USA Today announced that ten-time WCW World Tag Team Champions, Harlem Heat, are the latest inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Debuting in WCW in 1993 as heels, Booker T and Stevie Ray were in high profile matches from the start. Teaming with Vader and Sid Vicious they took on Sting, Davey Boy Smith, Dustin Rhodes, and The Shockmaster in a War Games Match. They had only been with the company for a month at that time. Over the next two years, Harlem Heat would capture the WCW World Tag Team Championships seven times.
Television Title and The n.W.o.
At the beginning of 1998, Stevie Ray was put out of action with an ankle injury. This jump started Booker T’s singles career, who quickly made headlines with his best-of-seven series against Chris Benoit. The two traded the WCW Television Championship over the next couple of months. When Stevie Ray returned to the roster, he joined up with the New World Order. Booker T’s career as a singles competitor continued to rise. The brothers co-existed, despite being on different sides of the coin.
Harlem Heat Rides Again
Midway through 1999, Booker T convinced Stevie Ray to leave the New World Order and reform Harlem Heat. They would go on to re-capture the WCW World Tag Team Champions for a record-breaking eighth time. By late 1999, they would set the record for most reigns as champions with ten.
While The Harlem Heat never stepped foot in a WWE ring, their impact on the tag team division was massive. Their ten time reign as champions cannot be denied, and they have earned their spot in the WWE Hall of Fame. They will join Torrie Wilson, The Honky Tonk Man, and Degeneration-X as part of this year’s Hall of Fame Class. Booker T will join Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels as the only two-time inductees.
