*Merged* All Tag Team Division Discussion

[TempestH]

I dont think WWE needs the big names to be involved in the tag team division.

What they need are 5 or 6 tag teams. And just be committed to using them weekly. Give them some promo time and storylines. Hopefully those teams put on top notch matches where fans take notice. I think that is best way to build back up the division.

I do like the idea of Del Rio and Ricardo teaming up. Ricardo is entertaining and Del Rio is not ready to be a legit main eventer right now. Doing something like that might actually help him long term.

In regards to the big names, I think that a few of the main eventers SHOULD have a regular tag team partner, since most of them end up competing in tag matches anyway with Face A and Face B vs. Heel A and Heel B.

The tag teams that feature big names don't necessarily have to chase the tag titles. For example you could book Cena vs. Del Rio for a PPV, and build it up by having Cena & Ryder vs. Del Rio & Ricardo every week.

At the same time you could have Ziggler & Swagger teaming feuding with two guys, with each of them trying to take a crack at Swagger's US Title.

 

[DugoutDan17]

I’ve just commented on the IC title about Cody Rhodes and I mentioned the WWE Tag Team Titles and it got me thinking...

The Tag Team division has been a mess now for years there is no denying that I look down the list of former tag teams that have held them belts and it’s a disgrace tbh.

My question to you is are we ever going to see the heights the Tag Team Division once was going back to the late 80's and early 90's when we had the likes of the nasty boyz, the bushwhackers, the hart foundation, the natural disasters, demolition, the rockers, the road warriors, money inc, the Beverley brothers, the British bulldogs to the mid 90's with the Steiner brothers, the headshrinkers, the smoking gunn’s to the late 90's with the hardy’s, Edge and Christian, the Dudley’s and the new age outlaws! Will we ever see that many tag tams fighting it out to become champs? Will the belts ever have credibility again? Will it ever be apart of a ppv like the ones we have seen in previous Wrestlemania’s like the triple threat TLC match??

These belts have been held by legends as stepping stones to mark there career but now unfortunately they are chopped and changed with make up tag teams like air boom who don’t do themselves any favours by holding them and the belts no favours at all. What do you think?

 

[crippler]

I doubt it at least not in WWE Vince really don't care about the tag team division when he has a few decent teams and could build the tag division back he splits the teams up. Think of the tag team division would be now if he had not split up Legacy, Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater, The Miz & R-Truth. Then you add in The Uso's, Primo & Epico & Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler the Tag Team division would be stronger than it is now and interesting.

 

[TempestH]

Air Boom was actually a decent tag team. They were the best "singles guys thrown together" team in quite some time. They took the time to actually turn themselves into a real team by wearing matching colors and a new theme song. Kofi and Bourne were both being used as jobbers to the stars anyway, so this was a good direction for them. It's just sad that Bourne's wellness suspension(s) messed it up.

Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins could've been the next Edge & Christian yet they never put the two back together (except for only two weeks) even though both were heels for a considerable amount of time. Then again there wouldn't even be no Z! True Long Island Story if Ryder had a prominent role this entire time.

I do think it was a mistake to split up Legacy, or at least to split up Cody & Ted. I think the two of them should've remained a tag team all these years. They should have continued to team together even when Ted was the spoiled rich kid with Maryse and Cody had the Dashing gimmick, possibly teasing tension between the two when DiBiase started his feud with Goldust. Ted's face turn would've had a much bigger impact had the two of them remained together for all of that time.

Miz & R-Truth could've been tag champions, but I doubt they would've helped much. They were booked as being above competing in the tag division.

 

[King Michéal]

If you have 'Mr Excitement' John Laurinitus announce that a tournament (King of the Ring style) will be held to showcase WWE Tag Team Championship. 10 teams, one night the winners will be the new Tag team champions.

