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No, WWE Won’t Fix Its Tag Team Division…Yet

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No, WWE Won't Fix Its Tag Team Division...Yet

As a seasoned gamer who’s been wrestling with WWE’s storylines for over two decades now, I can confidently say that the current state of their tag team division is like a game stuck on easy mode – predictable and lacking any real challenge.

After only seven days into their title defense, the Motor City Machine Guns have claimed the Tag Team Championship on Smackdown. Contrary to belief, this victory won’t lead to immediate improvement of the WWE tag team division. The issue has never been a lack of talent; rather, it’s about how these titles are perceived within the WWE. At one moment in time, it seemed like the tag team titles were gaining importance within WWE.

Between 2017 and 2019, WWE titles on Smackdown enjoyed a peak period. Simultaneously, or slightly afterward, the World Tag Team titles on Raw started gaining more attention on television since their introduction in the early 2000s. Interestingly, both sets of titles became significantly more engaging around 2021 or 2022 and maintained this excitement until early 2024. Throughout this period, iconic tag teams such as The New Day and The Usos emerged. Matches featuring stars like Sheamus, Cesaro, FTR, and Chad Gable were frequent. Notably, top WWE performers like AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Sami Zayn, and Cody Rhodes also contended for the titles. However, the momentum has not been sustained as the titles are often placed in poor time slots, held by mediocre champions, and used to further main event storylines.

It is a Pre-show or a No-Show for the Tag Team champions.

After the WWE divided the championships at WrestleMania 40, neither the male nor female tag teams have consistently defended their belts. Despite women’s teams sharing one set of titles appearing more frequently, these encounters often lack a meaningful connection. Regrettably, it seems unlikely that WWE will address and improve its tag team division, as doing so would involve regular title defenses. In fact, recent events involving the tag team champions usually revolve around something other than their titles or traditional tag matches, which is causing discontent among fans due to the scarcity of title defenses and uncertainty about the future of the division.

If tag team champions are expected to act like major titleholders and shine on significant events, it’s doubtful that will happen soon due to the current strategy during the Triple H era, which has significantly reduced the number of Pay-Per-View events (PLE). This change has made it less probable for mid-card or women’s champions to secure a spot. The goal is to shorten shows overall. However, opinions on this approach are divided, and there are many other aspects that need to be analyzed. Despite the controversy and potential drawbacks, this strategy appears to be the direction they’re heading in. A tag team title match being included on a card with only 5-6 matches means it will likely have the same length as the packed singles roster, given its impressive pool of popular talent.

The tag team champions have stopped being top talent.

Pause for a brief moment and let’s consider the Motor City Machine Guns. Just five days into their WWE stint, they managed to dethrone a restructured Bloodline to claim the championship belts. This victory was part of another narrative that we’ll delve into shortly.

A key point of contention is the identity of the MCMG, a team some fans are familiar with due to their extensive wrestling careers before joining WWE. However, there are others who may not recognize them. Both members are over 40 years old and have had impressive careers prior to WWE. It’s unlikely that Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley will be permanent fixtures in the WWE; age and industry norms make this challenging. While the rosters do contain older stars, most of them have first gained recognition from a WWE audience before joining.

Currently, MCMG is experiencing a strong surge, but it seems unlikely they’ll ascend to the elite tier of WWE legends. There’s a possibility they might shift their focus more towards TNA due to their growing partnership, rather than appearing frequently on Smackdown. On Raw and Judgment Day, with two key members absent, they’ve managed to hold onto the titles once more following a period of diminished interest. This move serves another act, but that’s not the crux of the matter.

For almost a year now, the titles have been managed by acts that are either new or not particularly resonating with fans. It’s become challenging to recall which title reign the current Women’s tag team champions are currently on because they switch so often that each reign lacks significance. The titles aren’t particularly active at the moment and have been unpredictable for quite some time. At one point, these titles were being actively defended by promising newcomers or fiercely contested by legendary talents.

WWE Tag Teams don’t have a story to finish.

The Tag Team Titles seem to be in limbo, as they are currently engaged in battles with their former members who cannot legally win them as a team. However, with the Wyatt Family making a comeback and vowing revenge against those who betrayed them in wrestling, it appears they could soon challenge for the titles. For now, this leaves the belts unused amidst a mixed-gender feud involving non-champion talent on Smackdown. Unfortunately, the team currently holding the titles has little momentum and has only been developed for two weeks, which is insufficient to capture significant screen time each week.

In simpler terms, when popular or significant tag teams like Finn Balor and The Bloodline win championships in WWE, they are often placed in storylines that don’t revolve around defending their titles. Teams such as MCMG and A-Town Down Under, upon winning the championship, have struggled to maintain relevance, with the main stories happening around them rather than involving them directly. Since WrestleMania 39, WWE has yet to successfully create a tag team feud that justifies the titles’ prestige. This lack of compelling feuds makes it difficult for audiences to invest in these storylines, contrasting sharply with the high-quality content being produced by WWE currently.

How can WWE fix its tag team division?

At WrestleMania 39, the pinnacle of the tag team title competition likely occurred. The main event that night featured a title match between four of the company’s most prominent stars in a tag team bout. Their rivalry had been building for months, and it was far from arbitrary; their pairings were carefully planned according to WWE’s storyline development.

In essence, WWE won’t restore its tag team division to previous glory without making some adjustments. To begin with, there should be more cross-divisional participation among wrestlers. It would be beneficial for top-tier singles performers to engage in championship matches. Secondly, it’s crucial that the tag titles become more valuable and rare if they can’t regularly appear on TV. Organizing frequent tournaments might encourage the formation of new teams and increase interest in the division, even if it means less screen time or story development. This approach could give the belts a sense of momentum and prestige, serving as a solid starting point for improvements.

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2024-11-01 15:15

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