*This blog post was started on June 17, 2021.

Lance Storm is the Too Legit (Men's Duo Championship) Legend

Is Wizard World in Chicago being bumped to October the start of inconveniences to come? Has not needing to work 10-13 days in a week just made me more tolerant of what troubles me? I say all this knowing that the LIBERTARIAN coworker will have two hours to charge up their discontent about how millennials are soft (except for them) and how the fascists are running the White House when I come into work tomorrow. On the bright side, they will only be here for two hours of my shift.

With all that said, my restraint should be admired for not snapping on them about their preaching how "three strikes and you're out" made the turn of the century safer than today and immediately following that up with turning on a video that endorsed the big lie. It does make me think about mom suggesting that Caterpillar in Morton is hiring again. Dad did advise her that I did that for the better part of two years and not liking it, so that should place that out of her mind. But they do have my little brother's house to get rid of in West Peoria and my coworker does make me think about job openings at the Bloomington branch.

To wrap up my rewind, I may be getting too old to get into too much trouble. My debauchery in Champaign/Urbana is nigh. When I spent the weekend in Morton for my little brother's diaper party (Mom did not appreciate my dyed pink hair for the occasion.), the energy to go out to Downtown Peoria was not there. Thus, there is a bit of an existential crisis. With my most recent ex announcing her engagement, the world seems to be passing me by. Now, I lack the energy to keep up.

Thank the gods then for a quiet wrestling scene. It allows me to focus on DRCW's fun championships instead of WWE refusing to do anything fun with theirs. Discussing the past championships might actually drive salt into my disdain for the current scene, or make me realize the more things change, the more they stay the same. We are just talking about prop titles any how.

There is no True Legit Duo's Championship of the 1990's.

This image should indicate that it is pointless to want to fudge my beliefs that the Hollywood Blondes, Money Incorporated, and the Miracle Violence Connection cannot be considered to be true teams. I suppose we could combine the Legit and the Two Legit championships, but there goes the gimmick of my last wrestling blog post.

When it comes to the last Men's Duos World Championship, The Too Legit, we can continue this lineage. Here is to hoping that we can make it to A.J. Styles and Omos.

The 19th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

ECW World Tag Team Champions

Tracy Smothers and Little Guido Maritato (October 18, 1997 to December 5, 1997)

James Maritato's true FBI was with Tony Mamaluke, so I think we can say that any tag team before that union in a faction where any non-Italian can claim Mediterranean heritage can be considered a hodge podge pairing.

The 20th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

ECW World Tag Team Champions

Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon (12/5/97 to 12/6/97)

 

I know the Can-Am Express had been teaming since 1989 across four major promotions, but this is just a one-day reign, so I think it is fine for a Tag Team to be transitional champions when it comes to a Duos title.

The 21st Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

ECW World Tag Team Champions

Chris Candido and Lance Storm (December 6, 1997 to June 27, 1998)

 

The tag team titles in ECW were a prop since the angle was, "The team cannot break up as long as they are champions. If one betrayed the other, they would be fired." It allowed for some very clever match construction that needs to be held in very high regard. I feel fine with them holding both the Too Legit Men's Duos World Championship and the Disgruntled's Real World Tag Team Championship.

The 22nd Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WWF World Tag Team Champions

Steve Austin (3) and The Undertaker (6/27/98 to 8/10/98)

Rob Van Dam and Sabu were tied at the hip since coming to ECW. Their dynamic was much like that of Canido and Storm, but when they would get a second run four months later. Their chemistry is too great to call them a duo.

