By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: The 1980s provided some of the best tag team action in wrestling history. Which teams from this era had the top toys?

Figure 5: Top Tag Teams of the 1980s

(5) Midnight Express/Rock 'n Roll Express Jakks-Pacific WWE Classic Superstars. The two expresses were linked together throughout much of the 1980s and provided some of the best tag team matches of that era. However, the first toys of each tag team were not released until the mid-2000s, when Jakks included both NWA mainstay teams in its Classic WWE Superstars line. Stan Lane (1984 Remco AWA) and Bobby Eaton (1995 OSFTM WCW) had earlier figures, but not as the Midnight Express. Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson toys would have been huge with kids in the 1980s, but only the WWF and AWA had toys at that time.




(4) Demolition Hasbro WWF Series 1. Ax and Smash debuted in the WWF in late-1986, but the first proper Demolition action figures were not released until the fall of 1990. By that time, the Road Warriors were in the WWF, Crush was replacing Ax and Demolition just weren’t what they used to be. The first Hasbro toys of Ax and Smash were released individually, and a Crush and Smash tag team two-pack followed in 1991. The first toy of Demolition Ax was released by LJN towards the end of its WWF Wrestling Superstars run in late 1987, but the line was scrapped before a toy of Smash could be made.




(3) Midnight Rockers 1987 AWA Remco Mat Mania. Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty have had toys made by Hasbro, Jakks and Mattel, but the first Midnight Rockers toys are the rarest. Shawn and Marty were included in the rare Mat Mania wave of AWA figures from Remco, which received limited distribution. As a result, the figures from this set are very difficult to find today and can sell for upwards of $1,000 each still in the package. The figures came with removable zebra-striped shirts and wacky 1980s sunglasses; complete loose figures are very difficult to find.




(2) British Bulldogs 1986 LJN WWF Wrestling Superstars Tag Team Box Sets. During an era of lethargic giants and uncoordinated muscle men, the British Bulldogs were often the most exciting wrestlers on WWF television. The first figures of Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid were dressed in matching red tights, each with one arm raised in the air, and came with WWF World Tag Team Title belts with brown straps. Davey Boy has been included in every WWF/WWE set to date but Dynamite’s only toys are the original LJN figure and a few Jakks Classic WWE Superstars Toys.




(1) Road Warriors 1984 AWA Remco Series 1. No tag team ever spawned as many imitators as Hawk and Animal. The Road Warriors were among the most recognizable wrestlers of the 1980s; even fans who only followed the WWF had seen the Road Warriors on magazine covers or at their local toy stores. The Road Warriors came packaged as a tag team, in a three-pack with Paul Ellering and in various box sets. Their figures are among the easiest of all AWA Remco figures to find but are still very popular.




What is your top five list of 1980s tag team figures? What other top five lists would you like to send? Send email to michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com .

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