The World's Greatest Tag Team
Encyclopedia
The World's Greatest Tag Team is the professional wrestling
tag team
of Charlie Haas
and Shelton Benjamin
, who currently perform as Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team. Originally formed in World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE), they started out captained by Kurt Angle
, during which time they were known as Team Angle
. They wrestle for Ring of Honor
(ROH), where they are the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions
, and for several independent promotions
.
Haas and Benjamin made their debut on the SmackDown! brand
in December 2002, and won the WWE Tag Team Championship
in February 2003. After losing the championship in May, Haas and Benjamin were fired from Team Angle, and changed their name to The Best Damn Tag Team Period, before settling on The World's Greatest Tag Team. They won the championship back in July, and their second reign lasted for two months. They continued to compete on SmackDown!, until March 2004, when Benjamin was moved to the Raw
brand as part of the Draft Lottery
.
The team reformed in December 2006 on the Raw brand, and competed against numerous teams, although they were unsuccessful in winning the World Tag Team Championship. The team was split again in November 2007, when Benjamin moved to the ECW brand, but later reformed briefly back on SmackDown in May 2009.
introduced Benjamin and Haas under the name Team Angle as a "gift" to his top client Kurt Angle
. Team Angle quickly involved themselves in a scripted rivalry
with Chris Benoit
and Edge
, defeating them on January 30, 2003 to become the number one contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship
.
The following week, on February 6, they won the WWE Tag Team Championship by defeating Los Guerreros
. They continued their rivalry with Benoit, facing him and Brock Lesnar
at No Way Out
in a handicap match, where they teamed with their mentor Angle in a losing effort. After a successful title defense at WrestleMania XIX
against Los Guerreros and the team of Chris Benoit and Rhyno
, Team Angle lost the championship to Eddie Guerrero
and his new partner Tajiri
at Judgment Day
on May 18 in a ladder match
. Shortly afterwards, on June 12, Angle confronted Benjamin and Haas about the losing streak they had been in for a couple of weeks, and, after they blamed him for losing the Tag Team Championship and began to question his leadership, he fired them both from Team Angle. For a few weeks they wrestled against Angle, both in singles matches and in tag team matches.
Soon after the breakup, Benjamin and Haas referred to themselves as The Best Damn Tag Team Period and then The Self-Proclaimed World's Greatest Tag Team, or The World's Greatest Tag Team for short. They went on to recapture the WWE Tag Team Championship from Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri on July 3. Following their win, they competed against the teams of Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman and The APA
, before losing the championship to the reformed Los Guerreros team two months later on September 18. After their loss The World's Greatest Tag Team continued competing against Los Guerreros in an attempt to regain the championship, but were unsuccessful.
In early 2004, The World's Greatest Tag Team began a scripted rivalry with The APA, and beat them at the No Way Out
pay-per-view. Following their loss, The World's Greatest Tag Team mocked The APA, leading to The APA attacking them. Both the team of Scotty Too Hotty and Rikishi
and the Basham Brothers
also got involved in the brawl, leading to a fatal four-way match at WrestleMania XX
for the WWE Tag Team Championship. At WrestleMania, Scotty Too Hotty and Rikishi retained the championship.
, Benjamin was drafted to the Raw
brand, breaking up The World's Greatest Tag Team. On the Raw brand Benjamin was quickly added to the WWE Intercontinental Championship
picture, first challenging for it at Bad Blood
in June 2004 against Randy Orton
. He eventually won the championship at Taboo Tuesday
in October by defeating Chris Jericho
, and held the championship for approximately eight months, eventually losing it to Carlito
in June 2005. He held the championship twice more during 2006.
