What's the point of the WWE Tag Titles? There's no tag team division!

[wrestlingking]

Hello everone and welcome to my thread. I was already going to make this one then came across this from the Ross Report..

Good to see the WWE Tag Team Champions, who don’t feel like a team but two, highly talented, loaded with potential individuals instead, reappear back on Raw. I thought the next time I was going to see the ‘coveted’ tag champs it might be on a milk carton. BTW who is the #1 contender for the WWE tag titles these days?

Ever since NOC and Cody/Drew won the titles, they have only defended them in several rematches against The Hart Dynasty if i'm correct. Believe they wrestled Kaval & Kofi, not sure if it was for the titles or not. Pretty much since they won the titles, they have been in singles matches. I thought the Tag Team Champions are suppose to wrestle tag matches but thats not what they been doing. Sure they have wrestled a few tag matches but not every week, instead either Cody or Drew or both are in singles matches. The Tag Team Championships haven't even been defended at any PPV since they wont them. There is no tag titles fued goin on either. WWE has only 3 real teams which are the Usos, Dudebusters and Gate Crashers (Hawkins/Archer). If you include Santino/Kozlov then there's 4 teams. I didn't include the Hart Dynasty because they are splitting them up from what it looks like.

So what's the point of the Tag Team Championships? They aren't defended or nobody is in a fued for them. The other tag teams WWE has, don't even get TV time. When there is tag wrestling on Raw or SD, its 4 singles guys in a match! Like JR said, who are the #1 contenders? Absolutely nobody because there is no tag team division in the WWE. I can't see any reason these days for WWE to have tag titles. They don't give 2 shits about the division that they don't have. It is extremely disappointing how they put no effort at all when it comes to the titles. I've always loved tag team wrestling but the way things have been done in the recent years make me watch TNA more just to see real tag team wrestling. It is a joke to even say WWE has a tag team division, im sure everyone will agree with me on that one.

Well I think i'll come to an end here so I can read what you all think. Should they get rid of the Tag Team Championships? Is it possible WWE will actually start thinking serious about the lack of a division they don't have? I for one hope someone decides to try and bring the division back. From the way it looks the championships will fade away much like the cruiserweight title did. So what does everyone think here? Please try to keep your reply serious and make this a great thread.

(in no way am I myself saying they should get rid of the titles, just a question)

 

[#hamler]

No, a tag team is a greta way to get someone over. Like in previous threads, there os always one member from a tag team that goes into success. That I believe, is why the WWE has broken up so many tag teams. They need to revamp the tag division. I have no problem with breaking up teams just as long as they get one to replace them. Also before breaking up a tag team, I believe they need to establish themselves before breaking up. Hold about 2-3 tag team championship reigns. Now about getting rid of the titles, no. I don't think they need to. They need to try and get more tag teams in the WWE. Like I said, so each superstar can establish themselves better. When you have someone to work off of, its easier to get over. For example, Edge and Christain. Without the tag team, both would've never got over. Together they got extremely over and it helped them out later in their career. So no, the tag team championship eventually can get someone over. They just need to focus a bit more on the dying division.

 

[DxArmy]

I think that the tag team division is really crap and the WWE doesnt give a damn about it like you said. This all started the moment that the Miz and Big Show lost their titles to the Hart Dynasty. You can even go before that to when HBK retired which brought an end to the greatest tag team of all time(in my opinion) D Generation-X. So you can also see why the WWE has a horrible tag division is because there isn't enough talent for it, so they don't give a damn about it.

 

[CabanaBoomBoom514]

It's really a shame that something that I've a been fan of since I was a kid has been to near nothingness. I liked it more than singles back then and I still do! To answer your question, I don't think they will get rid of the straps because of the reason the women's straps are still here: It's tradition and their needs to some variety on the card.

The WWE are just simply using the Tag Team straps for a singular purpose and that is who would proper more as singles competitor. It looks like they have completely abandoned the idea of a "pure" tag team. One of the matches on superstars will be McIntyre/Rhodes VS. Masters/MVP. I apologize I don't think that pair the champs will be facing will last that long. Their just not committed to having long term teams any more. The ones that for 3-5 years.

