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The WWE website has listed the top 15 tag team finishing moves of all time.
15. G9 (Cryme Tyme)
Shad Gaspard puts an opponent across his own shoulders. JTG then performs a flipping neckbreaker, while Shad hits a Samoan Drop. JTG sometimes dives from the second rope to perform this move.
14. Double Superfly Splash (The Usos)
Both Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso perform a diving splash from opposite corners onto the same fallen opponent.
13. Superkick-German Suplex combination (Badd Company)
Pat Tanaka stands behind an opponent. Paul Diamond hits the opponent with a superkick to knock him backwards into Tanaka. Tanaka swiftly plants the opponent with a German Suplex. In WWE video games, this move starts with one wrestler holding the opponent in a rear waistlock before the kick is delivered.
12. Heat Seeker (Harlem Heat)
Stevie Ray lifts the opponent so that he is sitting on Ray’s shoulders. Booker T performs a missile dropkick from the top rope. After Booker connects with the opponent, Ray either falls backwards, or throws the opponent backwards. It is essentially a variation of the Doomsday Device.
11. Hart Attack (Hart Foundation)
Jim Neidhart lifts the opponent as if he is performing a bearhug. Bret Hart then hits the opponent with a leaping clothesline. Neidhart either releases the opponent, or drops to his knees, to increase the impact when the opponent falls. The Hart Dynasty had a similar move, but Tyson Kidd would perform a springboard clothesline instead.
10. The Rocker Launcher (The Midnight Express)
After the opponent is downed, one member of the team climbs onto the top rope. The partner then performs a gorilla press onto their team mate, and throws them towards the opponent. The launched wrestler then performs a diving splash onto the opponent. This move was used by all incarnations of the tag team, with the taller member performing the throw.
9. Double Chokeslam (The Brothers of Destruction)
Also known as ‘High Times’, this move has been used by very many tall tag teams. Both team members simultaneously perform a chokeslam on the same opponent. Batista once completely ripped a muscle in his back after taking the move from Big Show and Kane.
8. Diving Bulldog (Steiner Brothers)
The Steiner Brothers were true innovators of devastating tag team finishers. This was their own classic twist on the Doomsday Device. Scott lifts his opponent so that the opponent is seated on his shoulders. Steiner then stands with his back turned to his own corner. Rick then climbs onto the top rope and performs a diving bulldog. The opponent would be sent crashing over Scott’s head, and then land face down on the mat. There was always a risk of Scott injuring his neck due to the way the opponent was taken down.
7. Demolition Decapitation (Demolition)
Yet another highly imitated finisher. Smash would set the opponent above his knee, as if he was performing a backbreaker. Then Ax or Crush would then perform a diving axe handle smash from the second rope, aimed at the opponent’s head. The force of the diving attacker pushes the opponent down onto Smash’s knee. Variations of the move see the diving wrestler using leg drops or elbow drops.
6. Snapshot (MNM)
Often described as a weaker variation of the 3D, this is simply a spike DDT without the ring ropes. Joey Mercury will lift an opponent onto one of his shoulders. Johnny Nitro will then apply a headlock to the suspended wrestler. Both attackers then fall onto their backs, resulting in Nitro hitting a DDT.
5. Power Plex (Power & Glory)
This move was very common in Mexico, Canada and the smaller territories, but had been kept of television for a very long time. This was mainly because promoters thought that fans would not get the set up to the move as it seemed complicated. One attacker will perform a superplex (a vertical suplex from the top rope). The second attacker waits to perform a diving attack onto the downed opponent. In this instance, Hercules performs the superplex, and Paul Roma follows up with a diving splash.
4. Spike Piledriver (The Brainbusters)
This move was actually introduced during a time when piledrivers and similar moves would get someone disqualified. Why an exception was made for this more dangerous variation is unknown, but it lead to other piledrivers being accepted. One wrestler would set the opponent up for a piledriver close to the corner. The partner would stand on the second rope and then grab onto the opponent’s kneepads or legs. The first attacker would sit down to complete the piledriver, while the partner hops off the second rope, pushing the legs down to add more force to the drop.
