Wrestling Tag Teams Who Were All Business (& Others That Were Best Friends) (2024)

Tag teams must have chemistry in the ring together to make a joint act work, but the stories of how they engage behind the scenes differ. Many all-time great teams were real-life best friends who had a close connection after the show ended. However, not everyone adopted that with some duos treating it like a business if they didn’t have a close bond with their partner.

Every promotion hopes to have a strong tag team division, but the results have been mixed throughout the years. WWE and other companies hope to create their own teams and have those acts get over strongly. The following duos showed both sides of the real-life story of teams who were all business or best friends outside of the ring.

All Business: The British Bulldogs

Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith Didn’t Have A Close Relationship

Stampede Wrestling was the place where Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid started working together to become the British Bulldogs tag team. WWE signed them to continue the tag run with greater success, but it was always apparent both guys wanted singles success.

The duo worked well together by treating the business like a business to get along enough to find success. Bulldog and Dynamite essentially cut the other out of their lives to put the team in the past the second they stopped tagging.

Best Friends: Edge & Christian

Childhood Best Friends Kept That Bond For Decades In Wrestling

Edge and Christian became best friends in grade school upon discovering each other and talking about their passion of wrestling. Both chased the dream at a young age and ended up in WWE faster than expected to play a tag team of brothers.

The real-life friendship and similar looks at the time allowed them to easily pass as real-life brothers. Edge and Christian remain best friends today with Edge heading to AEW and leaving WWE thanks in part to be getting to work with Christian again.

All Business: America's Most Wanted

Both Wrestlers Annoyed TNA With Wanting To End The Team

TNA found a special act when Chris Harris and James Storm got over together as homegrown stars in the America’s Most Wanted tag team. Fans loved the duo together as TNA pushed them over the course of a few years as arguably the most important tag act.

Jeff Jarrett revealed on his podcast that Storm and Harris weren’t friends, so they often pitched ideas to break up. TNA minds grew frustrated and eventually split them up for both to get singles pushes. Storm got over more in another tag team of Beer Money, but Harris flopped as a singles star moving to WWE.

Best Friends: The New Day

All Three Members Talked WWE Into Making Their Friendship A Team

Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods spent a lot of time and effort pitching the idea of New Day as a team act. WWE initially placed them in a bad gimmick with the church choir signing at the start causing fans to turn against generic babyfaces.

A heel turn allowed all three members to get validated as New Day became the hottest act in WWE. Dominant tag title reigns and two of the three members winning a world championship showed how great real friends teaming up can be for a promotion.

All Business: Rated RKO

Randy Orton & Edge Used This To Benefit Their Careers More Than To Have Fun

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Edge and Christian’s podcast ended when both started working towards in-ring returns, but they shared a lot of cool inside information about their careers. The Rated RKO team of Randy Orton and Edge looked like a fun act to play as two detestable heels, but Edge revealed it was all business.

Both wrestlers were trying to remain relevant after losing their respective world title programs earlier that year. Rated RKO was all about Edge and Orton being professional and delivering consistent work. Orton was specifically trying to prove himself after some unprofessional acts hurt his reputation.

Best Friends: The Nasty Boys

The Duo Became Friends In School

Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags became a popular tag team as The Nasty Boys with solid success in both WWE and WCW. The Nasty Boys thrived by being unconventional wrestlers without the impressive physiques and the early use of weapons.

Both wrestlers met each other in Pennsylvania in their childhood years to become close friends. Knobbs and Sags trained together and broke in together as a full-time tag team. Most teams of that era were placed together, but the Nasty Boys showed real best friends.

All Business: Hardcore Holly & Crash Holly

Kayfabe Cousins Never Had Close Connection In Attitude Era

Television time was pivotal during the Attitude Era for mid-carders like Hardcore Holly and new character Crash Holly to view it as a goal. Crash was placed with Hardcore to have a short tag run as cousin characters with drastically different personalities.

The duo did not have a real relationship, and they treated their partnership like it was all business. Crash and Hardcore both had some of their best times in WWE as a team, but it was due to knowing their chemistry was made for television without a friendship behind the scenes.

Best Friends: FTR

The Wrestlers Knew Each Other Before Becoming A Tag Team In WWE

Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler were both independent wrestlers in the same area when becoming friends in the earlier stages of their careers. WWE signing both led to them pitching the idea of teaming together as The Revival.

Fans know them today as FTR for their immense success in AEW after leaving WWE with many tag titles along each chapter. FTR make no mistake about it that they are best friends outside of the ring and love having their careers tied together due to the real trust.

All Business: The Eliminators

ECW’s Top Team Ended Faster Than Anyone Expected

Paul Heyman pushed the duo of Perry Saturn and John Kronus as his top babyface tag team in the early important stages of ECW. The Eliminators beating the Dudley Boyz was strategically placed in the opening match of the first historic Barely Legal 1997 PPV as the perfect way to start the night.

Unfortunately, Saturn and Kronus were not friends and just had a business relationship as a tag team. Raven joining WCW led to Saturn using that connection to get a singles role in the bigger promotion while ending The Eliminators for good.

Best Friends: APA

Bradshaw & Faarooq Unexpectedly Became Best Friends

Backgrounds in football and a shared passion for drinking led to Bradshaw aka JBL and Ron Simmons becoming buddies in WWE. Both men needed new roles when WWE placed them together in the Acolytes tag team following The Undertaker’s leadership.

The duo changed course upon the Ministry of Darkness ending to reboot their tag team as the APA. A new face act saw Bradshaw and Simmons having entertaining backstage segments before destroying opponents in the ring. Both wrestlers became best friends in WWE, with Simmons serving as JBL’s best man at his wedding.