I'm not saying that using the Tag Team belts to build towards a single career is a bad idea, but it's used too often and it fails most of the time(Cryme Tyme, Colons, Jesse and Festus). What's the problem with putting superstars over as a team? It's come up to a point where there breaking up a team just because. They don't gain prestige as a team or be booked in decent storylines. Their just introduced as a team, win a few matches, cut a the same lame-ass promo over and over why they are the next great tag team, win the straps MAYBE once, the four months to 2 years later break up without ANYTHING to fall back on. The ones who are already over with the crowd survive, but the ones who are not just fade out.

If the WWE are not serious about the Tag Team Championships then yes, they should get rid of them. But I know they won't do that because they need something to put over the guys they are high on and it just makes me super pissed off.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

I am against getting rid of the tag-titles completely. Although it is safe to assume that the WWE tag-team division is crap, it is not just as easy to just get rid of the tag titles like they are nothing. Sure, we have had a lack of tag-teams in the recent years, but the tag-team tradition has been carried on for a long time. It would be pretty stupid to just dismiss it.

A tag-team serves several purposes. It helps elevate newcomers by putting them into teams and work with someone else. That way if they mess-up [in any form of way], the partner can easily cover for him. When rookies start out as a tag-team, it is much easier for them to work with a partner than it is to handle things on your own. Also, the tag-team division brings a unique form of wrestling that is very well needed in any wrestling business. Single matches are fun to watch but a good tag match every now and then is without a doubt, very entertaining. Alternatively, when tag-teams split up, it helps establish the road for the given wrestler to superstardom (as pointed out in previous threads).

What I believe needs to happen is for the WWE to stop splitting up so many teams every chance they get. Look at the Hart Dynasty. These guys have all the right qualities of being an actual tag-team, yet it looks as if though the WWE is going to end them soon. That's a big mistake. Hart Dynasty is a great team with great chemistry. To split up such a team will be fairly ignorant.

WWE needs to start building teams again but with the idea of having the two wrestlers that do form the team to have some sort of chemistry between the two. That way, the two wrestlers will actually look like a tag-team.

 

[Stephen11]

Obviously it would be bad to get rid of the WWE Tag Titles but I bet $15 that you wouldn't notice. It's the most pointless and underused title. I don't think they should get rid of it but they definitely need to revamp it and actually create a tag team division. They also need stop breaking up tag teams for absolutely no reason when they will get lost in the dust anyways (Hart Dynasty, Hawkins/Archer, Legacy, Cryme Tyme).

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

Yeah the tag team titles are a great way to get someone over, but only if there is someone to get them over against. Morrison/miz didn't get over JUST because they were funny and innovative. They also held the word and tag team titles. Well the belts weren't worth more then but at least there were SOME other teams to compete against. Technically the uso's and gatecrashers are really the only ones with a shot for the title but not even at this PPV. Gatecrashers are also heel so it would be an uninteresting matchup for the fans and the uso's have been jobbing on superstars non-stop after losing to a tag team that no longer is a tag team anymore.

Bring on NXT season 4: hunt for a breakthrough tag team

 

[MoizH28]

Actually WWE does have a couple of teams they just dont know how to utilize them.

The DudeBusters- I actually really like these guys the have charisma and are like a poor mans version of Edge and Christian.

Santino and Kozlov- This teams here for comic relief.

Usos- The need to make these guys more aggressive. I think if WWE pushed them down our throats we would buy them as a viable heel team.

The Hart Dynasty- Its clearly stupid to break these guys up since they have been teaming for awhile and have chemistry.

Slater and Gabriel- We know WWE wants to have Otunga break out so instead of having these two float around the midcard put them as a team.

You also have the current champs (drew and cody) WWE needs to work on their lower mid card and tag division.

 

[worldchamp101]

I ask myself the same question. Why have a championship for a nonexistent division? I really enjoy watching tag team wrestling and lately I have been feeling disappointed that WWE hasn't really been devoting time and effort into its tag team division. Fortunately, there happens to be TNA, which actually has a tag team division and a tag team championship that is defended. That is why I go to TNA to watch some tag team wrestling.