3. Total Elimination (The Eliminators)
While the WWE and WCW were experimenting with new move combinations that included superkicks and clotheslines, ECW had already taken it to another level. The Eliminators had already invented a move that it was almost impossible to block. John Kronus would perform a spinning back kick to the opponent’s chest. At the same time, Perry Saturn would perform a spinning sweep kick to the back of the opponent’s legs. The positioning and quickness of both men made it impossible to move out of the way. And if you managed to miss one kick, you left yourself open to the other. One way or another, they were going to kick you to the ground.
2. 3D (Dudley Boyz)
Every wrestler and tag team tries to come up with a new finishing move that the world has never seen before. It rarely ever happens, but few are lucky enough to find a move that is rarely seen in their own country. But the Dudley Boyz did manage to come up with something special. D-Von Dudley would perform a flapjack to an opponent. Bubba Ray Dudley would run past and hit the victim with a leaping cutter as the opponent fell to the ground. The move would often be used so suddenly that once D-Von grabbed your legs, you were doomed. The only escape was to stop D-Von from lifting you. Even if your partner stopped Ray, you would still get flattened with a flapjack.
There was a lesser known version of the move in which Bubba would lift the opponent for a back drop, and D-Von would catch them with a neckbreaker on the way down. The Dudleyz also loved using the move to drive opponents through wooden tables. The move was so effective that only 2 people have ever managed to kick out of a pin attempt following the move; Masato Tanaka and Chris Sabin.
1. Doomsday Device (Road Warriors)
Animal would lift the opponent so that he was sitting on Animal’s shoulders. Animal would then hit a diving clothesline from the top rope. Animal would normally fall backwards, causing the opponent to slam very hard onto the mat. Or Animal would push the opponent’s legs away, with Hawk’s clothesline causing the opponent to do a backflip onto his own belly.
You may be wondering how on earth this move could beat the 3D. But think about how many times it has been mentioned already. The Doomsday Device has been copied by countless tag teams. When other tag teams want to create their own move, they use the Doomsday Device as a template (see Heat Seeker or Steiner Diving Bulldog). Over the years, tag teams became very good at stopping the move from happening. But this was basic survival, because if they used the move, one of their opponents suddenly found themselves in a handicap match.
15. G9 (Cryme Tyme)
Shad Gaspard puts an opponent across his own shoulders. JTG then performs a flipping neckbreaker, while Shad hits a Samoan Drop. JTG sometimes dives from the second rope to perform this move.
14. Double Superfly Splash (The Usos)
Both Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso perform a diving splash from opposite corners onto the same fallen opponent.
13. Superkick-German Suplex combination (Badd Company)
Pat Tanaka stands behind an opponent. Paul Diamond hits the opponent with a superkick to knock him backwards into Tanaka. Tanaka swiftly plants the opponent with a German Suplex. In WWE video games, this move starts with one wrestler holding the opponent in a rear waistlock before the kick is delivered.
12. Heat Seeker (Harlem Heat)
Stevie Ray lifts the opponent so that he is sitting on Ray’s shoulders. Booker T performs a missile dropkick from the top rope. After Booker connects with the opponent, Ray either falls backwards, or throws the opponent backwards. It is essentially a variation of the Doomsday Device.
11. Hart Attack (Hart Foundation)
Jim Neidhart lifts the opponent as if he is performing a bearhug. Bret Hart then hits the opponent with a leaping clothesline. Neidhart either releases the opponent, or drops to his knees, to increase the impact when the opponent falls. The Hart Dynasty had a similar move, but Tyson Kidd would perform a springboard clothesline instead.
10. The Rocker Launcher (The Midnight Express)
After the opponent is downed, one member of the team climbs onto the top rope. The partner then performs a gorilla press onto their team mate, and throws them towards the opponent. The launched wrestler then performs a diving splash onto the opponent. This move was used by all incarnations of the tag team, with the taller member performing the throw.
9. Double Chokeslam (The Brothers of Destruction)
Also known as ‘High Times’, this move has been used by very many tall tag teams. Both team members simultaneously perform a chokeslam on the same opponent. Batista once completely ripped a muscle in his back after taking the move from Big Show and Kane.
