My favorite Tag Team right now is either the American Wolves or the Kings of Wrestling (both from Ring of Honor.) How can you pick a favorite when they’re both so awesome and fun to watch?? The two teams faced off recently at the ROH Revolution show on 5/6/11. They may not have realized it, but they were actually fighting for the Wrestling Arsenal’s Most Awesome Tag Team Championship Belt.
It doesn’t look good for the Wolves as the Kings of Wrestling isolate the smaller Wolf — Eddie Edwards — and work to utterly destroy him.
Its a pleasure to watch two Tag Teams who still “get” the psychology of Tag Team wrestling and are willing to act it out. They’re keeping the spirit of classic pro wrestling alive (thanks Ring of Honor!)
All of the critical and exciting elements of great Tag Team wrestling are featured in this hot match:
- Isolation of one victim
- Relentless beating
- Baby-face in peril
- Dirty double-teaming
- Partner tries to rescue victim
- Frequent tags by villains
- Outside interference
- Easily distracted Ref
- Humiliation and pain
- Great bodies in great gear
One of the most shocking themes of this match is the many stiff kicks to Eddie’s head. Both cruel Kings (but mostly Chris Hero) repeatedly stomp their victim about the face and skull. The impacts are sick — they just haul off and punt him as hard as they can! Over and over. If the Baby-Face’s purpose is to demonstrate strength by absorbing pain, Eddie Edwards deserves an award for bad-assed-ness!
Another, more subtle, story being told during this match is the rivalry and growing frustration between the American Wolves. Eddie Edwards recently won the ROH belt, but many fans refer to him as the “Jannetty” of the American Wolves — i.e., the lesser partner (probably because Davey Richards looks so damn sturdy and tough.) It is true, Edwards must often play the Babyface in Peril, suffering all the humiliation and boots to the noggin, waiting for big Davey to rescue him, and this match is no exception. But in a recent tournament, Eddie actually defeated his bigger partner, which he probably mentions a bit too frequently. Their growing split is symbolized by the fact that their tights don’t match — Davey wore blue while Eddie is in jet black. My poor Wolves are clearly out of sync!
The Kings of Wrestling do what they do best — beat the stuffing out of their victim while looking great doing it. They’re a well oiled machine, perfectly matched in their blood red trunks and working in exact tandem.
Claudio spins Eddie round and round in a Giant Swing (another classic move brought back from the dead by ROH) and Hero suddenly drop-kicks him, putting the brakes on his Merry-go-Round ride. What a sweet double-team move! They must really want to be declared my favorite team!
When the Safe Partner — in this case Davey Richards — repeatedly tries to enter the ring, he harms his partner in a couple ways.
First, his actions distract the ref which causes physical harm. The Bad Guys are able to attack the helpless man behind the ref’s back. This is the obvious issue frequently mentioned in the story.
But the Safe Partner also harms his partner’s ego when he tries to enter the ring by sending a message that the weakling can’t protect himself. He is basically calling his own partner a wimp, pointing out his helplessness, by jumping in the ring. Maybe one reason the weaker partner feels humiliated and angry is that his own partner is taking action to make him look pathetic and needy!
In the end, Hero finishes off Eddie Edwards with the “Death Blow” — a devastating spinning Elbow Smash to the back of the skull that leaves his victim totally brain-damaged. Hero rolls up the rag-doll for a three count and the Kings of Wrestling reign supreme as my #1 favorite Tag Team!
Then, a frustrated Eddie Edwards recovers and grabs the mic to call out his partner, reminding Davey that he’s a brother but not a “little brother.” As the god-damn world champ, he can handle himself and doesn’t need to be protected. I sense a growing rift and possible feud between the Wolves. Nice! Although their feud will break up my second-favorite Tag Team, I sure can’t wait to watch them battle for Alpha Wolf position.