 

[An Angry Blonde]

I don't think they should remove the titles, but revamp the devision, which doesn't have any real talent(and by that I mean no team that stands out ex. DX, Bod, Lod, etc.) What they should do is review the past matches, and find who has good chemistry together, and try to create a reason why they teamed up, and i mean a true legit team that can be taken as a threat, not cannonfodder. This is one of teh things that TNA actually has over WWE right now: The tag division. They need to re create the tag division, and bring back any crediabilty to them, because their a joke now a days.

And before anybody tries and give me shit for being a TNA hater, I'm a TNA fan.

 

[dashing]

i think what might help is to do a NXT series dedicated to tag teams. A group of 8 to 10 teams who are young and can do some great double team moves and just look more like a team rather than two wrestlers thrown together at random. It's been so long since WWE has had that. Tag finishers always looked so crazy and as the MCMG and Beer Money proved in their series of matches earlier this year tag matches can actually be some of the best matches you'll ever see.

 

[An Angry Blonde]

Dashing is right that could be a way to revive the tag devision, as well as increase ratings for nxt because i barely finished nxt season one. Also this could be a way for the wwe to educate the newier fans about the oldier tag teams(Rated RKO, hart foundation, Rockers, British bulldogs, kane and big show, DX, The hardy's, The ministery, etc.) Man i really miss the good old days when people were tired of to MANY teams intsead of to few.

 

[wrestlingking]

Hawkins turned on Archer last week on Superstars, the Gate Crashers are already broken up and Hawkins is wrestlings singles now.

Well I didn't know that one actually. Superstars is not shown in Chicago for some odd reason. WoW, really WWE? They really broke up another tag team? I've just about lost any interest left in the wwe that I had. It is a good idea to do a tag team season of NXT but there is no TV deal for NXT. This divas NXT season will most likely be the last season. They really don't even have to do a NXT tag team season actually, I say just bring in 4 new teams right to Raw & SD. 2 teams to each show. Put Crime Tyme back together, patch up the Hart Dynasty and fix the Gatecrashers recent breakup. Resign Charlie/Shelton to reform TWGTT and give them a huge push because neither of them 2 are looked at as singles stars.

Any other ideas anyone?

 

[Ferbian]

What's the point? Just like there was a point in keeping around the diva's championship even if the division sucks. It's because you can't just alienate one thing completely from wrestling. I'm sure a lot of people enjoy a good tag team match every now and then, or a true tag team in general. By removing the titles, your purpose of tag teams and tag team matches is completely killed off, and would kill off one of the longest consistently running things in professional wrestling.

Professional wrestling will always keep around tag team wrestling. Because of the big past and legacy that there is to the division. And because it's simply not fair to alienate something completely that people most likely are still devoted to, would like to compete as etc.

And I find it to be somewhat bullshit that we judge tag team champions, or at least the current ones as killing the division because they're singles stars put together. Some of the tag teams put together of singles stars have done more than fine. Miz and Morrison? Jeri-Show? ShowMiz? All great tag teams which were great competitors and all made themselves noticed through their existence.

And it can happen again. The division is at a low point. But it only requires a bit of proper booking here and there, so it's really not that hard to revive I'm sure. WWE needs to utilize what they have, and to do it consistently.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

The only reason they keep the tag titles around is to give two guys who have some serious potential something to do so they don't get lost in the shuffle. Or just to make someone look better with gold.

DX, Miz-Show, Jeri-Show, Rhodes and McIntyre, all these teams were guys who really were either teaming for merchandise sales, or to keep them relevant in story lines. The days of a true tag team division are dead for awhile. Something alot of people need to realize.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think what WWE have done to the Tag Team division is a disgrace. They have totally butchered and destroyed what was one of the greatest things in their company in the late 90s-early 2000s.

At one point you had some great teams in The Hardyz, Dudleyz, Edge & Christian, Acolytes etc, and from these teams came some of the most successful singles wrestlers of the last decade in JBL, Jeff Hardy, Christian and of course Edge. Even Matt Hardy hasnt had a bad WWE singles career, even though it has ended on a sour note.