(1) Epico + Primo
(2) The Usos
(3) Jack Swagger + Dolph Ziggler
(4) Kofi + R-Truth
(5) Drew McIntyre + William Regal
(6) Christian + Del Rio
(7) Rey Mysterio + Sin Cara
(8) Evan Bourne + Miz
(9) New Age Outlaws (one night only)
(10) Kings of Wrestling

Kings of wrestling would debut at this tournament.

Epico and Primo will receive a bye into the semi-final as reigning Tag Team Champions.

1st round - Triple Threat Elimination
The Usos vs Mysterio + Sin Cara vs Kings of Wrestling - Kings of Wrestling win after interference from John Laurinitis

Swagger + Ziggler vs New Age Outlaws vs Christian + Del Rio - Swagger + Ziggler win
Kofi + Truth vs Miz + Bourne vs Drew + Regal - Kofi + Truth win

Semi Final - Normal Tag

Epico + Primo vs Kings of Wrestling - Kings of Wrestling win

Kofi + Truth vs Swagger + Ziggler - No Contest after Miz and Bourne clear the ring and complain about being held down. both teams progress

Final - Ladder Match
Kings of Wrestling vs Swagger + Ziggler vs Kofi + Truth

Swagger and Ziggler win

 

[IT Factor]

Honestly, I doubt WWE will ever have a decent tag team division ever again. They've totally lost any interest in maintaining that division and they don't have nearly enough teams for it to have any credibility.

 

[GI Cake]

Shawn Michaels, Edge, Jeff Hardy, Booker T, Stevie Ray, Christian, Matt Hardy, and Marty Jannetty.

These are all guys who started in the Tag Team Division. The Rockers, Harlem Heat, The Hardy Boyz, and E & C. Out of all these guys, only Edge and Christian have been world champions after their team split. But after that, guys like Stevie Ray, and Marty Jannetty lose their tag partners, they sort of fall to the wayside, while their former partners go onto glory.

However, the WWE brass don't want to invest in tag teams, so that only one guy becomes a star while the other falls to the way-side. They want guys that both attribute to the WWE other than being another Jannetty. But sadly we can't find a tag team that has both members that can succeed as singles stars. Where would Jimmy Uso be without Jay? Hell, we already know where Primo would be without Epico.

 

[LegendKiller716]

WWE's tag division will never be good again until they have a good, stable main event picture. Teams like Miz and Truth, Swagger and Ziggler, and Hawkins and Ryder are all good, but when WWE sees something they like out of one of the guys, they will split them up and hope to have found the next top guy.

IMO WWE has all the pieces in place to start a good tag division. A good division starts with story lines. Primo & Epico have history with Hunico & Camacho. Hunico & Camacho have history with Dibiase, who can easily start teaming with Joe Hennig. Primo has history with Zack Ryder, who I think should go back to the tag division, maybe teaming with Trent Barretta. And then Ryder has the history with Hawkins, and I love the team of Hawkins and Reks. Now you go and add in The Usos, Ziggler & Swagger, and the possible additions of The Kings of Wrestling, and some FCW teams, WWE can have an amazing division again.

 

[akathelaw]

Primo and Epico are placeholder champions in my opinion. You're not going to reignite the tag team division with these two bland guys who don't really pull off any spectacular moves. Here's how I'd overhaul the tag division in one week:

WrestleMania 28 (possible Dark Match): Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger w/ Vickie vs. Primo and Epico w/ Rosa - Since these two teams are somewhat both heels, I'd start the match with some early on cheating from Ziggler and Swagger, swaying the crowd to root for the champions. Have Rosa hype up the champs (I'm sure she'll find a way) but ultimately they'd succumb to Swagger's ankle lock and we'd have new Champions. Primo and Epico would be out for a short time to sell the ankle lock injury.

The next night on Raw, Swagger and Ziggler cut a promo on becoming tag champions and state that they will stay champs for a long time. Enter the Smackdown GM (whoever it ends up being) announcing a tag title #1 contender tournament for Smackdown, open to any and all tag teams.

