Who are the ten best teams in ROH history?

Let’s not pretend this column wasn’t influenced by something I saw on another website. I have a great appreciation for the history of Ring of Honor since I’ve been a fan of the promotion since 2006. Although I haven’t seen every show, I’ve had the chance to see most of the DVDs. Because of the knowledge and appreciation I have, I feel I can provide you PWP readers a list of ten best teams in the history of ROH.   If one takes a look at the tag team division, the process of making this list is pretty easy at the top but gets harder at the bottom. There were some tough choices as there are many teams currently wrestling in the promotion who don’t merit mention on the 2011 version of this list. However, two years from now there is no reason ANX, WGTT, and/or Future Shock can’t be considered. I’m not going to attempt to rank these teams except for the number one duo. I did try to at least tier the teams, but don't just consider this a strict 1-10 list. But let's face it. It almost goes without saying who the greatest team in Ring of Honor is.

The Briscoe Brothers

Mark and Jay Briscoe are six time world tag team champions, the most championship reigns in the history of ROH. This really isn’t about those numbers though. Any fan who’s ever seen these two young men has to understand what they mean to Ring of Honor. Jay and Mark were not only a part of the first show, but they were involved in the very first match. They’ve had incredible feuds with a long litany of teams, from AJ Styles and Amazing Red to the Second City Saints and even to now where they just concluded an epic feud with ANX. To even begin assessing the impact of Mark and Jay would be impossible since they’re still a huge part of the company. But think about the best tag teams in history. Teams like the Rockers, Hart Foundation, Midnight Express, and Rock N Roll Express had incredible short runs but were ultimately broken up or washed up in under a decade. The Briscoes have been a dominant force, with a couple exceptions, for nearly ten years.

The best example of the Briscoes’ ability in the ring may have come at Fifth Year Festival: Philadelphia. Kevin Steen and El Generico had received numerous opportunities in the promotion but never stuck. One of their singles matches against each other even got cut from a prior DVD. Even in a losing effort, Steenerico earned their spot within ROH once and for all. This match also kicked off one of the best feuds in recent tag team wrestling history. These two teams had numerous ****+ matches throughout the spring and summer, climaxing with the first ever ladder war at Man Up. Despite Steen and Generico never actually winning the titles, they were made men because of their rivalry with Mark and Jay Briscoe.

When one ponders the future of Ring of Honor, it’s hard to imagine Jay and Mark not being a huge part of their success. In an era when tag team wrestling is deemphasized and where certain tag team titles really are nothing more than belts, Mark and Jay helped make the ROH tag titles mean something to the point where they could main event any Ring of Honor show. Remember Manhattan Mayhem III? It wasn’t the Wrestling Observer Match of the Year (Takeshi Morishima and Bryan Danielson’s ROH world title match)that closed out the night. It was a two-out-of-three falls tag team title match between the Briscoes and Steenerico. Every other team on this list really does pale in comparison, but the next two teams made history of their own with the titles that some might be shocked to know wasn’t perpetrated by the Briscoes.

Generation Next (Austin Aries and Roderick Strong)

At one time, Generation Next had the longest reign ever. Aries and Strong set a ridiculous in-ring standard by having incredible matches with a lot of different teams, too numerous to list. Their title reign started with a bang as they put Sal Rinauro and Tony Mamaluke’s awful title reign out of its misery. Aries and Strong then engaged in a nine month title reign that literally took them around the world. In fact, it was Aries and Strong that made the ROH tag team titles WORLD tag team titles when they defended the belts against Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino in Japan for Dragon Gate. Unfortunately, Aries and Strong wouldn’t last as a team beyond the fifth year festival. In an attempt to recreate the faction rivalries done in companies like DG, Aries and Strong were chosen to lead two groups against each other. Regardless of how “faction warfare” ultimately played out, Aries and Strong proved to great opponents in addition to being great partners. Their contribution to the history of the ROH tag team titles should never be forgotten. While the Briscoes have the most title reigns, and Gen Next made the belts more prestigious, there is one team that has the longest sustained championship reign ever.

The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli)

From April 3, 2010 until April 1, 2011, Hero and Castagnoli reigned as ROH world tag team champions. Their 363 day title reign is the longest in ROH history. Other than the Young Bucks' first PWG title run, no reign has gone longer than that in the last ten years (Look it up. London and Kendrick's WWE tag team title reign went 331 days.) The Kings actually had a brief title reign in the fall of 2006, but Claudio Castagnoli was scheduled to leave for WWE, and they had to promptly lose the straps to Matt Sydal and Christopher Daniels just two months after winning the belts from Gen Next. Thankfully, the Kings got to have a proper title reign before finally leaving for WWE. Hero and Castagnoli’s primary rivals were the Briscoes, and they had a pair of incredible matches on iPPV. The duo also had very good matches with The Young Bucks, WGTT, and the Motor City Machine Guns. Between the first and second run with the belts, Hero and Castagnoli improved tremendously. No longer did they have to rely on schtick or goofy heel shenanigans in order to put forth quality matches. They could rely on their own ability and strengths as individual competitors. Take away the stupid elbow pad gimmick, and you have what could easily be considered one of the best in-ring teams of all time.