When you think about it, many top wrestlers initially broke into the business as part of a tag team. Examples include Stone Cold, The British Bulldog, Booker T, Shawn Michaels and Bret The Hitman Hart. These men became legitimate superstars after splitting from their tag partner, as happened with Edge and Jeff Hardy.

WWE seems to be desperate to recreate the success that these guys had after breaking away from their partner at every opportunity they get. As soon as a team becomes slightly successful, they break up a team that could have, given the chance, been a long term success, like the LOD or Dudley Boyz- teams with a long term lifespan who are remembered as a TEAM.

The Hart Dynasty look set to be the latest team to suffer this fate. They are a young, inexperienced team who looked set for a great future as a duo and look likely to be broken up and thrust into the singles ranks when it is already packed with wrestlers who will be higher in the pecking order than both Kidd and Smith. For this team, surely remaining as a duo under the guidence of Bret Hart, with Natalya completing the faction is the best option, where they can grow as performers and IF and when they are ready to go their own ways in a few years, they will have credibility and respect from the fans.

Now Hawkins and Archer have now broken up too, it just emphasises the fact that WWE are intent on focusing on singles wrestling rather than giving any tag teams a chance to develop. Cryme Tyme, La Resistance, Jindrak & Cade are other examples of how the company just has a complete disinterest in tag-team wrestling. I dont think there are many fans out there who would rather have NO legitimate tag teams, and keep the belts just for 2 singles wrestlers thrown together at random, like is happening at the moment with Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre. People like to see variation on their wrestling shows, and have a dedicated tag team division is something that has always given this.

It is not like WWE can claim that there are not enough good tag teams out there. TNA has always been successful at putting together decent teams. LAX, AMW, Beer Money and MCMG are excellent examples of this. Even in the past, Team Canada, Triple X and The Naturals were really good teams who were good in the ring and entertaining. There is enough talent on the WWE roster and in the indies for Vince McMahon to give us a good tag team division, no question about it.

For example, WWE could bring in The Briscoes (yes it would be a toned down version, but they would still be brilliant), and The Kings Of Wrestling. Benjamin and Haas could come back with a huge push and live up to their name as the Worlds Greatest Tag Team. Given the right push, WGTT could put on some phenomenal matches. The Naturals could be brought in, WWE could try and tempt Beer Money away from TNA....there are so many things that could be done to give the WWE tag team division the shot in the arm it needs.

I do not think the Tag Titles should be retired, I just think WWE is making a bad decision by showing such a lack of interest in tag team wrestling. When you think about some of the amazing tag matches we have seen over the years, I cannot see why Vince is doing such a disservice to the division. It is quite painful to watch.

 

[LigerBomb]

Simple, these days it's to get two individual stars over/get heat (depending whether they are face or heel) as a "team" then eventually break them off and go on their own. It's a "bump" of sorts. Or if your star(s) is/are already big it's another title for him/them to hold so as to show his/their superiority. These days it's the only way you'll see multi-title champions. That's about it. Oh, and it's another belt (or two) to sell to the replica ****es.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

Funnily enough, i was just thinking to myself that Drew and Cody, the tag champs, had been MIA for a while. However, when it comes to PPV defenses, they only won the belts at NOC, which was the PPV before a themed PPV with very little time on the card anyway. Obviously they won't have a tag match at BR, because there's no other tag titles on the other brand for them to fued with. Now i know LayCool are defending against Natalya, but that still kind of counts as being Raw v SD since Natalya's a Raw Diva, and LayCool are technically both SD talent.

Santino's in the Elim Tag so Santino/Koslov won't get a shot. Evan Bourne's hurt so he and Mark Henry aren't going to get a shot.

The Uso's have had countless shots already.

The Harts could have one more match before their eventual split, and like you sida, there doesn't seem to be anyone else to work with anyway.

I know everyone's seemingly gone with the theorry that tag belts are to elevate 1 of 2 people. Ideally it should elevate both, but seemingly it never does, because superstar 2 is usually given a really shitty gimmick to work with instead of an actual program.

