Bobby Roode & Austin Aries are the *NEW* TNA World Tag Team Champions

[Jack-Hammer]

On tonight's episode of IW, the second one taped in England, Austin Aries & Bobby Roode defeated Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez to capture the tag titles.

The match itself had good action and was given a lot of time. It doesn't bother me at all to see Roode & Aries win the titles. It doesn't particularly excite me, but I prefer them over LAX lite any day of the week. Nothing is really any better or worse for the tag team division, it all just simply depends on which team you're a bigger fan of at this point.

 

[I am Mr. Excitement]

I think this is good for TNA. Not like it's gonna change the landscape of TNA or anything but these 2 guys are 2 of if not the top 2 in ring mic workers in TNA right now. Aslong as they get the ego thing outta the way and stop acting like Kane and Daniel Bryan they can be the best tag team we've seen in pro wrestling in a long time.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

All you need to know about how poor of a choice it was to keep the titles on Chavo and Hernandez as long as they were is that the UK crowd turned on them the entire match. They booed Chavo regularly, especially when he went for the Three Amigos suplexes, and they popped hard when Aries and Roode (who were the clear heels in the match) won.

This is a fantastic move to put the titles on a duo who are gaining a ton of steam. They'd probably have had a better pay off having this happen on PPV, but with Lockdown still a month away, it makes sense to build toward a match now.

 

[waylon p]

All you need to know about how poor of a choice it was to keep the titles on Chavo and Hernandez as long as they were is that the UK crowd turned on them the entire match. They booed Chavo regularly, especially when he went for the Three Amigos suplexes, and they popped hard when Aries and Roode (who were the clear heels in the match) won.

This is a fantastic move to put the titles on a duo who are gaining a ton of steam. They'd probably have had a better pay off having this happen on PPV, but with Lockdown still a month away, it makes sense to build toward a match now.

It seems to me that if Hernandez and Chavo are such an uninspiring tag team as all that, this was the right move. Why would there be a better payoff on PPV if the fans cannot get excited about the champs enough to care? Better to do it on television, so that everyone knows the titles are on a more exciting team, one that will make folks want to buy the PPV.

I have always liked Hernandez in a team, and I am a Chavo fan since the "Pepe days." I have not been excited about this team so far. I do not think they have found a niche yet, aside from LAX mark 3. Hernandez worked well in a team with homicide and also with Matt Morgan. I have seen him wrestle on the Indy circuit, and he has worked well with everyone I have seen him tag with (except that one guy...what was his name again? You know...the other half of "Mexican America? Ah, never mind. He was very forgettable.). I know these two guys can make a fabulous team. Chavo is amazing, and Hernandez can team well with nearly anyone. The fact that this team is sorta uninteresting so far is hardly insurmountable. Perhaps a program with Roode and Aries is exactly what they need to elevate the team.

Now on to Roode and Aries. Makings of a fantastic team, here. But they need a tag division that is up to the task, though. Aside from Chavo and Hernandez and Bad Influence, who is on that level? Who are even the other teams? The Robbies? Umm.....(well, kash and gunner are history, 3D is history, joe and Magnus history, the MMGs are gone. No more beer money. Looking kinda thin here) I guess Aces and Eights could get a team up. What is missing here, besides more teams? Faces. Chavo and Hernandez are the closest thing right now. This situation can last a few months at best. They need more teams, or we will be seeing a small group of teams passing the belt around for too long, especially since I see a looming breakup between the Robbies.

So I expect Chavo and Hernandez to get the belts back before too long. They can work Roode and Aries for what, six or eight weeks, tops? If there are no new teams to fill the void, we can expect rinse repeat with Bad Influence and....Garret and Wes? Gallows and Knox? Excuse me. I am getting bored just thinking about it. It doesn't SEEM that long since TNA had one of the best quality tag divisions I have ever seen, or at least the absolute best division in 21st century America. It is like what happened to the X division previously. Almost like some one looked at what was right about TNA and said "well, it is time to put an end to that."

 

[LODemolition]

I like putting the belts on Roode and Aries, but like Waylon I don't think this will mean much for them when there's such a lack of teams to defend the titles against. Especially face teams. There's Chavo & Hernandez, and then who? The rest of the teams that already exist or can be put together are heels.