After Benjamin's draft, Haas gained Miss Jackie
as a valet
and teamed with Rico
to win the WWE Tag Team Championship on April 22, 2004. After a brief spell in singles competition, Haas joined forces with Hardcore Holly
briefly, before being released from WWE in July 2005. Haas wrestled in the independent circuit
for nearly a year, wrestling in Jersey All Pro Wrestling
and other independent promotions
before returning to WWE on the Raw brand in April 2006.
brand, defeating his former tag team partner, Benjamin, the very same night. On the December 4 episode of Raw, after Benjamin pinned Super Crazy
, Haas entered the ring, berated Crazy, and celebrated with a bewildered Benjamin. The next week, Benjamin announced The World's Greatest Tag Team was officially back in a segment with Cryme Tyme
. They defeated The Highlanders
in a match later that same night. They then started a scripted rivalry with Cryme Tyme, but were largely unsuccessful, including a tag team turmoil match at New Year's Revolution
. They finally pinned Cryme Tyme, however, ending their undefeated streak, on the January 29, 2007 episode of Raw.
On April 2, The World's Greatest Tag Team was unsuccessful in defeating the team of Ric Flair
and Carlito
, but defeated them in a rematch on April 16 when Haas distracted Carlito, allowing Benjamin to gain the win. They won again two weeks later when Carlito turned on Flair, attacking him and allowing The World's Greatest Tag Team to win via countout. They then challenged the Hardy Boyz
for the World Tag Team Championship at One Night Stand
in a ladder match, but were unsuccessful.
Following this, The World's Greatest Tag Team began a rivalry with Paul London and Brian Kendrick
after losing to the duo in their debut match on Raw. A few weeks later, London defeated Benjamin in a singles match, however, on the July 23 episode of Raw, The World's Greatest Tag Team got a tag team win over London and Kendrick to end the rivalry. For this match they were announced as The (Self-Proclaimed) World's Greatest Tag Team, having been previously using simply The World's Greatest Tag Team since their reformation.
Following this, Benjamin and Haas competed against the teams of Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes and Super Crazy
and Jim Duggan
until November, when the team was disbanded due to Benjamin joining the ECW roster. Benjamin was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2008 Supplemental Draft.
in a losing effort. At Judgment Day
, Haas escorted Benjamin to the ring for his match against Morrison. On June 29, Benjamin was traded back to the ECW brand. On February 28, 2010, WWE announced that Haas had been released from his contract, and two months later, on April 22, WWE announced that Benjamin had also been released.
announced that Haas and Benjamin would reform as a tag team, at Glory By Honor IX
on September 11, 2010, to wrestle the ROH World Tag Team Champions
The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero
and Claudio Castagnoli
). The duo later stated that they would collectively be known as Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team. At Glory By Honor IX Haas and Benjamin were defeated by Hero and Castagnoli in a non–title match. On December 8, 2010, Haas and Benjamin returned to Ohio Valley Wrestling
, more than seven years after their previous match for the promotion. In their return match they defeated The Elite (Adam Revolver and Ted McNaler). The following day they took part in their first Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings, defeating the Bravado Brothers (Harlem and Lance). The following day, at the second set of television tapings, Haas and Bejamin defeated the All-Night Express of Kenny King
and Rhett Titus
, before participating in an eight-man tag team match, in which Haas and Benjmain teamed with the Briscoe Brothers
against the Kings of Wrestling and the All-Night Xpress. The match ended in a no contest. On December 18 at the Final Battle 2010
pay-per-view, Haas and Benjamin announced that in 2011 they would be wrestling regularly for Ring of Honor. At the following pay-per-view, 9th Anniversary Show
, on February 26, 2011, Haas and Benjamin defeated the Briscoe Brothers in the main event of the evening to earn another shot at the Kings of Wrestling and the ROH World Tag Team Championship. On April 1, at Honor Takes Center Stage
Night One, Haas and Benjamin defeated the Kings of Wrestling to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship. On June 26 at Best in the World 2011
, Haas and Benjamin successfully defended the ROH World Tag Team Championship in a four-way match against the Briscoe Brothers, the Kings of Wrestling and the All-Night Express.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
of Charlie Haas
Charlie Haas
Charles "Charlie" Doyle Haas II is an American professional wrestler and former collegiate amateur wrestler. He competes on the independent circuit, and is signed to Ring of Honor , where he is one-half of the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions with Shelton Benjamin...
and Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
, who currently perform as Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team. Originally formed in World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE), they started out captained by Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
, during which time they were known as Team Angle
Team Angle
Team Angle is a professional wrestling tag team and stable that has had many incarnations led by Kurt Angle in both World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
. They wrestle for Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
(ROH), where they are the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions
ROH World Tag Team Championship
The Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...
