Are Mega Singles Stars what killed the tag division?

[KKarvox]

Now i know there is no single be all, end all reason for WWE's poor tag division as of late, but i think a major reason, coupled with WWE breaking up tag teams left and right, is that they stick two singles competitors together for no apparent reason to hold the tag titles. This is especially harmful to the division, when they are main eventers put together, like Austin-HHH, or Jeri-show, or HBK-Cena, or any other random two superstars stuck together to hold the gold. Even though alot of people were estatic with Jeri-show "saving" the Tag-division, it's really a short term gain, long term loss. Sure they bring a bit of prestige to the belts, but they squash a ton of actual tag-teams in the process, which makes the whole group seem weak in comparision. WWE should focus on building Tag-teams who are just tag-teams, and stop drafting teams apart, especially ones that can't survive as singles competitors, like Duece and Domino, Jesse and Festus, and to an extent Hawkins and Ryder. "Mega Power" teams it seems to me, are a major reason the Tag Division on WWE is in bad shape.

 

[Slyfox696]

Nope, I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

The only thing that killed wrestling was prime time television. The whole purpose of tag teams is to expose workers to the crowd while hiding their weaknesses, and doing all of that with limited amounts of time. These days, the WWE has 6 hours a week of original programming. They have all the time in the world, and don't have to stuff a bunch of wrestlers together in order to get them exposure.

Tag team wrestling has NEVER been a draw like main-event singles, so to put guys in tag teams when there is more than enough TV time to go around is just silly. That's why tag teams are dead...they aren't needed.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

Now i know there is no single be all, end all reason for WWE's poor tag division as of late, but i think a major reason, coupled with WWE breaking up tag teams left and right, is that they stick two singles competitors together for no apparent reason to hold the tag titles.

Out of curiosity, why do you think they do this?

This is especially harmful to the division, when they are main eventers put together, like Austin-HHH, or Jeri-show, or HBK-Cena, or any other random two superstars stuck together to hold the gold.

How is it harming the Division?

Even though alot of people were estatic with Jeri-show "saving" the Tag-division, it's really a short term gain, long term loss.

Well, to be frank, I seriously question whether they are really "saving the division" or not. They are Tag Team Champions, and the rule for the Tag Team Champions is that they can appear on all shows. It looks to me like Jericho and Show were simply slapped together for that reason, as opposed to actually have the purpose of helping the Tag Team Division. Just my opinion, though.

Sure they bring a bit of prestige to the belts, but they squash a ton of actual tag-teams in the process,

How can they squash a ton of Tag Teams when there really isn't a "ton" of tag teams? They are a slapped together tag team who simply goes over other slapped together tag teams. Here, we have a Tag Team Division in WWE, and they still have not even had a match with The Hart Dynasty or Kozlov and Regal. Obviously, because those teams are Heels. I think it's a clear sign that WWE needs some Face Tag Teams ... that is if they are really all that interested in having a Tag Team division.

which makes the whole group seem weak in comparision. WWE should focus on building Tag-teams who are just tag-teams, and stop drafting teams apart, especially ones that can't survive as singles competitors, like Duece and Domino, Jesse and Festus, and to an extent Hawkins and Ryder. "Mega Power" teams it seems to me, are a major reason the Tag Division on WWE is in bad shape.

Is it the "Mega Powers" tag teams that are the reason, or the person who is actually behind the concept of "Mega Powers" tag teams that is the reason the Tag Team division is in the shape it's at, at the moment?

 

[RatedRPiedmont]

i miss the time of tag team wrestling. granted i didnt start watching wrestling until 2005 but i miss the time of factions, tag teams and tag team title matches. i cant remember the last time the titles were defended, it might have been when jericho and edge won the titles!..i say the titles need unification because of the lack of tag teams and the opportunity for the champs to challenge any tag team on any brand. before any of that we need actual tag teams. the best tag teams of the last 2 years or so are all broken up:

Miz and Morrison by the draft

The Colons so they can effectively be burried again

London and Kendrick: ok this was london's fault but still

We NEED tag teams!

