I was wondering if anyone on this board knows if Ole and Arn Anderson were considered for a World Tag Title run during the 85-86 time frame. I remember them being National Tag Champs. I just watched a great cage match between Ole/Arn and The Rock n Roll Express from Bash 86. I kept thinking Ole and Arn would eventually end up with the straps. Here you had two of the best all time tag wrestlers and it was peculiar that they never held the belts.

That's true, there was an abundance of talent. I was just curious because the program with the Andersons and Rock n Roll went for quite a few months and was the focus on many of the Bash cards but no title ever changed hands. However, later that year, I believe Rude and Fernandez took the belts, and I liked that team, but it seemed wierd for them to be champs when you had Ole and Arn around.

One of the few disappointing things about 1986 (what a great year!) was that Ole and Arn didn't get a brief NWA world tag team title run. I've never understood it. Their program with the Rock and Roll lasted for the nearly a half a year, they had some amazing matches and brawls with Ricky and Robert on syndicated (NWA Pro and World Wide Wrestling) show in July and August in particular, not to mention their matches at the Bash and Starrcade.  The summer of 1986 matches with the Rock and Roll Express were for the #1 contender spot to the world tag titles held at that time by the Midnight Express. It just seemed like the natural course of things would have been for Ole and Arn to win the titles in advance of Starrcade and have Rock and Roll when them at Starrcade in the cage (just like they did with the Russians a year earlier before Starrcade 85) as opposed to what happened which was Rock & Roll regaining the titles from the Midnights and then defend them against the Andersons and retain them in the cage at Starrcade.
 
Ricky and Robert regained the titles from the Midnights in August.  I was just sure that the Andersons would win the titles in September or October to set up the big Starrcade cage match, but it never happened, and Ricky and Robert defended them successfully against the Andersons instead.  The babyfaces making the chase would have been a much better story to follow, especially with the heel promos Ole and Arn would have done. Such a missed opportunity in my opinion, all thouigh in their defense, the promotion was in a real state of flux that fall following Magnum's accident.
 
Rude and Bull got the titles in December 1986 (or there abouts) after the Anderson/Rock & Roll program had ended. I don't think they were chosen to get them instead of the the Andersons. Rood had only been in a few months at that point, and when the decision was made to give the titles to Rood and Bull (for the Rock and Roll Express to have a fresh opponemt and another title chase), Ole was preparing to leave again (which opened up the Horseman spot for Luger.)
 
I know this will be taken as heresy by some, but I honestly feel the Rock & Roll Express vs. Anderson matches of 1986 were better than the Rock & Roll vs. Midnight Express matches of that same time period. I know I’ll be in the minority on this. And I have an admitted bias towards the Andersons. I just enjoyed those matches much more, still watch them regularly today. The Andersons worked the matches as heels differently than the Midnights did. It was just a different more brutal methodical style of work, and provided more of a contrast in style for the big babyface comeback the Rock and Rolls would make. The Midnight and Rock and Roll teams were like different sides of the same coin, their styles were so similar, which made for some amazing matches. But I liked the methodical style of the Andersons, a nice mix of Ole and Gene’s 70s style with the added cocky attitude and style of the 80s brought to the team by Arn.  
Add to that the crowd heat during these matches due largely to the Beatles/Elvis type reactions and following that Ricky and Robert had then, and the Anderson team being fresh once again following Ole’s dramatic return to the Four Horsemen in early June after a five month absence. What a great summer that was!  

Good point about the Road Warriors. It's amazing that from late summer of 1985 when they appeared at the Bash until sometime in 1988, they didn't get a run with the belts. Finally, after turning heel, they beat Bobby and Stan for belts, not long after Bobby and Stan had beat Arn and Tully. Amazing if you think about it.

How about Ole and Gene Anderson?  Did they ever get the NWA World Tag Titles?
 
Did Ole wrestle any differently with Gene than with Arn?  I found it strange that in his book although he writes a lot about Gene he writes nothing about Arn.

I've heard Arn say that he credits Flair with putting him on the map. Shouldn't that go to Ole? Sure Flair is the one who brought Arn to Charlotte but face it they weren't on camera together til after The Horsemen had started and Arn and Ole had been wrestling awhile before the Horsement started
 
Jeff

I too wonder about Ole and Arn not having a title run, but I just a week ago watched both RnR/Anderson matches from the Bash and Starrcade.  Some of the best tag matches ever.  Tons of talent during that time, and fueds went over well, even when belts weren't directly on the line.  Miss that period!!!