Now that we’ve established a top tier of teams, it’s time to look at some of the other teams who’ve made an impact. They may not have all had the best title reigns, but each of these teams made significant contributions to the history of Ring of Honor.

Kevin Steen and El Generico

I mentioned their feud with the Briscoes earlier, but it’s worth mentioning again the journey these two men went on in order to become members of

the roster. Their feud with Mark and Jay Briscoe took them from indy workers to ROH superstars. Their timing could not have been better as ROH was scorching hot in 2007. The company were getting ready to debut on television PPV. The DVD business hadn't gone down the tubes yet. In addition, a number of people had departed the company, leading to a need for the company to bring in and make new stars quickly. Steen and Generico fit the mold perfectly. They essentially had the feud of the year in 2007 and 2009 as a team. But they actually won the ROH world tag team titles in an incredible match against Age of the Fall at Driven 2008. Steen and Generico won in front of one of the best crowds ever as the folks in Boston cheered Steenerico on the whole way. Thanks to a booking change and an injury to Mark Briscoe, Steen and Generico didn’t get a proper title reign. However, their feud with the American Wolves served as their last moment of team glory before breaking up in the most violent manner possible at Final Battle 2010.

The American Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards)

At first, it looked like these two were just thrown together. Edwards was looked at as the Marty Janetty of the team. Why would Ring of Honor saddle one of their hottest stars with someone like Eddie Edwards? Little did we all know what this team had in store. They ended the 200 day title reign of Steen and Generico and maintained a six month feud with the duo that encompassed the spring and summer of 2010. Richards and Edwards competed in the first ever tag team title limit draw against Tyler Black and Bryan Danielson. Perhaps the moment the American Wolves became a true team was when Eddie Edwards severely injured his right elbow the night before he was scheduled to compete at Ladder War 2. No matter what someone might think of a guy competing with that terrible of an injury in a ladder match, Edwards earned the respect of the tough New York crowd and ROH fans worldwide by working the match.  Richards and Edwards succumbed  to the Briscoes at Final Battle 2009 but continued competing together regularly. What separates this team from every other on the list is that they’ve both gone on to win the ROH world title. In fact, they’ve competed for all three title belts in Ring of Honor, either as a team or against each other. While the Wolves appear to be done competing for the actual titles, they may be a fixture of the scene for many years to come.

Age of the Fall (Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black), BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs

Jacobs is the only person on this list to be a part of two different teams. He has four title reigns between his two partners. Jacobs won his first tag team title with Whitmer at Best of the Super Juniors 2005. Other than a short hiccup, they would go on to hold the belts for most of the summer of 2005. They are one of the few teams not to defend or lose the belts to the Briscoes, but they still managed to put together two very solid title reigns. A little over two years later, Jacobs had a new partner in Tyler Black. Age of the Fall was a much-hyped group that needed to win gold in order to establish credibility. Jacobs was of course the veteran of the team, and amazingly,  Black won ROH gold four months into his run with the promotion. Jacobs and Black ended 2007 with the belts but lost them shortly thereafter. They would have another three month title reign later in the year. The reason Black and Jacobs made this list was because of the matches they had together and the importance of the Age of the Fall angle. If one were to look at these teams, that person could easily see just how much Jimmy Jacobs adapted in two years. He went from a furry boot wearing oddball into an accomplished performer who understood how to work a match. Jacobs and Black never achieved the level of greatness I think a lot of people expected, but they still managed excellent contests against the Briscoes and Steenerico.  Jacobs also had a propensity for bad break-ups as he would also feud with both Black and Whitmer shortly after losing the belts. Ironically or perhaps by coincidence, both feuds climaxed with cage matches in Detroit.

The Rottweilers (Ricky Reyes and Rocky Romero)

A forgotten title reign perhaps? Reyes and Romero achieved early success. Six months into their time in ROH, the Rottweilers defeated CM Punk and Colt Cabana to win the ROH tag team titles. They turned away challenges from The Prophecy and Generation Next. These two men were looked at as the future of ROH at a time when the company was really emphasizing the next generation. It would be easy to dismiss these two men because neither man is a part of ROH, but The Rottweilers should be regarded in high regard based on their nearly seven month title reign.

AJ Styles and Amazing Red, The Second City Saints (CM Punk and Colt Cabana)

Neither one of these teams had long title reigns, but they certainly had memorable moments. Styles and Red brought tag team wrestling into the modern era with an incredible trio of matches against the Briscoes. Punk and Cabana defeated those same Briscoes to welcome Chicago into the world of ROH. These two teams prove that the length of a title reign is irrelevant. It’s about what is done with the belts that matters.

So there you have it. It’s pretty difficult to pick and choose these teams once you get away from the oblivious. When a company has been in existence for years, it’s tough to have a lot of teams to rank. What I’ve tried to do is give our readers a chance to understand the history of the ROH world tag team titles. Unlike what WWE does, ROH takes pride in these belts. If one looks at the list of names, it’s incredible to see how many guys have gone on to win world titles in ROH and other companies. Even guys like Naruki Doi and Shingo Takagi went on to win the top singles championship in Dragon Gate. Perhaps one day, I’ll try to rank the top ten singles wrestlers ever in ROH, but I’ll wait for some “inspiration” before deciding.