 

[latinoheat8979]

I don't know how you can say that the Mega Powers killed the tag team division. I think the reason they were put together was to build the Hogan vs Savage storyline ,which in fact was well done. This was in 1988 or 1989 if you don't think tag teams existed in those days you must have not watched the Survivor Series of 1987 and 1988 when in both events there was a 5 tag team vs 5 tag team elimination match. Then in the late 80's and early 90's you had Demoltion, the Hart Foundation, LOD, Money Inc, Nasty Boys, Power and Glory, the Rockers and many more teams. Then enter the attiude era of teams: New Age Outlaws, Edge and Christian, the Hardyz, the Dudleys, the APA. The Mega Powers are not to blame it's poor booking and handling of the tag team division that quite frankly doesn't seem to matter anymore that's why they just pair up whomever in today's WWE. This method has lasted has several years now but at the least we do have 2 teams in Cryme Tyme and the Hart Dynasty that weren't put together and have the potiential to wear the belts especially the Harts.

 

[Super Crazy]

Tag team wrestling was killed in the WWE for one reason and one reason only. Vince doesn't like it....at all pretty much. Jericho and Show are indeed adding a little prestige to the belts but really they aren't doing much with them. It's not like they are seriously feuding with anyone over the belts. Every team has had a random one off match each month. It's ridiculous.

Show and Jericho seem to be more likely paired up so that they can appear on both shows and interact with the roster. However, they never ever touch or feud with characters on ECW except for the ECW before Bragging Rights I believe.

There really is no gain at all in this either. No one has or will look strong against JeriShow and JeriShow themselves are slowly turning into a team that have the belts just for the sake of having them.

Vince hates tag team wrestling and breaks up the teams way too early. So is it really fair to blame the teams of main eventers? I say no. I say blame Vince.

 

[Tastycles]

I've said before that I don't think that any tag division in the last 20 years has been particulary strong, so I don't think that it's "weakness" needs to be addressed. I absolutely cannot be arsed to get mired down in that debate again though, so I will answer this question as it is.

Mega powers teams aren't really a new thing. Since Raw first went on air and the way wrestling is portrayed changed forever, there have been very few consistent career tag teams. So, the tag division has been almost entirely made up of young debuting wrestlers and haphazard teams that they have nothing to do with.

The former groups are usually split as soon as there is a spot on the singles roster for them, and the latter group generally consist of shite teams that people aren't interested in, with a small amount that click, such as the NAO.

So-called Mega Powers teams have also been fairly consistent since 1993 too. A quick run down oftag champions between, say 1993 and the golden tag year of 2001, gives us teams of main eventers in Yokozuna and Owen Hart, arguably Michaels and Diesel, but they had history, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin and Dude Love, Kane and Mankind, Austin and Taker, Rock and Taker, Brothers of Destruction, Two man power trip, Benoit and Jericho and Jericho and Rock. That's a total of 11.

Lets look at betwen 2002 and now, the same number of years. World Tag Team: Kane and RVD, Booker T and RVD, Big Show and Kane, Rated RKO, Cena and Michaels, Cena and Batista, Jericho and Edge/Show. WWE: Angle and Benoit, Batista and Rey,

Which is 10 with 2 titles. So basically, there are four conclusions you can draw from this, take your pick.

1. Tag team wrestling is now much the same as it has always been in the modern era

2. Tag team wrestling is better now, because there are fewer Mega Power teams

3. Tag team wrestling is worse now, because there are fewer Mega Power teams

4. Tag team wrestling is worse now, but it isn't because there are more Mega Power teams.

Take your pick of those, I don't care, but whatever you do take, accept that the prevelance of so called "Mega Powers" teams isn't why the tag division is better or worse than it was before, because there have been a similar number through time, and, if anything, there have been fewer recently.