, and for several independent promotions
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
.
Haas and Benjamin made their debut on the SmackDown! brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
in December 2002, and won the WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
in February 2003. After losing the championship in May, Haas and Benjamin were fired from Team Angle, and changed their name to The Best Damn Tag Team Period, before settling on The World's Greatest Tag Team. They won the championship back in July, and their second reign lasted for two months. They continued to compete on SmackDown!, until March 2004, when Benjamin was moved to the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand as part of the Draft Lottery
2004 WWE Draft Lottery
The 2004 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft Lottery took place at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan on March 22, 2004. The draft took place live for two hours on WWE's flagship television program, Raw on Spike TV. Post-draft trades were announced on WWE's official website, WWE.com, until...
.
The team reformed in December 2006 on the Raw brand, and competed against numerous teams, although they were unsuccessful in winning the World Tag Team Championship. The team was split again in November 2007, when Benjamin moved to the ECW brand, but later reformed briefly back on SmackDown in May 2009.
Initial run (2002–2004)
The tag team made their debut on the December 26, 2002 edition of WWE's SmackDown!. Paul HeymanPaul Heyman
Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film....
introduced Benjamin and Haas under the name Team Angle as a "gift" to his top client Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
. Team Angle quickly involved themselves in a scripted rivalry
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
with Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
and Edge
Adam Copeland
Adam Joseph Copeland is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract....
, defeating them on January 30, 2003 to become the number one contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
.
Los Guerreros
Los Guerreros is a Mexican American family that has been involved with professional wrestling for three generations with the patriarch of the family Gory Guerrero making his debut on September 15, 1937...
. They continued their rivalry with Benoit, facing him and Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
at No Way Out
No Way Out (2003)
No Way Out was the fourth annual No Way Out pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . The event took place on February 23, 2003 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec and starred the promotion's Raw and SmackDown! brands.The main event from the SmackDown! brand was a rematch...
in a handicap match, where they teamed with their mentor Angle in a losing effort. After a successful title defense at WrestleMania XIX
WrestleMania XIX
WrestleMania XIX was the nineteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on March 30, 2003 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. The event was the first WrestleMania held in the state of Washington, and the first...
against Los Guerreros and the team of Chris Benoit and Rhyno
Terry Gerin
Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, Team Angle lost the championship to Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
and his new partner Tajiri
Yoshihiro Tajiri
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :...
at Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2003)
Judgment Day was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that took place on May 18, 2003, at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina...
on May 18 in a ladder match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
. Shortly afterwards, on June 12, Angle confronted Benjamin and Haas about the losing streak they had been in for a couple of weeks, and, after they blamed him for losing the Tag Team Championship and began to question his leadership, he fired them both from Team Angle. For a few weeks they wrestled against Angle, both in singles matches and in tag team matches.
Soon after the breakup, Benjamin and Haas referred to themselves as The Best Damn Tag Team Period and then The Self-Proclaimed World's Greatest Tag Team, or The World's Greatest Tag Team for short. They went on to recapture the WWE Tag Team Championship from Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri on July 3. Following their win, they competed against the teams of Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman and The APA
Acolytes Protection Agency
The Acolytes Protection Agency , was a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of Bradshaw and Faarooq. They wrestled for the American promotion World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment between October 1998 and March 2004....
, before losing the championship to the reformed Los Guerreros team two months later on September 18. After their loss The World's Greatest Tag Team continued competing against Los Guerreros in an attempt to regain the championship, but were unsuccessful.
In early 2004, The World's Greatest Tag Team began a scripted rivalry with The APA, and beat them at the No Way Out
No Way Out (2004)
No Way Out was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on February 15, 2004 at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California...
pay-per-view. Following their loss, The World's Greatest Tag Team mocked The APA, leading to The APA attacking them. Both the team of Scotty Too Hotty and Rikishi
Solofa Fatu
Solofa F. Fatu, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Rikishi.-The Samoan Swat Team:...
and the Basham Brothers
Basham Brothers
The Basham Brothers, Doug and Danny , are a professional wrestling tag team, who formerly worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment .-History:...
also got involved in the brawl, leading to a fatal four-way match at WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX was the twentieth WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on March 14, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York....
for the WWE Tag Team Championship. At WrestleMania, Scotty Too Hotty and Rikishi retained the championship.
