Celebrating WWE Women’s Tag Teams of the Past

Albert Ching
Trish Stratus, Lita (source: WWE)
Trish Stratus and Lita are one of the many iconic women’s tag teams that never got to fight for a championship.

WWE is set to crown brand-new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions at the Elimination Chamber event on February 17, the first time the company has had any type of women’s tag titles since the long-gone WWF Women’s Tag Team Championship, which existed from 1983 to 1989.

The return of a tag team championship is yet another step in the ongoing Women’s Evolution, which has brought plenty of progress in WWE’s women’s division in recent years. It’s also a reminder of the women’s teams of the past who had no tag titles to fight for. So let’s take a look at the prominent women’s tag teams from prior eras that never got the chance to be tag champs—and who knows if any of these teams may reunite one day and gun for those new white-and-gold belts.


Divas of Doom

The Divas of Doom were ultimately short-lived, but they stand as one of the most memorable women’s tag teams of the past decade for a couple of good reasons—the undeniable talent of members Beth Phoenix and Natalya, and, well, the very memorable name “Divas of Doom.”

Beth Phoenix and Natalya made for a natural pair, as both personified a substance-over-style approach that made them stand out in an era where women’s wrestling still struggled to be taken seriously in WWE. They started out in late 2010 by standing up to women’s division bullies Layla and Michelle McCool (including in a tables match), but later turned villainous, earning their moniker and punishing those they deemed “bimbos.”

The team dissolved by early 2012, but the real-life friendship between the two former Women’s Champions has remained strong—as seen when Natalya (who’s used her tag skills as of late to team with Ronda Rousey on RAW) inducted Beth Phoenix into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017.


LayCool

While LayCool—the team of Layla El and Michelle McCool—never got the opportunity to become Women’s Tag Team Champions, they did the next best thing: They shared both the WWE Women’s Championship and WWE Divas Championship as unofficial “co-champions,” complete with matching belts (and, at one point, a single belt that was neatly split in two, functioning as an oversized version of those “BEST FRIENDS” necklaces).

While the Divas of Doom were a physically dominant tag team, LayCool frequently relied on psychological warfare against their opponents, notably (and controversially) tormenting Mickie James in their most infamous storyline. They set the tone for the SmackDown women’s division from 2009 to 2011, including a WrestleMania 27 mixed six-person tag match, teaming with Dolph Ziggler against the highly unconventional team of John Morrison, Trish Stratus, and Snooki—yes, the very same Snooki from Jersey Shore. (As opposed to, y’know, all those other famous Snookis.)

Seemingly running out of other folks to pick on, Layla and McCool eventually turned on each other, leading to a “Loser Leaves WWE” match at Extreme Rules in May 2011. Layla won and continued to be an active presence in WWE until 2015; McCool returned to wrestling in 2018 for both the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble and the battle royal at October’s all-women pay-per-view, Evolution.


Kaitlyn and AJ Lee

Colloquially known as “The Chickbusters,” the team of Kaitlyn and AJ Lee dates back to the third season of NXT—back when “seasons” of NXT was a thing, due to its early status as a quasi-reality competition. Kaitlyn and AJ represented an exciting infusion of new blood into the WWE women’s division, debuting on SmackDown as a team in May 2011, with Natalya in their corner in a losing effort against Tamina and Alicia Fox.

In the ring, Kaitlyn and AJ represented the classic tag team dynamic of a more agile performer (AJ) with a more powerful one (Kaitlyn). Outside of the ring, they charmed with a distinct sense of humor and natural chemistry. Yet due to a series of complex and high-profile storylines involving AJ—notably her ill-advised storyline romance with Daniel Bryan—the team didn’t last, with the two becoming intense rivals rather than partners.

Kaitlyn retired from WWE in January 2014, in a match, fittingly, against AJ. A year later, AJ’s career in WWE was over. Kaitlyn returned after a four-plus year hiatus for last year’s Mae Young Classic, making it to the second round.


The Bella Twins

It makes sense that arguably the most successful partnership in women’s wrestling is a duo that has been a tag team since birth: Nikki and Brie Bella. If a women’s tag team championship had existed during their heyday, they would have dominated that division. Instead, they had to settle instead for racking up singles achievements, usually with the other in their corner. Brie was the Divas Champion for a couple months in 2011; Nikki held that belt twice, most notably for an epic 301-day run, the longest tenure in that championship’s history.

Yet for everything The Bella Twins accomplished inside of the ring, what they’ve done outside of it has been even more newsworthy. Since 2013, they’ve been the focal point of the Total Divas reality show on E!, which has lasted eight seasons and spawned a Bella-centric spinoff, Total Bellas. That’s led to Nikki and Brie becoming full-on lifestyle personalities, complete with a popular YouTube channel and their own apparel band, Birdiebee.

Last fall, the Bellas reunited for their first tag matches in three years, taking on The Riott Squad both on their own, and in a six-woman tag match alongside Ronda Rousey (in a brief partnership that did not end well for the Bellas).


Trish Stratus and Lita

They call themselves “Team Bestie,” but given their history, “Team Frenemy” might be more appropriate. Trish Stratus and Lita, both WWE Hall of Famers, started out as frequent opponents, before being brought together as a team in 2001 during the “Invasion” storyline, which saw WWF stalwarts team up against the combined forces of the former WCW and ECW rosters.

The two continued to team on and off over the years—taking on opponents like Molly Holly & Gail Kim and Ivory & Jazz—before their most unusual match together: facing Chris Jericho and Christian in a “Battle of the Sexes” match at December 2003’s Armageddon pay-per-view. That led to another split between the two, and plenty more Trish vs. Lita matches (including the main event of RAW in 2004), until they both left the company in 2006.

While the two have remained friends in their time away from wrestling and frequently make personal appearances together, they hadn’t officially teamed in nearly 15 years before reuniting at last October’s Evolution event, a successful match-up against Alicia Fox and Mickie James. And they both can still go in the ring—meaning whoever wins the women’s tag titles at Elimination Chamber might want to mentally prepare for a possible challenge from two icons of the Attitude Era.


WWE Elimination Chamber 2019 takes place February 17 on the WWE Network.

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