 

[dvayne]

I don't know how you can say that the Mega Powers killed the tag team division. I think the reason they were put together was to build the Hogan vs Savage storyline ,which in fact was well done. This was in 1988 or 1989 if you don't think tag teams existed in those days you must have not watched the Survivor Series of 1987 and 1988 when in both events there was a 5 tag team vs 5 tag team elimination match. Then in the late 80's and early 90's you had Demoltion, the Hart Foundation, LOD, Money Inc, Nasty Boys, Power and Glory, the Rockers and many more teams. Then enter the attiude era of teams: New Age Outlaws, Edge and Christian, the Hardyz, the Dudleys, the APA. The Mega Powers are not to blame it's poor booking and handling of the tag team division that quite frankly doesn't seem to matter anymore that's why they just pair up whomever in today's WWE. This method has lasted has several years now but at the least we do have 2 teams in Cryme Tyme and the Hart Dynasty that weren't put together and have the potiential to wear the belts especially the Harts.

He's not referring to the "Mega Powers" as much as he is referring to Main event stars being thrown together. I for one don't mind it right now because there's no other option. Granted if they quit breaking up teams they wouldn't need to do it but while their not focusing on the tag team division as much it puts younger stars like MVP, Legacy, Henry and Cryme Tyme something to do giving them a rub against veterans in JeriShow and DX. It also removed them from the mainevent scene (aside from Survivor Series) giving CM Punk, Jeff Hardy, Miz and Morrison a higher spot on the card.

The problem with the tag division is that with four shows now they don't need the multiple man matches as much. There's plenty of time to focus on individuals and let them grow individually. I think creative is just having a hard time finding fresh gimmicks for their teams and thats how we end up with lame stereotypes, (Highlanders, Biscuits & Gravy, Cade & Murdock, Deuce & Domino, Cryme Tyme, Londrick)

I grew up in the heart of the tag team era (APA, NAO, Kane & X-Pac, Dudleys, Hardy's, E&C, T&A, D'lo & Henry, etc.) That was a great time but sadly it's over and never coming back. It's just another aspect of the Attitude era that has died off. Hopefully with TNA attempting to compete with WWE it will force Vince to step up his tag and women's division to compete with them.

 

[kingk12]

I don't think the mega powers killed the tag team division, if anything they boosted it. Here is what killed the tag team division, there are simply no tag teams in wwe
dx - stable
jerishow - tag team
mark henry / mvp - random tag team that shouldn't be together
hart dynasty - tag team
priceless - tag team
cryme time - tag team
kozlov and jackson - tag team with no push
here is the solution
1. bring up some new faces from fcw as tag teams
- the rotundos
- put primo + Carlito back together to build up tag division for maybe 6 months then split them up to make carlito a main eventer after getting the fans really behind them.
- justin angel + Kris logan
- team up tyler reks with sombody and make tehm a serious tag team maybe repackage festus?
-new faces need to be in tag teams u can't match up guys who were brought in as singles u need guys with similar outfits that is what made the tag team golden age special for me, seeing a team in similar uniforms and wrestling as a team.

 

[DiscipleofWrestling]

I think tag team wrestling died with the Shawn Michaels movement: everyone wants to be THE major singles star. There are very few teams anymore that exist solely as a "tag team" and not a confederation of loosely aligned singles wrestlers. Look at The Dud... I mean, Team 3D. Love them or hate them, they've been together for almost a decade and a half (except for April-November 2002). Most of your teams are made up of singles stars who are likely going to break up and go their separate ways. That's why TNA has a symbolance of a tag team division. Beer Money Inc. , Motor City Machineguns, British Invasion, and others are regular tag teams. They aren't just winning tag team titles and breaking up as soon as they lose them.