The 23rd Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WWF World Tag Team Champions

Kane and Mankind (Mick Foley)(3) (8/10/98 to 8/30/98)

The 24th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WCW World Tag Team Champions

Scott Hall and The Giant (Paul Wight) (8/30/98 to 10/25/98)

The 25th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WCW World Tag Team Champions

Rick Steiner and Buff Bagwell/Kenny Kaos (October 25, 1998 to January 7, 1999)

The 26th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WWF World Tag Team Champions

Ken Shamrock and The Big Boss Man (1/7/99 to 1/25/99)

The 27th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WWF World Tag Team Champions

Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett (1/25/99 to 4/5/99)

 

The 28th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WWF World Tag Team Champions

Kane (2) and X-Pac (2) (4/5/99 to 5/25/99)

 

The 29th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WCW World Tag Team Champions

Raven and Perry Saturn (5/25/99 to 5/31/99)

 

The 30th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WCW World Tag Team Champions
Diamond Dallas Page, Chris Kanyon, and Bam Bam Bigelo (5/31/99 to 6/8/99)

The 31st Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WCW World Tag Team Champions

Chris Benoit (2) and Perry Saturn (2) (6/8/99 to 6/13/99)

The 32nd Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WCW World Tag Team Champions
Diamond Dallas Page (2), Chris Kanyon (2), and Bam Bam Bigelo (2) (6/13/99 to 8/14/99)

 

The 33rd Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

ECW World Tag Team Champions

Balls Mahoney and Little Spike Dudley (8/14/99 to 9/3/99)

 

This duo also held the Disgruntled's Real World Tag Team Championship.

 

The 34th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WWF World Tag Team Champions

The Rock and Mankind (4) (8/14/99 to 9/9/99)

 

The 35th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

ECW World Tag Team Champions

Tommy Dreamer and Raven (September 9, 1999 to January 9, 2000)

 

This duo also held the Disgruntled's Real World Tag Team Championship. Paul Heyman may be the best tag team booker of the modern era.

 

The 36th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WCW World Tag Team Champions

David Flair and Crowbar (1/9/00 to 1/18/00)

 

I think we are coming near the end of this lineage. Thanks Vince Russo. Or should I say thanks Vince McMahon for beginning the most memorable stint of tag team wrestling? In the end, it is probably Jim Ross's legacy. You can speak about his commentary work, but Joey Styles was the king at this time.

The 37th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WCW World Tag Team Champions

Big Vito and Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli (1/18/00 to 2/12/00)

 

The 38th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

Ron and Don Harris (2/12/00 to 2/13/00)

 

This was a European house show title swap, so I think the Bruise Brothers can be transitional champions.

The 39th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

Big Vito (2) and Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli (2) (2/13/00 to 3/19/00).

 

Damn Vince Russo. Or damn Lance Storm for being the ultimate tag team partner. The Impact Players were the best act outside of Taz in 1999, and it is a shame that they were more than a duo. The breakdown of the Dreamer and Raven leading to them finding other partners allowed us AWESOME duos that gave the Impact Players a run for their money. I do not want consecutive teams holding both titles, but I think I maybe able to work around it for history sake.

The 37th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

ECW World Tag Team Champions:

Lance Storm (2) and Justin Credible (1/18/00 to 3/7/00)

 

This duo also held the Disgruntled's Real World Tag Team Championship.

 

The 38th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

ECW World Tag Team Champions:

Tommy Dreamer (2) and Masato Tanaka (3/7/00 to 3/10/00)

 

The 39th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

ECW World Tag Team Champions:

Raven (2) and Mike Awesome (3/10/00 to 3/12/00)

 

The 40th Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

ECW World Tag Team Champions:

Lance Storm (3) and Justin Credible (2) (3/12/00 to 4/22/00)

 

The 41st Too Legit Men's Duos World Champions:

WCW World Tag Team Champions:

Shane Douglas and Buff Bagwell (3) (4/22/00 to 5/15/00)

 

Thank the heavens Eric Bischoff was back to oversee Russo's poor booking. Unfortunately for this lineage, the WCW belts get put on their last great rassl'n tag team in KroniK (Brian Adams and Bryan Clark). There are more duos to come, but Edge and Christian are still riding their TLC 2 wave of momentum at the same time the ECW championship was left vacant for four months.

The question now is, do we even start the next championship before the establishment of Ring of Honor and Total Nonstop Action? We have some more duos winning the WCW championship, but how much Russo-Ass thinks do we want to recognize?

@wrestlelamia