Split (2004–2006)
The group stayed together until March 22, 2004 when, during the Draft Lottery2004 WWE Draft Lottery
The 2004 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft Lottery took place at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan on March 22, 2004. The draft took place live for two hours on WWE's flagship television program, Raw on Spike TV. Post-draft trades were announced on WWE's official website, WWE.com, until...
, Benjamin was drafted to the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand, breaking up The World's Greatest Tag Team. On the Raw brand Benjamin was quickly added to the WWE Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
picture, first challenging for it at Bad Blood
Bad Blood (2004)
Bad Blood was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 13, 2004 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. It was the third and final annual Bad Blood event....
in June 2004 against Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
. He eventually won the championship at Taboo Tuesday
Taboo Tuesday (2004)
Taboo Tuesday was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 19, 2004 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was the first annual Taboo Tuesday event, marking the first time in which the fans were given the chance...
in October by defeating Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, and held the championship for approximately eight months, eventually losing it to Carlito
Carly Colon
Carlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment , but was released from his contract on May 21, 2010. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both...
in June 2005. He held the championship twice more during 2006.
After Benjamin's draft, Haas gained Miss Jackie
Jackie Gayda
Jacquelyn Gayda-Haas is an American semi-retired professional wrestler and valet, best known for her work on World Wrestling Entertainment 's Raw and SmackDown! brands and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a TNA Knockout...
as a valet
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
and teamed with Rico
Rico Constantino
Americo Sebastiano Costantino is a retired American professional wrestler and wrestling manager of Italian origin. He is best known by his ring names Rico Costantino and Rico in World Wrestling Entertainment from 2001 to 2004...
to win the WWE Tag Team Championship on April 22, 2004. After a brief spell in singles competition, Haas joined forces with Hardcore Holly
Bob Holly
Robert "Bob" Howard better known by his ring name Bob "Hardcore" Holly, is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
briefly, before being released from WWE in July 2005. Haas wrestled in the independent circuit
Independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
for nearly a year, wrestling in Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling
Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey.-1997:Jersey All Pro Wrestling is an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia on April 19, 1997. This promotion was born out of a dream of "Fat" Frank. He wanted to take the promotion...
and other independent promotions
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
before returning to WWE on the Raw brand in April 2006.
Reformation on Raw (2006–2008)
On April 17, 2006, Haas returned to WWE as part of the RawWWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand, defeating his former tag team partner, Benjamin, the very same night. On the December 4 episode of Raw, after Benjamin pinned Super Crazy
Super Crazy
Francisco Islas Rueda is a Mexican professional wrestler, or Luchador, best known by his ring name Super Crazy. Islas is most known for his three year run in the original ECW...
, Haas entered the ring, berated Crazy, and celebrated with a bewildered Benjamin. The next week, Benjamin announced The World's Greatest Tag Team was officially back in a segment with Cryme Tyme
Cryme Tyme
For animated series named Crime Time, visit Crime TimeCryme Tyme was a professional wrestling tag team that was signed to WWE.The team consisted of JTG and Shad , an over-the-top parody of stereotypical street thugs.-Early lives:Of Haitian and...
. They defeated The Highlanders
The Highlanders (professional wrestling)
The Highlanders are a Scottish professional wrestling tag team consisting of storyline cousins Robbie and Rory McAllister who were best known for wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment on the Raw brand.-History:Couch and Murray were both born and raised in Oban, Scotland The Highlanders are...
in a match later that same night. They then started a scripted rivalry with Cryme Tyme, but were largely unsuccessful, including a tag team turmoil match at New Year's Revolution
New Year's Revolution (2007)
New Year's Revolution was the third annual and final New Year's Revolution professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 7, 2007 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri and featured wrestlers and other talent from WWE's Raw brand...
. They finally pinned Cryme Tyme, however, ending their undefeated streak, on the January 29, 2007 episode of Raw.
