Harlem Heat to be Inducted Into the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame
There have been many great tag teams in the history of pro wrestling. The Funks, The Briscoes, Road Warriors, Fabulous Freebirds, The Blackjacks, The Wild Samoans, The Von Erich’s, The Bushwhackers, The Dudley Boys and the Rock N Roll Express are all in the WWE Hall of Fame. This year another team will enter and they are the brothers known as Harlem Heat. Booker T was inducted individually back in 2013, but some often forget that he was incredible tag team wrestler with his brother Stevie Ray. There are some skeptics that say they don’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame but they are ten time WCW Tag Team Champions. Here is the list of teams they beat for those titles:
Stars and Stripes(Marcus Bagwell and The Patriot)
Nasty Boys
Dick Slater and Bunkhouse Buck
The American Males(Marcus Bagwell and Scotty Riggs)
Sting and Lex Luger
The Steiner Brothers
The Public Enemy
The Jersey Triad(Bam Bam Bigelow and Kanyon)
The West Texas Rednecks(Barry Windham and Kendall Windham)
Their tenth and final reign they defeated the teams of Konnan/Billy Kidman and Brian Knobs/Hugh Morris because the titles were vacant at the time. The list of talent they have defeated and defended those titles against is nothing to scoff at. They were the heartbeat of the WCW Tag Team Division from the time they arrived in 1993 until they ultimately went their separate ways for good in 1999. Harlem Heat held the WCW Tag Titles for a collective amount of 470 days which is the third highest total WCW history. They are only behind The Minnesota Wrecking Crew and The Steiner Brother, which isn’t bad company to be behind. When they debuted in 1993 they were an instant force as they entered War Games just one month into their tenure at WCW. They had a fun storyline in 1994 where Col. Robert Parker and Sherri Martel were fighting to be their managers. It involved the Stud Stable, a wedding and even Madusa got involved at one point. When I think of WCW Tag Teams I think of the Steiner Brothers, Arn and Tully, and Harlem Heat. They were synonymous with WCW during the Monday Night Wars and their legacy shouldn’t be overlooked.
Prior to WCW, they worked in the Global Wrestling Federation where they took on teams like The Sicilian Stallions, The Bad Breed, Rough Riders and The Blackbirds. Quite a few members of these teams also went on to have successful careers in ECW, WCW and WWE. Harlem Heat was noticed by Skandor Akbar and managed by Gary Hart in GWF, which is impressive company to be backed by. They became rising stars in Texas, and because of their start in Texas they give back to the community that helped them become legends. Booker T started his own wrestling school and promotion called Reality of Wrestling. He and Stevie Ray have helped superstars like Ember Moon, The Uso’s and others on their way to WWE. The legacy of Harlem Heat lives on through their accomplishments, their wrestling promotion and now their induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. Congratulations to Booker T and Stevie Ray on their induction as Harlem Heat into the WWE Hall of Fame.
