What makes a great tag team in professional wrestling?

Is it the amount of great matches you’ve had, the chemistry and tag psychlogy both partners have with each other or the amount of titles you’ve won during your run?

While most would say all of the above, the last point isn’t exactly true, sure winning numerous titles in multiple promotions have helped defined the legacy of teams like the Road Warriors, FTR and The Dudley Boyz/Team 3D, but what happens when you only win the gold just once in a single promotion.

Since the inception of TNA Wrestling back in 2002, dozens of tag teams have held the impressive tag title straps a handful of times, but this list I’m focusing on those teams who as of the timing of this list being made, have one held the TNA/IMPACT World Tag Team Titles just once and how good if not great their single run with belts actually were.

#5. Subculture

Coming together as a team during their time in NXT UK, the team of Mark Andrews (aka Mandrews) and Flash Morgan Webster soon became a hot act in the Euro centric version of the black and gold brand but it wasn’t until 2019 when they started to go by the name of South Wales Subculture and two years later they would bring in the muscle of the group in Dani Luna.

After their time in NXT UK came to an end, the trio (now just calling themselves ‘Subculture’) competed throughout the indies before making their way to IMPACT Wrestling in May 2023. Taking on the team of Ace Austin and Chris Bey (aka ABC) for the tag team titles at Under Siege, the two teams put on one of the best tag team matches to not take place in WWE or AEW with the former X Division Champions retaining their titles.

It wouldn’t be until the company’s Slammiversary pay-per-view on July 15th 2023 when the boys from South Wales won a four way tag team match to become the new IMPACT World Tag Team Champions.

Not long after winning the belts, IMPACT proclaimed Andrews and Webster’s run with the belts as ‘The Summer of Subculture’ where they defended it in almost every promotion they went to with at four successful title defenses under their belt.

Though they only held the belts for only 43 days, the matches they did have (especially in IMPACT) were some of the best that the tag division has ever seen since the late 2010’s…Also they were the first all British team to win the company’s tag titles since Douglas Williams and Magnus back in October of 2009, not too bad.

#4. The Lucha Bros

The last minute announcement of Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr. taking on Austin Aries of the IMPACT World Title at the IMPACT vs Lucha Underground event in 2018 was first time IMPACT fans got to witness the Lucha bros in action and following a rematch at their Redemption PPV where Penta won the won the world title, everyone was thrilled to see Penta and Fenix become fixatures during TNA’s return to prominence in 2018.

By early 2019, the Lucha Bros would go on to feud with Santana and Ortiz of LAX for the tag team titles with the masked brothers failing to win the gold at the Homecoming PPV but where successful in the main event of the Februrary 8th 2019 edition of IMPACT!

Penta and Fenix only had two title defenses as tag champions which lasted for a surprising 109 days; In that time the brothers wrestled in numerous promotions like AAA, AAW, MLW, House of Glory and PWG, but none of those matches saw them defending the IMPACT World Tag Team titles, when they did defend them it was against LAX and Eddie Edwards & Eli Drake.

In the main event of Rebellion 2019, Santana and Ortiz beat the Lucha Bros in a Full Metal Mayhem match to become the new champions but like many of the other teams on this list, they went able to get their rematch as the brothers would depart IMPACT and head to the brand new promotion: All Elite Wrestling.

#3. The Rascalz

Considering how the long the Rascalz have been apart of the IMPACT/TNA locker room since the early days of the D’Amore/Callis era, you think the boys from Dayton Ohio would’ve won the tag straps sooner than they did or at least won it more than once…Unfortunately that wasn’t the case.

Between having teams like The North, Santana and Ortiz, The Good Brothers, The Motor City Machine Guns and The Lucha Brothers plus the fact that the company booked the trio to be seen as comedy characters…Then it shouldn’t be surprising that the Rascalz weren’t crown the tag champions towards the tail end of the 2010’s.

