Thursday, August 11, 2011

Tag Team Focus: Money Incorporated


You know, something I dont like about the current WWE product is their total de-emphasis on the Tag Team Division.  It's being treated like a place to shunt the stars they want to feature but don't know what to do with.  Case in point: Tag Team Champions David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty.

I miss a time when there were real tag teams, tag teams with names.  People who weren't just partnered together for the hell of it.  Teams like The Road Warriors (or if you prefer, the Legion of Doom), teams like The Hart Foundation, teams like The Rockers.  And teams like Money Incorporated, or Money Inc. for short.

Money Inc was comprised of "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and Irwin R. Shyster.  They were managed by Jimmy "Mouth Of The South" Hart (and boy, can you name me a more beloved and despised manager in the eighties than him?) and they were AWESOME.

The Million Dollar Man had for years debased fans by paying them money to do demeaning tasks (RVD, I'm looking at you.)  He'd had his own personal championship title created.  I remember he picked it up from the maker wearing a Dracula cape.  But...what is a millionare without his loyal accountant?  That's where I.R.S. comes in.  He was an EEEEVIL tax-man, and I can only assume he kept the Million Dollar Man from having to pay his taxes.  This team was gold.  They worked together like an oiled machine, and won tag team gold on three separate occasions.  Ted is now a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, and Irwin works for the company as a road agent and occasionally makes appearances as a guest in comedy bits.

These are the kinds of matches I miss, the quick tags in and out, the two team members meshing with each other, and the matches themselves feeling almost main event caliber.  

Sadly, Money Inc. wasn't to last past 1993. Ted retired from active competition, and Irwin went on to defeat stream after stream of jobbers on Monday Night Raw.  Oh, and there was the one time that he feuded with Tatanka over unpaid taxes on a sacred headdress.

I'll focus on other tag teams at a later date, but for now, just let me say... MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEEEEEEYYOOOOOOO.


This is Mehe, signing off for now.

2 comments:

  1. Didn't Ted have serious neck problems that pretty much forced him to retire? If I remember correctly, his last match in WWE was against Razor Ramon at Summerslam 1993.

    By the way, there was a more despised manager in the 80s. His name was Heenan, Bobby Heenan. Rather than argue about it, I'm just saying WWE right now NEEDS managers to build the upcoming talent.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ah, The Weasel. I didnt consider him along with Jimmy because Heenan managed all heels during his tenure. Jimmy, on the other hand, seemed to flip-flop some.

    ReplyDelete