Bad Influence
Morgan & Ryan
Bischoff & Brisco

Maybe you put Magnus and Samoa Joe back together or give Storm a tag partner like AJ Styles when he returns, but I have to imagine they have something bigger planned for Styles. Other than that, it's pretty slim pickings.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

I think it's silly that Roode and Austin are teaming after they hated each other last year. Bad blood like that doesn't just die without some serious character development.

I also find it silly how TNA had booked Roode as their top face for 2011, Austin Aries as their top face for 2012 and now have them both as heels for all of 2013. Obviously, no one wants to see a character get stale, but this type of writing makes people reluctant to cheer for the next top face knowing he's going to "turn on the crowd" at any given moment. You can't cheer for someone who you can't trust. Jeff will turn heel late next year or going into 2014... And then he'll be teaming with Austin and Roode regardless of their bad blood.

I don't like this pairing at all because it symbolizes exactly what's wrong with TNA. No logic, no consistency and no foresight.

 

[Papa Pillman]

It is ironic that Chavo and Hernandez wrestled the best traditional style tag team match(the three way at BFG was definitely their best overall) that they have wrestled as a team on the night that they dropped the belts.

I won't beat to death how high I am on the Roode/Aries pairing, but I called TNA putting the straps onto them during these tapings and I'm glad they have followed through with it. I hope this isn't a longterm deal, but I like it for now, especially if they're going to deliver on the angle of Roode and Aries attempting to win all of the company's titles.

What I am scared of is a potential rematch happening at Lockdown. Either have them drop the belts by then, or throw another team into the mix. Just facing Chavo and Hernandez at a PPV like Lockdown would be a waste of Roode and Aries. Now, throw in Bad Influence and make it a threeway and we might have something special.

 

[scottyshowman82]

I marked out huge for this. At first they had me going because I thought Chavo & Hernandez were going to keep the gold and Roode was actually gonna walk away. But no, Roode trips Chavo on the ropes. Aries low blow on Hernandez. Roode propels Aries in for that swift text book drop kick in the corner, followed up by the spinebuster by Roode, 450 splash and it's done deal baby. I marked out, I got out of my seat, I actually marked out more for this than Jericho/Punk ealier this week and that was a hell of a match.

These guys are entertaining blue chiper, cocky jerks that can go and go in the ring. I'm a very pleased wrestling fan. I hope they take ALLLLL THE GOOOLD and I'm looking very forward to seeing where this goes.

 

[MWRedskins]

i'm mixed about this move....happy because two great wrestlers are tag team champions, happy because two great mic workers are tag champs, happy because the chemistry these two have together...however, upset because they (right now) aren't in the World title picture and upset because it is similar to Kane and Bryan except one's not a face while the other was a heel....I think this could be a decent run and of course Aries and Roode will do well holding the titles, but my issue is, they are a thrown together type of team and I also question who will take the titles off them.

 

[MB1025]

Well there is no doubt that the fans will turn this team face. So with that happening they can get great programs out of Morgan/Ryan and Bad Influence. Hopefully when Sabin gets healthy they can get the Guns back.

 

[HBsam31]

I am also mixed about this. I like the two together, but there isn't many opponents for them. I would like to see them feud with Bad Influence, but it would be nice if there were some more face teams. I also am not sure about Roode being put into a tag team again. Don't get me wrong, the tag teams he was in were great, but I just don't want this one to go on too long so he can get back to singles. That being said I still think they make an entertaining team, and I hope putting the belts on them means that the division will get a jump start.

 

[HamSwissman]

I like it. I'm getting a Two-Man Power Trip feeling from Aries and Roode. I could even see flipping Bad Influence to a babyface/tweener team and having an amazing feud with these two.

 

[blockanWo]

I thought it was a fantastic match and the swerve was well done. I like someone else said earlier in the thread, got out of my chair and cheered. It was an awesome build up to the pin and I am glad the belts are off Chavo and Hernandez. I would love to see Daniels and Kaz fued with them with Roode and Aries now becoming more of an anti hero type team.

Roode and Aries right now are money. They are the best things in TNA and Im excited to see where this goes.

 

[Da Big Champ]

I like this as I am a fan of both wrestlers however I hope they still go after all the titles. I can see them both being a type of Miz and Morrison type team where they eventually become best friends. I like the idea of a 2 man power team but both men look like they could also lose which is good for teams that face them. On the whole I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes

 

[MINISTRYrising]

I think this is a great move by TNA, They are two of the best wrestlers around at the moment and have great chemistry. All TNA need to do now is give them some good compitition to face in the ring and the Tag division will start looking a lot better.