Cryme Tyme and the Hart Dynasty seem to be the only real tag teams WWE has. All of the others are loose confederations which will break up to establish or end feuds. I don't necessarily think the "Mega Powers" killed tag team wrestling. I think that the loss of the art of "TAG TEAMS" killed the tag team division. WWE used to have great tag teams, going back to the 1980s and 90s with LOD, Hart Foundation, Demolition, The Rockers, and others and as recently as 2000 with The Hardys, Edge and Christian, The Dudleys, APA, and New Age Outlaws.

I would probably argue that the Shawn Michaels syndrome killed the best tag team WWE had in years: Miz and Morrison. The WWE split both of them up, thinking that they would make bigger stars on their own. Even though both proved their worth in the singles division since their demise as a tag time, the tag team division really doesn't have that great charismatic act anymore to help push tag team wrestling in WWE. Miz and Morrison was great. Be Jealous.

 

[Southwind]

Maybe they aren't needed but couldn't they be something the WWE and all of wrestling could effectively utilize ?

Some of the most exciting and revolutionary matches have been tag matches TLC anyone ? E&C The Hardy Boyz The Dudleys the Rockers The Power trip Rock and Sock APA the New Age Outlaws D-Generation X, the list goes on of great tag teams, why shouldn't they be a focus when the tag divisions success has coincided with wrestling's success ?

Jerishow and the Miz and Morrison have been good whats the issue with
developing more teams and reestablishing a lost art ?

Edge HBK Jeff Hardy JBL and Christian have all been world champions and have had some amazing matches they all started as tag team wrestlers.

I believe good tag team wrestling is needed.

 

[UseYourBrain]

Tag team wrestling has NEVER been a draw like main-event singles.

"Oh you didn't know?!"

There might have been ONE short era where the tag title scene was just as hot as the main event scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuXJCM0VBko


So... in general, you're right. Tag teams are made to disguise the weaknesses of solo wrestlers... but over time tag team wrestling became an art form in and of itself. Now, it's just plain part of what people have come to expect in wrestling.

 

[shafe_41]

Yes. A tag team that happened 20 years ago killed the tag division of today. When can this effing talk of the death of the tag division stop? It's so GD old. While we're at it, we should discuss other rivitting topics such as how John Cena can't wrestle, why the PG era "sucks" compared to the Attitude era, and the Montreal Screwjob because I don't think we've touched on any of those enough.

As for the Attitude Era of tag team wrestling, that wasn't wrestling. I'm not taking anything away from the E&C, the Hardys, or the Dudleys... but they used tables, ladders, and chairs to do their talking for them. I'm not saying they didn't have good traditional matches in the tag-team division between those teams, but no TLC match was actually even "tag team wrestling." Nobody remembers a technical clinic put on by any of those teams. Partner that with the fact that tag teams were never as big here as they are/were in Japan, and you have your dead tag division. No one team killed it. It's much like soccer throughout the world as opposed to American football. Our sport of football did not kill soccer in the United States... it was just never big here so deal with it.

 

[The Gribbler]

Tag team wrestling has NEVER been a draw like main-event singles.

I must respectfully disagree on this point personally; Although it must be said that I am a child of the 90's and so what I know comes mainly from what I have pieced together with personal research.

From my understanding tag team wrestling in the 80's was a big deal, Not so much as main event singles your right. However in the late 90's early 2000's when the Dudleys, Hardys and E&C were together, tag team wrestling was the main reason my friends and I tuned in to RAW. Stone Cold and the Rock were dominating the main event scene and were a big draw but I remember being just as excited to see tag matches, and the pops were comparable.

So I think it can be argued that tag team wrestling has the main event potential when the WWE is willing to put effort into it.

Or maybe they were just lucky that three massively over tag teams came along at once...

Who knows...

Just My Opinion

 

[Slyfox696]

"Oh you didn't know?!"

There might have been ONE short era where the tag title scene was just as hot as the main event scene.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuXJCM0VBko

Even then the tag title scene didn't draw like Steve Austin, Sting, Hogan and Goldberg. So, no, it didn't.

