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NewsBreaking it down and building it back up: WWE Tag Team Division

Breaking it down and building it back up: WWE Tag Team Division

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So it seems that Los Matadors and Goldust & Stardust (with a focus on El Torito) is the next tag
team feud. This made me really sit back and reflect on the current state of the
tag divisions in both the main roster and NXT. They have the talent within WWE
to create a fantastic tag team division, but they are still falling short. Can something be done to revitalize it back to its former glory? Before I get into that, I will break down each current team’s abilities, just to see what we’re working with:

WWE Main Roster Tag Teams:

Goldust & Stardust (champions)

In-Ring ability: 3.5/5 – Goldust is a very
seasoned vet, and Cody is a phenomenal athlete. The tag team division would be
quite dreary without the Rhodes Brothers as the top heel team.

Mic skills: 4/5 – Again, Goldust has been
doing this for years now, so this is all second nature to him. Cody still could
use some sharpening on the mic. There is a difference between TV weird, and
weird weird.

Overall: 4/5 – Solid brothers team. One
would think this team will split up once the division is a little stronger.
This team is keeping Cody relevant, but holding him back on the grand scheme of
things.

The Usos

In-Ring ability: 4/5 – The Usos have a
familiar, yet fresh Samoan style in the ring. Most Samoan wrestlers we’ve seen
in the past have this, which is a formula that has worked for years. The
brothers have evolved their styles to pop quite a bit more, which is fantastic.
They’re a very over tag team that can be great fillers for midcard matches as
well.

Mic skills: 3/5 – For a pair of guys
playing laid back Islanders (aka themselves), their promos are great. That
being said, when comparing them against the rest of the roster, meh. The
charisma and attitude is there, but there is something missing. I think a few
more years of this will help them polish their skills.

Overall: 3.5/5 – Great long-term tag team.
Splitting them up anytime soon would be a huge mistake by creative. I’m
guessing to see longevity with this team, similar to Hardys/Dudleys.

Los Matadors

In-Ring ability: 3.5/5 – Rhodes, Usos, and
now the Colons. They have fantastic high flying abilities. They are definitely
held back by the gimmick, but they still work through every match. Keep in
mind, I am just taking into account Primo & Epico, not El Torito.

Mic skills: 2/5 – It’s been a while since
they cut a legitimate promo, so there’s not much to go off of. Again, held back
by their gimmick on this one.

Overall: 3/5 – Another great legacy tag team, with
the exception of them being captives to Creative’s failures. One can hope that
they can represent their family name again, maybe even with another short title run.
Other than that, they are a solid high flying team that can help elevate a
sub-par match. El Torito definitely needs to go, as he’s pulling away from the actual focus of the matches.

Slater Gator

In-Ring ability: 2/5 – Hornswoggle and the
comedy acts aside, they can both wrestle. That being said, that’s what they are
tied to right now. Titus is relatively athletic for a guy his size. Slater can
do quite a bit more than he normally showcases (possibly because of creative?
Who knows).  Right now, they’re a bottom
feeder tag team with a sole purpose is to job.

Mic skills: 3/5 – I always thought Titus
was a relatively boring speaker, until I recently saw him on NXT. Glad to see
he’s improving a bit. Slater has always been able to cut a comedy act low card
promo, which they do need to have. Slater is a lovable loser, which helps this
team a bit.

Overall: 2.5/5 – Not everyone can be at the
top of the totem pole. There needs to be jobbers in the tag team division, and
I am so happy it’s not Rybaxel anymore. Don’t expect a title run anytime soon,
or this team to last longer than a year or so.

Miz & Mizdow

In-Ring ability: 3/5 – I have to split this
one down the middle because of the team. Mizdow is a 4-4.5, and Miz is a 2.5-3.
Mizdow’s mimicking of moves makes this team very enjoyable. Him popping with
the crowd is fantastic as well. The Miz has improved since his days with
Morrison, but I still do not see him as a credible midcarder.

Mic skills: 4.5/5 – Attempting to be
completely unbiased here, I know many people enjoy the Miz’s promos. He does
have charisma, I’ll give him that. Mizdow has a fantastic mic presence, whether
he’s impersonating his mentor or just speaking on his own. They definitely win
on the mic in the tag division.

Overall: 3.5/5 – I can’t see this team
lasting too much longer, as its new purpose seems to be revitalising Damien
Sandow and finding a placeholder for The Miz. They work well in the ring
together, which is a plus.

NXT Tag Teams:


Lucha Dragons (champions)

In-Ring ability: 3.5/5 – Typical lucha
high-pop style, which is always fun to watch. Sin Cara seems to have toned his
style down a bit, which has definitely helped his issue with botched moves.
They can take bumps and get the crowd going, which is all the fans really ask
for. Overall enjoyable, and a great revive for Sin Cara’s career.

Mic skills: 2/5 – Judging the mic skills of
these guys is almost unfair, as they are not meant to be on the mic. They
should probably have some more time to practice in NXT if they plan on moving
them up to the main roster though.

Overall: 3/5 – They are a solid, cohesive
tag team that can add some spice to a boring match.

The Ascension

In-Ring abililty: 4/5 – These guys are a
fantastic team, with some neat tag moves. For bigger guys, they can work the
ring well, and clearly show their expertise as standouts in the division.

Mic skills: 3/5 – Their mic skills are a
tad overshot. Giving the Ascension a manager would definitely help with this. Other
than that, not bad for a ‘scary heel’ team.

