Shawn Michaels Claims Modern WWE Tag Teams Don’t Hit Like They Used To

Shawn Michaels knows a thing or two about tag team wrestling. As one-half of The Rockers with Marty Jannetty, HBK was flipping and flying long before WWE became a global empire. But in a new interview with Scott Smith on No Days Off, Michaels shared some brutally honest thoughts on how the tag team landscape has changed—and why it doesn’t hit quite like it used to.

When asked whether tag teams were more common back in the day, Michaels didn’t sugarcoat it. “Well look, I don’t know if they were more common back in the day,” he said. “I guess I just think that’s when the WWE was first making its big splash, okay? So now—we paid attention to just about everything.”

He gave props to the old-school era that birthed standout duos like The Powers of Pain, The Hart Foundation, and The Rockers, noting how diverse the teams were in style and presentation. “You had, you know, The Powers of Pain, but then you had The Rockers, and you had The Rougeaus, and you had The Hart Foundation.”

But when it comes to today’s WWE, Michaels said the vibe’s different—especially with how tag teams are formed. “I don’t know how many are 100% tag teams as opposed to maybe two guys that look like singles wrestlers, but they form a tag team.”

Why the shift? According to HBK, it all comes down to how WWE—and its fans—now value individual stars. “People understand that individual superstars are the ones that kind of make everything tick here in the WWE.”

Still, he insisted tag teams haven’t disappeared. “Tag teams are still a prevalent part. I know they are here in NXT,” he said. But at the end of the day, nostalgia is undefeated. “We all also have our favorite time in wrestling. So we all have our time that we’re biased to. I have mine as well.”

Shawn Michaels sees the game for what it is—and while the tag scene might not look like it did in the ’80s, it still has its place. Just don’t expect the same magic if two singles stars are only pretending to be a team.

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