will see them make another run at tag team glory again in the future.
The Revival
When it comes to the NXT Tag Team division, few teams are as fondly received as The Revival. The first ever two time tag team champions for the brand are responsible for most teams greatest matches in NXT, be that #DIY, TM61, Authors of Pain, American Alpha, Heavy Machinery, Enzo & Cass, etc. They are true tag team masters, and have found consistent title success even after their time in NXT. With rumors of them wanting to jump ship to AEW, they might not be with WWE forever, but their legacy was built on the black & gold brand, and it was hard to not pick them as the best tag team in NXT history.
The Undisputed Era
While teams like #DIY, American Alpha, and The Revival set the ground work for tag team excellence in NXT, Undisputed Era mastered it. Be it the classic tandem of Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly, or Kyle with Adam Cole/Roderick Strong, one thing has always been clear with Undisputed Era: they are all tag team experts. No team has had the same combination of success and quality in NXT, being three time champions and stealing the show on any card they enter. Their story is far from over in NXT, but even if they left today, they are without a doubt the best tag team in the brands history, and that is Undisputed. Their accomplishments and records alone earn them the top spot.
NXT is the home of the best tag wrestling in WWE, and as long as Undisputed Era are around, that won’t change. There will be many more incredible teams who will come through NXT, but it will take a truly special team to become as legendary as Undisputed Era has become.