Overall: 3.5/5 – As said above, they are a
fantastic tag team. They can work with anyone, and right now, feuding with
Itami should elevate their performances to the point where they need to move on
to the main roster. Future WWE Tag champs.

The Vaudevillians

In-Ring ability: 4/5 – Along with The
Ascension, these guys are future WWE Tag Team champions. They work their
gimmick well with their in-ring skills.

Mic skills: 3/5 – I enjoy their vignettes
and mic skills.I do see
their gimmick possibly holding them back at points in the future, but not
right now.

Overall: 4/5 – Another reputable team
within the NXT. I think the WWE Universe will welcome these guys with open arms
on the main stage.

Amore & Cass

In-Ring ability: 3.5/5 – Less Enzo, more
Cass, simple as that.

Mic Skills: 3.5/5 – Less Cass, more Enzo,
simple as that. Cass’ mic skills are, quite frankly.. a little sawft.

Overall: 3.5/5 – In the days of the
Ruthless Aggression era, these guys would have been shot up straight to
Smackdown and given a title run or two, followed by a split within brands and
then released. We should be thankful that they have some more time to develop
in NXT and create more of a cohesion, as they could eventually become a great
addition to the main roster.

Jordan & Dillinger

In-Ring ability: 3/5 – So far, so good. I
think they need a lengthy match, or even a few singles matches to polish their
skills in front of the crowd. I cannot give a higher rating due to not seeing
their versatility in matches yet.

Mic Skills: N/A – Their mic work has been very limited, so giving a rating is tough.

Overall: 3/5 – Give them some time. They’re
athletically gifted guys with a typical WWE look, so if they are developed
right, they could definitely have good singles careers. I don’t expect this tag
team to last too long, even if they were eventually pushed up the main roster.

Team Thick

In-Ring ability: 3/5 – Again, I haven’t
seen enough from them to give a higher rating. They need some more ring time.
Maybe a match between Jason Jordan & Tye Dillinger would do them both some
good. NXT’s main focus is to produce stars for the main roster, after all.

Mic skills: N/A – First of all, they need
to change their team name. Team Thick… really? Really? Secondly, their mic skills have been quite limited thus far, so it is hard to judge it.

Overall: 3/5 – They need some more time to
develop right now. Murphy is coming into his own with his persona, which is
nice. Another promising team of athletic guys.

Now what?

Now that all the teams have been listed and
broken down, it’s easier to take a deeper look at the tag division. 

First of
all, NXT has more teams than the WWE roster. Do you see more NXT singles stars
than the WWE roster? Absolutely not. Why should the tag division be any
different? 

Secondly, by looking at the overall ratings, there is room for both higher and lower card teams to fill the ranks. 

WWE has two options:

Option A) Form new tag teams.


Xavier Woods, Kofi, Big E – Speculated
Overall: 3.5/5

I suppose you cannot technically classify this as a “new” team. This team has been on the cusp of being pushed on
television for a few months now. I do not completely understand why they are
not pushing it. Two former midcard champions, both former CM Punk allies, and they have tagged
together several times in the past. A big guy and a fast guy… it works. Plus it utilizes Xavier on the mic as the manager, which he’s splendid at.

Adam Rose & The unmasked bunny –
Speculated Overall: 3/5

WWE can reveal the bunny at one point, and
have Adam Rose legitimately tag with whoever that may be. This gives an
opportunity to bring someone in from NXT, or from another company. It could
even revitalize a current star as well. Justin Gabriel comes to mind (see
below). As long as creative does not introduce Sami Zayn to the main roster
like this, I don’t really care who it is.

Justin Gabriel & *Insert Name Here* –
Speculated Overall: 3/5

Justin Gabriel is an amazing wrestler. He’s
a high flyer with a good look to him. WWE can stick Gabriel with literally any
wrestler and the team will look good. I’m confident that even Gabriel & Doink the Clown would be a credible team, due to Gabriel’s in-ring ability. Do they have to be contenders? No. Can
they add some flare to a tag match? Absolutely. 

Option B) Bring NXT teams up to the main
roster.

Sin Cara miscellaneously appears on the
main roster, so why not bring Kalisto along for the ride too?  I am quite confident that their lucha moves
will put them over with the crowd quite quickly.

Two other possibilities are The Ascension
and The Vaudevillians. As mentioned above, I believe the Ascension and the
Vaudevillians are both future tag champs. Yes, the ‘internet buzz’ is that the
Ascension will be called up soon, but it has not happened yet. Some may think
the Vaudevillians are not ready yet. I completely disagree with this. I think
as long as creative does not stretch their gimmick into something too cartoony,
they will be a great addition to the tag team division within the next 6 months
to a year.

One final option is to build the eventual Itami/Balor team and bring them to the main roster like that. If you
are familiar with either of them, you know that they are phenomenal wrestlers.
This could kill the organic rise of either of them, or it would really help
elevate it. Much like Edge & Christian, both of these guys could experience
success by beginning as a tag team and splitting later on.

Going Forward:

If option a and/or b were exercised, there are enough teams to
develop the division, without having to overexpose guys like the Usos and have
fans get sick of them. It also gives more exposure to others that would have
otherwise not had it.

This then opens up new feuds, opportunities for a face or heel turn, as well as better options for specialty matches. Too bad any changes will be too late for the upcoming TLC ppv.

With newly created teams and NXT teams in
the mix, it would also open up other options without hindering the division.
Options such as face turn of Mizdow against the Miz, as well as a Rhodes
brothers Wrestlemania match where Cody can head for a solo run again after it’s done.

Agree? Disagree? Feel like trolling? Post
below 🙂

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