On April 2, The World's Greatest Tag Team was unsuccessful in defeating the team of Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and Carlito
Carly Colon
Carlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment , but was released from his contract on May 21, 2010. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both...
, but defeated them in a rematch on April 16 when Haas distracted Carlito, allowing Benjamin to gain the win. They won again two weeks later when Carlito turned on Flair, attacking him and allowing The World's Greatest Tag Team to win via countout. They then challenged the Hardy Boyz
Hardy Boyz
The Hardy Boyz are a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy...
for the World Tag Team Championship at One Night Stand
One Night Stand (2007)
One Night Stand was the third annual One Night Stand professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on June 3, 2007 at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brands...
in a ladder match, but were unsuccessful.
Following this, The World's Greatest Tag Team began a rivalry with Paul London and Brian Kendrick
Paul London and Brian Kendrick
Paul London and Brian Kendrick are a professional wrestling tag team best known for their time together in World Wrestling Entertainment . The team never had an official team name, but were just referred to as "the tag team of London and Kendrick." In 2006 London and Kendrick put the tag team name...
after losing to the duo in their debut match on Raw. A few weeks later, London defeated Benjamin in a singles match, however, on the July 23 episode of Raw, The World's Greatest Tag Team got a tag team win over London and Kendrick to end the rivalry. For this match they were announced as The (Self-Proclaimed) World's Greatest Tag Team, having been previously using simply The World's Greatest Tag Team since their reformation.
Following this, Benjamin and Haas competed against the teams of Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes and Super Crazy
Super Crazy
Francisco Islas Rueda is a Mexican professional wrestler, or Luchador, best known by his ring name Super Crazy. Islas is most known for his three year run in the original ECW...
and Jim Duggan
Jim Duggan
James Edward Duggan , better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment in the 1980s, when it was known as World Wrestling Federation , and World Championship Wrestling...
until November, when the team was disbanded due to Benjamin joining the ECW roster. Benjamin was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2008 Supplemental Draft.
Sporadic reformations (2009)
On April 15, 2009, Haas was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft. On the May 8, 2009 episode of SmackDown, Benjamin accompanied Haas to the ring for his match against John Morrison, hinting at a possible reunion. The following week on the May 15 episode of SmackDown, Benjamin and Haas unofficially reunited and competed against John Morrison and CM PunkCM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
in a losing effort. At Judgment Day
Judgment Day (2009)
Judgment Day , a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , took place on May 17, 2009 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It was the eleventh and final show under the Judgment Day name and the tenth show held annually; it...
, Haas escorted Benjamin to the ring for his match against Morrison. On June 29, Benjamin was traded back to the ECW brand. On February 28, 2010, WWE announced that Haas had been released from his contract, and two months later, on April 22, WWE announced that Benjamin had also been released.
Ring of Honor and independent circuit (2010–present)
On August 2, 2010, Ring of HonorRing of Honor
Ring of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
announced that Haas and Benjamin would reform as a tag team, at Glory By Honor IX
Glory By Honor IX
Glory By Honor IX was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor , which was only available online. It took place on September 11, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City...
on September 11, 2010, to wrestle the ROH World Tag Team Champions
ROH World Tag Team Championship
The Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...
The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero
Chris Hero
Chris Spradlin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Hero. He is a mainstay of many independent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
and Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli
Claudio Castagnoli is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, working in its developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling under the ring name Antonio Cesaro...
). The duo later stated that they would collectively be known as Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team. At Glory By Honor IX Haas and Benjamin were defeated by Hero and Castagnoli in a non–title match. On December 8, 2010, Haas and Benjamin returned to Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...
, more than seven years after their previous match for the promotion. In their return match they defeated The Elite (Adam Revolver and Ted McNaler). The following day they took part in their first Ring of Honor Wrestling tapings, defeating the Bravado Brothers (Harlem and Lance). The following day, at the second set of television tapings, Haas and Bejamin defeated the All-Night Express of Kenny King
Kenny Layne
Kenny Layne is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kenny King. King currently wrestles for Ring of Honor. He was a contestant in the second season of WWF Tough Enough.-Early life:...
and Rhett Titus
Rhett Titus
Everett Lawrence Titus is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Rhett Titus. A student of the ROH Wrestling Academy, Titus has been competing for Ring of Honor , as well as various independent promotions, since 2006.-Career:Titus began training at the ROH Wrestling...
