Tag Team Wrestlers Who Held Their Partners Back

Tag team wrestling can be incredible, provided that the teams are balanced and the wrestlers have chemistry with each other. Partners without chemistry can lead to a match with too many separately moving parts and can cause the audience to lose interest. All this to say not all tag teams are meant to be.

Sometimes, a team is too lopsided, and one wrestler clearly is the star of the duo. Other times, things just don’t work out between the two, and they move on to greener pastures. Not every tag team break-up comes from a lack of chemistry. Some wrestlers are just meant to shine on their own. This list has a mix of partners who couldn’t keep up with their counterparts, or who, through no fault of their own, were paired up with someone meant for singles glory.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. Kept Lance Archer In The Tag Division

The Killer Elite Squad Competed In NJPW As Part Of Suzuki-Gun

• The KES debuted in NJPW in 2012.
• They became 3-time IWGP Champions.
• Archer went on to become a 2-time IWGP United States Champion.

The son of The British Bulldog formed a formidable tag team of his own during his time in New Japan. He was one-half of the Killer Elite Squad alongside Lance Archer. Both represented the Suzuki-Gun stable. They bullied and manhandled their opponents with their size, often terrifying audiences along the way.

As great of a tag team as they were, Smith couldn’t match Lance Archer in terms of his charisma and well-roundedness. Since becoming a singles competitor, Archer has shown that he has way more potential than he ever could’ve fulfilled as a tag team member.

Jim Neidhart Couldn't Compare To Bret Hart

As Great As The Hart Foundation Was, Bret Was Destined For More

• Brothers-in-law Jim Neidhart & Bret Hart started tagging in 1985.
• They became 2-time WWE Tag Team Champions.
• Despite their success as a tag team, Bret Hart would achieve monumental popularity by himself.

Don’t get mad, just hear me out for a second. The Hart Foundation is one of the most iconic tag teams of all time, thanks to both their impeccable sense of fashion and their in-ring prowess. Bret Hart, though, could have never become the living legend he is if he remained part of a tag team. Jim Neidhart was by no means a bad tag team partner, it’s just that Bret Hart always belonged in the singles division.

Matt Hardy Was Never As Athletic As Jeff

The Hardy Boyz Are One Of The Best Teams Of All Time, But Jeff Was The Star

• The Hardy Boyz revolutionized tag team wrestling in WWE.
• Jeff, the younger brother, was always the more athletic of the two.
• Jeff Hardy was more beloved by fans.

Let’s face it: Jeff was always more popular, more charismatic, and more athletic than Matt. While The Hardy Boyz are undoubtedly one of the best tag teams in WWE history, you have to wonder who this is thanks to. Jeff was always more compelling of a character, and he predictably met more success than Matt did in WWE. While Matt was getting involved in uncomfortable romance angles, Jeff was wowing audiences and cementing his legacy as one of the most iconic wrestlers of the 2000s.

Nikki A.S.H. & Rhea Ripley's Tag Team Was Odd

Now, Rhea Is A Mega-Star In WWE

• Nikki Cross debuted her "Almost a Super Hero" gimmick in 2021.
• Her and Rhea Ripley became an odd-couple tag team and captured the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.
• The partnership was short-lived, and Rhea went on to become one of WWE's biggest stars.

The “Almost a Super Hero” gimmick was a brave experiment, but unfortunately, it failed. While Nikki was on her last legs as a babyface, WWE stuck her in a tag team with Rhea Ripley. The pairing was kind of cute at first, but it outlived its charm pretty quickly. After the two broke up, Rhea immediately found a partner she had much better chemistry with through Liv Morgan, though that partnership didn’t last long either. Still, Rhea Ripley is much better in the role of a dominant heel than some superhero’s sidekick.

Chavo Guerrero Couldn't Keep Up With Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero Shined Once He Became A Singles Star

There are quite a few family tag teams on this list. It makes sense why family members are paired up; they know each other very well and typically have some innate in-ring chemistry. Sometimes, though, one member of the family is simply meant for more. This was the case with Chavo and Eddie Guerrero. While Chavo is by no means untalented, Latino Heat needed his own spotlight.

Nia Jax Reduced Shayna Baszler To A Sidekick

The Queen Of Spades Was Capable Of Much More In WWE

• Shayna Baszler was one of the most dominant NXT Women's Champions in history.
• Shayna & Nia became WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, but were mostly treated as an afterthought.
• Both stars are much better off now that their tag team has ended.

The WWE women’s tag team division has a lot of issues, to say the least. WWE treats the division as an afterthought; there are hardly any teams competing, and half of them are just singles stars thrown together. This was essentially the case with Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. Shayna Baszler has shown how incredible she can be during her NXT run, but she wasn’t getting the shine she deserved during her time as Nia’s tag team partner. Nia, too, has found greener pastures as a singles star now that she's become WWE Women's Champion.

Chuck Palumbo & Billy Gunn Were Saddled With A Bizarre Gimmick

Billy Gunn Needed To Leave Palumbo To Reach His Potential

• Before teaming with Chuck Palumbo, Billy Gunn was a member of DX.
• Billy & Chuck were given a homophobic gimmick that killed both of their momentum.
• Luckily, Billy recovered after leaving the tag team and asking for his release from WWE.

This isn’t really Chuck Palumbo's fault, but rather the result of the unfortunate situation he and Billy Gunn were thrown into. Billy Gunn is most known for his time in DX and his reputation as a lover of rear-ends. He wouldn’t have been able to make this name for himself as long as he was a part of this bizarre, homophobic gimmick.

Koko B. Ware Was An Odd Partner For Owen Hart

Owen Hart's Best Partner & Rival Was Undoubtedly His Brother Bret

• Before he began his rivalry with Bret Hart, Owen competed alongside Koko B. Ware as High Energy.
• The tag team was well-liked by fans but never won any championships together.
• Once the team quietly broke up, Owen went on to become a major star.

This isn’t targeted at Koko B. Ware himself, but rather the weird gimmick he and Owen Hart were given as a tag team. Owen Hart was best when he was with his brother, whether he was teaming up with Bret or facing him. His other gimmicks in WWE didn’t make use of his full potential.

John Morrison Is An Extraordinary Athlete, But No A-Lister

The Miz Would Excel Once He And Morrison Parted Ways

• Miz & Morrison first teamed up in 2007.
• While Morrison was the stronger athlete, The Miz had much more charisma.
• After the team disbanded, The Miz became a top heel in WWE.

The Miz has had the most mainstream crossovers of any current, full-time WWE star. This is for good reason; he’s naturally charismatic, charming, and carries himself very well. This makes him a good choice to represent WWE on shows like Dancing with the Stars. Unfortunately, The Miz likely wouldn’t have been able to establish himself as one of WWE’s MVPs if he was still seen as a tag team player.

Marty Jannetty Was Eclipsed By Shawn Michaels' Success

Jannetty's Name Became A Trope In Tag Team Wrestling

• Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty first teamed up in 1985.
• They were well-liked by WWE fans, but never officially held any titles.
• Shawn Michaels' betrayal of Jannetty kickstarted his rise to stardom.

Marty Jannetty is, for better or worse, the epitome of what it means to be “the other guy.” After The Rockers broke up, Shawn Michaels went on to not only outshine Jannetty, but also proved himself to be one of the best pro wrestlers in history.

While The Rockers were a solid tag team, Shawn Michaels was simply meant for bigger and better things than his time as Jannetty’s tag team partner.