I must respectfully disagree on this point personally; Although it must be said that I am a child of the 90's and so what I know comes mainly from what I have pieced together with personal research.

From my understanding tag team wrestling in the 80's was a big deal, Not so much as main event singles your right. However in the late 90's early 2000's when the Dudleys, Hardys and E&C were together, tag team wrestling was the main reason my friends and I tuned in to RAW. Stone Cold and the Rock were dominating the main event scene and were a big draw but I remember being just as excited to see tag matches, and the pops were comparable.

So I think it can be argued that tag team wrestling has the main event potential when the WWE is willing to put effort into it.

Or maybe they were just lucky that three massively over tag teams came along at once...

Who knows...

Just My Opinion

As I just replied above, while the tag team scene was hot, it wasn't drawing like Steve Austin. Because, while people like NAO, Dudleys, etc., if you take Steve Austin and The Rock off the show, then the show wasn't going to draw. And we saw proof of that starting in around 2002, when those two guys started appearing less and less.

Tag team wrestling has never, and will never, be the draw that main-event singles wrestling is. And for that reason, with all the tv air time the WWE gets now, it's pointless to put them in tag matches.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I don’t know if this has been said, but I believe the real reason behind the decline in the Tag Team Division is because instead of pushing new talent in pairs, the WWE pushes new talent as single stars. I say “decline”, because if the Tag Division is truly “dead”, then there wouldn’t be Tag Team Titles in the WWE at all. The Hitman came out of the Hart Foundation. HBK came out of the Rockers. Matt and Jeff came out of the Hardys. Edge and Christian came out of…you get the idea. These guys basically started out as Tag Teams and then one or both were pushed towards the Mid – Card, and after that, then one or both were pushed to the Top. Granted this formula has success and failures, just like everything else. I believe ECW is a great place to feature new talent. I believe a great way to “speed up” the process would be to introduce new talent as Tag Teams. This keeps everybody happy, one way or the other.

One reason for the “Mega Power” type of Tag Team is to push both stars in a storyline, but that comes with the territory. One way or another it usually falls back to a “real” Tag Team, or in some cases, simply vacated. Examples, you ask??

Austin/Michaels vacating it, picked up by Austin/Dude Love vacating it again to the Headbangers.

Two Man Power Trip dropping it to Benoit/Jericho (okay an anomaly, there’s one of these everywhere).

Rated RKO to Cena/HBK then to the Hardys.

Cena/Batista dropping it right back to Priceless.

Rated Y2J / JeriShow…well we’ll just have to wait and see what they do with it.

 

[JBK2008]

Vince doesn't care too much for tag team wrestling and until a few weeks ago, Jerishow was defending the gold against teams often enough to matter. Sure, they shouldn't squash any teams, but it had to be done until say one of teams had faced them enough to finally find a weakness in them. That's what I'm waiting to see. They were doing a good job putting the other teams over and the time will come for when they have to put a young team over.

Singles stars becoming teams just to take the gold has hurt this division, but Vince doesn't care, and it's going to stay that way.

 

[johnbragg]

Singles stars becoming teams just to take the gold has hurt this division, but Vince doesn't care, and it's going to stay that way.

I wouldn't mind that at all if they actually used the tag titles as a stepping-stone to the main event. But if all Mark Henry and MVP do is lose to Jerishow, then their team has failed in its purpose and they split having accomplished nothing. Same with Rey and Batista, actually, although their tag-team shot was just to set up their feud.

 

[Southwind]

I'll say it's never been a draw but that doesn't mean it can't be helpful look at all the stars it has helped build and get over. Some amazing matches have come from the tag division as well, so don't say that it's not needed I fell it is how many new stars do we have built since the inception of the PG era ?

Maybe a successful tag team run of two young stars culminating with them going over Jerishow could get some talent over.