Smackdown Tag Title Tournament: Tier 1
R-Truth and Kofi (win) vs. Reks and Hawkins
Trent Baretta and Derrick Bateman vs. Tyson Kidd and Darren Young (win)
Yoshi Tatsu and Brodus Clay (win) vs. Johnny Curtis and Mason Ryan
David Otunga and Christian (win) vs. Jey and Jimmy Uso

Tier 2:
R-Truth and Kofi (win) vs. Tyson Kidd and Darren Young
Yoshi Tatsu and Brodus Clay (win) vs. David Otunga and Christian

Main event: R-Truth and Kofi vs. Yoshi Tatsu and Brodus Clay (win)

So you would end up with Clay and Tatsu as a hot new babyface tag team (power and agility) to go against Ziggler and Swagger for the titles at a PPV.

 

[justin71]

If they made the tag team division a priority the under card would reap the benefits. I don't know how they are going to repackage Kings Of Wrestling, but that's a good start, get vet team like New Aged Outlaws or Dudley Boys. From there get Hawkins & Reks working as a strong unit, get the Uso's to not come across as 'Not another Samoan tag team'. The 2 strongest tag team era's was Bulldogs/Harts and E&C/Hardys/Dudleys proving all it takes is 2 or 3 teams that want to steal the show. Someone has to say I want us to be the next Road Warriors, Midnight Express, Blanchard/Anderson, Midnight Rockers, Valentine/Beefcake ect...

 

[cmjericho]

Well first of all to have a tag team division you need, you guessed it, TAG TEAMS. Attitude era you had people that debuted together and stuck together to make a name for themselves. Now with the roster already split it is hard to bring alot of new people in so they just throw two people with nothing to do together. Though I like the pairing of Truth and Kofi the fact they get no mic time makes you wonder why the hell they are even together in the first place. Give them a name, music, a gimmick. If your not going to build the teams properly you can always the other route and just put two main even guys together to dominate the tag division. WWE has been known to do this plenty of times in the past. Rock n sock, Brothers of destruction, 2 man power trip, Rated RKO, even Showmiz and Jerishow. This could help form other tag teams with the goal of taking down the unstoppable force or at the very least help get over which ever team finally defeats them. Just an opinion

 

[Shotaro]

Well first of all to have a tag team division you need, you guessed it, TAG TEAMS. Attitude era you had people that debuted together and stuck together to make a name for themselves. Now with the roster already split it is hard to bring alot of new people in so they just throw two people with nothing to do together. Though I like the pairing of Truth and Kofi the fact they get no mic time makes you wonder why the hell they are even together in the first place. Give them a name, music, a gimmick. If your not going to build the teams properly you can always the other route and just put two main even guys together to dominate the tag division. WWE has been known to do this plenty of times in the past. Rock n sock, Brothers of destruction, 2 man power trip, Rated RKO, even Showmiz and Jerishow. This could help form other tag teams with the goal of taking down the unstoppable force or at the very least help get over which ever team finally defeats them. Just an opinion

I agree if the WWE isnt willing to build up some decent tag teams it is futile but there are plenty of guys crying out for a shot in the tag division. Yoshi Tatsu, Alex Riley, Mason Ryan, Ezekiel Jackson, McGillicutty, Otunga, DiBiase, Mahal, Hunco, Camacho, Sin Cara, Big Show, Del Rio, Miz, R-truth, Kofi, Bourne, Hawkins, Reks, Swagger, Ziggler.

There are some potentially great tag teams there and that is not including the already established on main TV like the Usos and Epico/Primo. The potential for a great tag division is right there the WWE just needs to book it.

 

[Wald]

I'd actually sign back the Dudley Boyz, have them come out on Raw one week during a Primo & Epico vs Kofi & R-Truth match and destroy the four of them.

Have them take the WWE Tag Titles from ringside, bring them into the ring, bin them and declare that they were back to stop the rot in the WWE Tag Division. Let them bring out their old style tag belts and say that they are the real world tag champs and that there isn't a team in this world better than them, and that there never has been.