8. Diving Bulldog (Steiner Brothers)
The Steiner Brothers were true innovators of devastating tag team finishers. This was their own classic twist on the Doomsday Device. Scott lifts his opponent so that the opponent is seated on his shoulders. Steiner then stands with his back turned to his own corner. Rick then climbs onto the top rope and performs a diving bulldog. The opponent would be sent crashing over Scott’s head, and then land face down on the mat. There was always a risk of Scott injuring his neck due to the way the opponent was taken down.
7. Demolition Decapitation (Demolition)
Yet another highly imitated finisher. Smash would set the opponent above his knee, as if he was performing a backbreaker. Then Ax or Crush would then perform a diving axe handle smash from the second rope, aimed at the opponent’s head. The force of the diving attacker pushes the opponent down onto Smash’s knee. Variations of the move see the diving wrestler using leg drops or elbow drops.
6. Snapshot (MNM)
Often described as a weaker variation of the 3D, this is simply a spike DDT without the ring ropes. Joey Mercury will lift an opponent onto one of his shoulders. Johnny Nitro will then apply a headlock to the suspended wrestler. Both attackers then fall onto their backs, resulting in Nitro hitting a DDT.
5. Power Plex (Power & Glory)
This move was very common in Mexico, Canada and the smaller territories, but had been kept of television for a very long time. This was mainly because promoters thought that fans would not get the set up to the move as it seemed complicated. One attacker will perform a superplex (a vertical suplex from the top rope). The second attacker waits to perform a diving attack onto the downed opponent. In this instance, Hercules performs the superplex, and Paul Roma follows up with a diving splash.
4. Spike Piledriver (The Brainbusters)
This move was actually introduced during a time when piledrivers and similar moves would get someone disqualified. Why an exception was made for this more dangerous variation is unknown, but it lead to other piledrivers being accepted. One wrestler would set the opponent up for a piledriver close to the corner. The partner would stand on the second rope and then grab onto the opponent’s kneepads or legs. The first attacker would sit down to complete the piledriver, while the partner hops off the second rope, pushing the legs down to add more force to the drop.
3. Total Elimination (The Eliminators)
While the WWE and WCW were experimenting with new move combinations that included superkicks and clotheslines, ECW had already taken it to another level. The Eliminators had already invented a move that it was almost impossible to block. John Kronus would perform a spinning back kick to the opponent’s chest. At the same time, Perry Saturn would perform a spinning sweep kick to the back of the opponent’s legs. The positioning and quickness of both men made it impossible to move out of the way. And if you managed to miss one kick, you left yourself open to the other. One way or another, they were going to kick you to the ground.
2. 3D (Dudley Boyz)
Every wrestler and tag team tries to come up with a new finishing move that the world has never seen before. It rarely ever happens, but few are lucky enough to find a move that is rarely seen in their own country. But the Dudley Boyz did manage to come up with something special. D-Von Dudley would perform a flapjack to an opponent. Bubba Ray Dudley would run past and hit the victim with a leaping cutter as the opponent fell to the ground. The move would often be used so suddenly that once D-Von grabbed your legs, you were doomed. The only escape was to stop D-Von from lifting you. Even if your partner stopped Ray, you would still get flattened with a flapjack.
There was a lesser known version of the move in which Bubba would lift the opponent for a back drop, and D-Von would catch them with a neckbreaker on the way down. The Dudleyz also loved using the move to drive opponents through wooden tables. The move was so effective that only 2 people have ever managed to kick out of a pin attempt following the move; Masato Tanaka and Chris Sabin.
1. Doomsday Device (Road Warriors)
Animal would lift the opponent so that he was sitting on Animal’s shoulders. Animal would then hit a diving clothesline from the top rope. Animal would normally fall backwards, causing the opponent to slam very hard onto the mat. Or Animal would push the opponent’s legs away, with Hawk’s clothesline causing the opponent to do a backflip onto his own belly.
You may be wondering how on earth this move could beat the 3D. But think about how many times it has been mentioned already. The Doomsday Device has been copied by countless tag teams. When other tag teams want to create their own move, they use the Doomsday Device as a template (see Heat Seeker or Steiner Diving Bulldog). Over the years, tag teams became very good at stopping the move from happening. But this was basic survival, because if they used the move, one of their opponents suddenly found themselves in a handicap match.