, before participating in an eight-man tag team match, in which Haas and Benjmain teamed with the Briscoe Brothers
Briscoe Brothers
The Briscoe Brothers are the professional wrestling tag team of Jay and Mark Briscoe. They are currently wrestling for the American promotions Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, Combat Zone Wrestling, as well as occasionally for the Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling Noah.Their wrestling careers have...
against the Kings of Wrestling and the All-Night Xpress. The match ended in a no contest. On December 18 at the Final Battle 2010
Final Battle 2010
Final Battle 2010 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor. It took place on December 18, 2010, at the Manhattan Center in New York City. It was the eighth annual event in the Final Battle chronology, with the first taking place in 2002, but only the second to be...
pay-per-view, Haas and Benjamin announced that in 2011 they would be wrestling regularly for Ring of Honor. At the following pay-per-view, 9th Anniversary Show
9th Anniversary Show
9th Anniversary Show was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor . It took place on February 26, 2011, at the Frontier Park Field House in Chicago. It was the ninth annual event in the Anniversary Show chronology, with the first taking place in 2003 after the company...
, on February 26, 2011, Haas and Benjamin defeated the Briscoe Brothers in the main event of the evening to earn another shot at the Kings of Wrestling and the ROH World Tag Team Championship. On April 1, at Honor Takes Center Stage
Honor Takes Center Stage
Honor Takes Center Stage was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor . It took place over two consecutive days, on 1 and 2 April, 2011, at the Center Stage Theatre in Atlanta, with the 1 April show at 8pm ET/5pm PT, and the 2 April show at a special matinee time of 1pm...
Night One, Haas and Benjamin defeated the Kings of Wrestling to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship. On June 26 at Best in the World 2011
Best in the World 2011
Best in the World 2011 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view by Ring of Honor that took place on June 26, 2011. It was an afternoon show that began at 4pm and marked the return of ROH to the Hammerstein Ballroom for the first time since 2009...
, Haas and Benjamin successfully defended the ROH World Tag Team Championship in a four-way match against the Briscoe Brothers, the Kings of Wrestling and the All-Night Express.
In wrestling
- Signature moves
- Broken Arrow (Aided leapfrog body guillotine)
- Inverted atomic drop by Haas followed by a superkick by Benjamin
- Superkick by Benjamin into a bridging German suplex by Haas
- Star Spangled Banner (Double hip toss transitioned into a backbreakerBackbreakerA backbreaker refers to professional wrestling moves which see a wrestler dropping an opponent so that the opponent's back impacts or is bent backwards against a part of the wrestler's body, usually the knee...
)
- ManagerManager (professional wrestling)In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
s- Kurt AngleKurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
- Paul HeymanPaul HeymanPaul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film....
- Kurt Angle
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "Medal" by Jim JohnstonJim Johnston (composer)James Alan "Jim" Johnston is an American music composer who has been working for WWE since 1985. His work is often accredited to the names Jim Johnston, James A...
- "World's Greatest" by Jim Johnson (WWE;2003-2004;2007;2008)
- "T.N.T. (Live)T.N.T. (song)"T.N.T." is a single recorded in 1975 by the hard rock band AC/DC, taken from their Australian album T.N.T. and the international version of High Voltage. The song was written by Bon Scott, Angus Young and Malcolm Young...
" by AC/DCAC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
- "Medal" by Jim Johnston
Championships and accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI Tag Team of the Year (2003)
- Ring of HonorRing of HonorRing of Honor ' is an American professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2002 by Rob Feinstein and Gabe Sapolsky. From 2004 to 2011, the promotion was under the ownership of Cary Silkin before being sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in May 2011...
- ROH World Tag Team ChampionshipROH World Tag Team ChampionshipThe Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants usually execute...
(1 time, current)
- ROH World Tag Team Championship
- World Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- WWE Tag Team ChampionshipWWE Tag Team ChampionshipThe WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
(2 times)
- WWE Tag Team Championship