Have them beat Epico & Primo at the Backlash PPV (note PPV, no giving away free title matches for a while) and let them feud with Kofi & Truth, or Air Boom if they decide to not fire Bourne. Whilst that is happening let the Kings of Wrestling debut on Smackdown and start beating teams like the Usos and Primo & Epico to set them up for a proper feud, by that I mean a feud lasting a few months with the Dudleyz.

In the meantime do all you can to sign in The World's Greatest Tag Team, the Briscoes and the Motor City Machine Guns so that once the Kings of Wrestling, the Young Bucks and the Dudleyz are done with their feud you have a tag wrestling scene that involves

The Kings of Wrestling
The Dudley Boyz
Motor City Machine Guns
The Briscoes
World's Greatest Tag Team
The Young Bucks
The Usos
Primo & Epico

That gives you a variety of performers, with different looks and styles, that would rival any tag division in the history of wrestling. I have to think that if Vince flashed enough cash to these guys that would leave TNA and RoH, but I don't think Vince will do so as I don't think he sees any value in tag teams

 

[ProWrestlingFan84]

The tag team division has just been a mess for quite some time. I think it started as some posters have mentioned from the fact that the minute WWE has a good enough tag team, they are pulled apart. Pretty much before the brand split, usually when a tag team was together, they were together for years. Now it seems that a tag team is just thrown together for whatever reason. In order to 'fix' the tag team division the WWE needs to really care about it. Now I understand Evan Bourne failed the wellness test so Air Boom dropped the titles to Epico/Primo but what hurt it was the title switched on a house show. Would it have killed them to show the title switch on RAW or even smackdown? I mean the rematch for the title was on Raw so that never made much sense.

A lot of posters have mentioned the undercard that could be used in tag-teams and I fully agree. One thing I don't agree with is bringing in all the well made teams from the indy's/TNA because honestly how is that going to fix anything? Ok the Kings of Wrestling could work but a poster mentioned bringing back the Dudley's which yeah, Bully Ray is doing aweome in TNA and I doubt at his age he'd throw it away to bring back the Dudleys, at this point in his career, he is just better then that.

Mostly I think the problem with WWE's tag team division is the lack of time devoted to the tag teams. Take a good 6 months and bring in new teams, some thrown together sure but others that actually stay together for longer then a month. Get 6-8 teams established and at that point, the tag team division will be better. It might not be back to the glory days of LOD, Nasty Boys, Rockers, Demolition and such but it could be a nice start.

 

[Cats Pajamas]

Howdy doody faces & heels it was a nice one in the northeast today. Personal thanks to the original poster for creating this thread as tag team wrestling remains one of my favorite topics. The wrestling landscape was, no doubt, a completely different breed of cat a few decades ago which leaves today's division criminally under appreciated.

Today's WWE Tag Team Champions are two of the severest victims of under estimation. Primo & Epico deliver a flawless cultural exhibition every time they enter the ring and they do it seemingly effortlessly. You could see my appreciation for true tag teams like the Colón brothers and the Usos from space! I can't get enough of that kind of wrestling...

I'm also excited about a potential Air Boom reunion in the near future. Has Truth done a great job with Kofi? Damn straight! But I can't help but be empathetic for Bourne; we've all seen our troubles after all. Those two worked real well together and I know they could easily up their game. I hope they keep what they have going with Swagger & Ziggler (at least for a little while), those two are both young guys and a tag team venture wouldn't hurt either one of them!

The tag team world nowadays is different for sure, but not at a loss by any means. There's a ton of exceptional talent on the roster and the last year or so has seen some great teams forming. If you've been watching lately, you've seen some of the most fluent tagging in years (with more on the way in developmental, as I've heard). Good luck at there, be safe, be smart, work hard and best regards, wrestling fans.

You found the secret message! "Tell them to go pound sand!" - My former boss

 

[TempestH]

I like how Ziggler & Swagger are and I think that that's how ALL of the tag teams should be. The two of them look like a tag team, but at the same time they still have their singles endeavors.