 

[Papa Pillman]

I think it's silly that Roode and Austin are teaming after they hated each other last year. Bad blood like that doesn't just die without some serious character development.

Their mutual hatred of Hardy was the character development that drove them together. And it's not like there is still not a sense of dissention and one-ups-manship between them, that underlying component where you know that each man still thinks he's better and would stab the other in the back to get what he wants belies their union and makes it more acceptable.

I also find it silly how TNA had booked Roode as their top face for 2011

Roode was only the top babyface in the comapny for about six weeks. The gap between him winning the BFG series at No Surrender, and him turning on Storm shortly after BFG. Roode's whole main event face push was built around him finally ascending to the top and taking the belt off of the heel champ Angle. Roode's drive to be champ which brought him so close to his goal only to see him crushed by not acheiving it, combined with watching his partner get the glory he so strongly felt he deserved lead to a logical heel turn. And he's been the company's top heel ever since. That's been like 16 months ago.

Austin Aries as their top face for 2012

Aries was a heel who the crowd made a face through their reactions to him. There was very little difference between "heel Aries" and "face Aries". He really only toned down the heelish apects of his character for the short stretch between just before Dest-X until just before BFG, roughly three months. And his motivation for starting to stress his more heelish tendencies again was as a result of the fact that he was upset/jealous about the fact that he perceived Hardy to be the favorite in the eyes of both the crowd and the powers backstage. Further illustrating that he was possibly never the top face to begin with.

and now have them both as heels for all of 2013. Obviously, no one wants to see a character get stale, but this type of writing makes people reluctant to cheer for the next top face knowing he's going to "turn on the crowd" at any given moment.

Roode has been a heel for nearly a year and a half. Aries has been a heel this entire latest run with the company apart from about 12 weeks where he merely toned it down. I don't see where they have done some egregious level of flip-flopping that should jeopardize the fanbase's perception of the face/heel dynamic. They have also changed nothing about their character's during their union. In fact Roode's bond with Aries is eerily reminiscent of his "Abs and Calves" bond with Bully, furthering the notion that his character has actually been very consistently booked for an extended period of time, which flies in the face of the point you're trying to make.

Also to quickly address this off-topic...

Hopefully when Sabin gets healthy they can get the Guns back.

Shelley is now under contract with NJPW so don't expect him to make any big returns to any US-based wrestling company anytime in the forseeable future.

 

[I am Mr. Excitement]

I am also mixed about this. I like the two together, but there isn't many opponents for them.

Joey Ryan and Matt Morgan doesn't ring a bell for you? I think that TNA wants to turn them face even though Aries/Roode both work better as heels. But I think the fans would turn them face if they were fueding with Morgan/Ryan.

 

[Spinebreaker]

I think it's silly that Roode and Austin are teaming after they hated each other last year. Bad blood like that doesn't just die without some serious character development.

This is wrestling. A guy can be powerbombed through a table by a guy one week and fist-bumping/hugging the next.

now have them both as heels for all of 2013.

*ALL* 40 or so days of 2013?

a few people have mentioned Hernandez & Chavo, & why they haven't really worked... I honestly don't understand WHY TNA thought they *could* work.

They took a second rate Guerrero who's poor on the mic, put him with Hernandez, who always works in tag-teams 'cause he's poor on the mic and create a third rate LAX...

I see a turn for Aries and Roode, probably through a Bad Influence fued.

Overall though, I agree that TNA needs at least 3 more full time tag teams.

 

[Tesla Tank]

Everyone wants to see them feuding with the rest of the tag division; but remember they're going to be going after the other belts.

Frankly, I'd like to see Aries and King feuding over the X-Division title, or maybe the #1 contenders spot. I don't see Aries being X-champ again, I think it'd be a step back, but I think he could put on some great matches with Kenny King.

As for the tag straps, I think a new team will be the one to eventually bring them down, that's the way the tag titles usually switch hands in TNA. I expect James Storm will have some hand in it, he's not doing much right now.

 

[Shadows Over Hell]

To be Honest, they could be the most entertaining tag team of all time. Just look at these egomaniacs they are awesome in the ring, awesome in mic skills, awesome in portrayal od characters and awesome in drawing crowd reaction.