Things turned around for the group when Zachary Wentz returned to TNA to team with his old friend, Trey Miguel who has since turned heel and was running high off his time as X Division Champion. At the Emergence event on August 27th 2023, Trey and Wentz defeated Subculture to win their very first IMPACT World Tag Team Championships…And no that time a “drunken” Trey Miguel pinned one half of LAX to win the belt for several seconds doesn’t count.

With only three title defenses during their belt and reigning over the division for only 55 days, Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz went on retained their titles against Rich Swann & Sami Callihan and the Motor City Machine Guns not once but twice…All while cheating their way to victory via spray paint related shenanigans.

The reign would come to an end at that year’s Bound For Glory PPV, when the ABC defeated the Rascalz to become two time tag team champions and failed to regain them in a four way tag title match at Hard To Kill 2024.

Unlike some of the other entries on this list, the chances are still there for the Rascalz to become tag team champions again but for the time being their one and only title reign from August to October 2023 is the only gold the team have held together in the company.

#2. Samoa Joe & Magnus

From 2010-2013, TNA saw a number of makeshift teams hold the tag titles: Some of them were good like The Bad Influence, The Bro-mans, AJ Styles & Kurt Angle and Chavo & Hernandez while others have been terrible like Mexican America, Crimson & Matt Morgan, Hernandez & Matt Morgan and Gunner & James Storm.

However one of the best makeshift teams from that time period to make it onto this list has been the pairing of Samoa Joe and Magnus; The former TNA World Champion and Future NWA World Champion weren’t given much to do during the Hogan/Bischoff era, so the decision was made in late 2011 to put them together and surprising the team did much better than anyone could’ve expected.

After failing to win the tag straps at Genesis 2012, Joe and Magnus would come out on top the following month at Against All Odds with Joe and Magnus becoming a tag champions for the first time since 2007 and 2009 respectively.

For 91 days, both men defended the belts a whooping 16 times between Feburary 12th to May 13th 2012 which a majority of those title defenses happening at house shows where they retained over teams like Crimson & Matt Morgan and the Bad Influence. On IMPACT TV and PPV’s they also retained over teams like Jeff Hardy & Mr. Anderson, Mexican America and most notably the Motor City Machine Guns at Lockdown 2012.

Fun Fact, around this time Magnus and Joe also won the GHC (Global Honored Crown) tag titles and held them for 78 days which makes them the first TNA wrestlers to win GHC championship gold, five years before Eddie Edwards became the first American wrestler to win their world title.

At Sacrifice 2012, The Bad Influence would beat Joe and Magnus to become the new tag team champions and sadly they would go their separate ways not long after this although they would face each other on and off in singles matches from late 2012 until 2014.

#1. Decay

At the height of TNA’s woes becoming fodder for wrestling journalists and the internet wrestling community, a number of stars soon became the guiding light within the promotion: Case in point, Rosemary who made her debut on the January 26th 2016 edition of IMPACT! which saw the future Knockouts Champion soon being flanked by Crazzy Steve and Abyss and thus the face painted, macabre trio known as ‘Decay’ was born.

After defeating Beer Money at that year’s Sacrifice event to become the new TNA World Tag Team Champions, Abyss and Steve dominanted the tag division from April until October of 2016 for an impressive 197 days which is the longest reign for a one time tag team on this list.

Their victims regarding from makshift tag teams like Jeff Hardy & James Storm and Grado & Shera to more established teams like The Tribunal and The Bro-Mans.

Speaking of which, the Bro-Mans and Decay had one of the better feuds at the time with Robbie E and Jessie Godderz quickly getting over with the crowd and their bouts with Decay at Slammiversary and in a monster’s ball match on IMPACT! were great matches that sadly have gone underappreciated due to the fact that more people focused on the company’s backstage problems than the wrestling inside the ring.

Things came to an end for Decay as tag team champions when they lost the belts to Broken Matt and Jeff Hardy at Bound For Glory and then again in another match the following episode.

Despite only holding the gold once in their career, Decay became the most over thing in the company and continues to be loved by the fans as evident by the reformation of the group in 2021 with Havok and Black Taurus replacing Abyss in the faction.

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