I.E. Remember Cade and Murdoch? Cade went on to become Jericho's lackey (featured in a ME programme no less) and Murdoch became a country singer and was then released.

London and Kendrick? Kendrick got probably the best gimmick overhaul he was ever going to get in WWE and even had several matches against HHH and Jeff HArdy, SD's top talent at the time and even went over them once or twice (well, he went over Jeff at least)

Edge and Christian? Edge fueded with Kurt Angle, Christian got lumped in another tag team with Lance Storm almost immediately and then started jobbing frequently. It was another 3 years before Christian got anything that Edge was given to work with.

Dudleys got split up. Bubba just carried on being Bubba and then tagged with Spike, and D-Von became a priest, and all it did was get Batista's name on the map, and then they got back together.

Acolytes split. Ron retired and Bradshaw became SD's longest reigning champion.

Miz/Morrisson? Miz shot to stardom and fueded with Cena, Morrisson's done literally nothing of real interest since.

So it's never done to elevate two guys, seemingly it's only ever one guy that goes on to do anything.

But why do it this way? Why is it that the HArdy Boyz were kept together as a tag team nearly throughout the duration of their entire first run, but were also given the time to get over as singles guys as well? Remember when Jeff beat HHH for the IC title? Hardy Boyz were still going strong then. Matt was the European champion a couple of times, as was Jeff, and they both won the Hardcore title, and i'm sure Jeff even became the lightheavyweight champ as well. All the while, still part of a tag team.

So why is it that NOW, they feel they HAVE to split up a tag team BEFORE they are comfortable with letting ONE of them expand into upper mid card singles careers? Why is it no tag team since the Hardy Boyz, has been able to have succesful singles careers, while STILL being part of a tag team?

Why can't the Harts stay together and have maybe Tyson win the US belt from someone, and then have David get frustrated a couple of months down the line, and then they lose a tag title match, David then costs Tyson the US strap, and then you've got a fued.

But no, instead it's going to be, Tyson gets annoyed because they aren't the tag champs anymore, and decides to attack his partner, they'll have a couple of matches, and one of them will excel and the other probably won't. With this pairing, it'll be Tyson who does nothing, because David's the son of the Bulldog and has the look that's better suited to how Vince likes his wrestlers. Unless there's something special they see in Tyson that we don't know about, or Bret Hart's going to speak up for him, then i can see Tyson Kidd really struggle to maintain a position of significance on the Raw roster, adn not become another Zack Ryder.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's pretty much already been said. The WWE Tag Team Championship is used to help get guys over, keep them visible and generally keep them from getting lost in the shuffle. It'd be nice if the tag team division in the WWE was stronger, but life's not perfect and the WWE has gone a different route with their tag teams.

Generally speaking, most wrestlers at some point want to be singles stars because singles stars are generally the ones that are remembered the most. I think it's a mentality that a lot of fans understand and, to some degree, accept. For instance, every year WZ its wrestling tournament and we all write in on who we feel should win in each match up and why. Wrestlers that are primarily known for their work as tag team wrestlers never do well in the tournament and one of the most common things you'll hear is something along the lines of them not having done much or accomplished anything as singles wrestlers. The Road Warriors were a great tag team, but neither of them did jack as singles competitors.

Personally though, I'm just kinda tired of all the various wrestling elitists saying that putting two singles stars together as a tag team is ruining tag team wrestling. All things considered, I think Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre are doing quite well with the situation they've been given. Teams like The Miz & John Morrison, JeriShow, ShowMiz have been legitimately good teams. The WWE is generally more interested, however, in singles stars than tag team stars.

I'd love for the tag team division to be as good as it once was, but I'm not going to dwell on it if it doesn't happen.

 

[WWEIsLife2]

I think what everyone has to realize is that the Business is so different today compared to the 80s.90s,and Early 2000's. I think we will never seen as many Tag Teams as we did back then yet I think the WWE Tag Team Titles are still somewhat important. Like someone said they are used to get guys over today (ex:Cody Rhodes & Drew Mcintyre and they are working quite well together since winning them). Like Jack-Hammer said the Teams in this Era like Miz/Morrison,JeriShow,ShowMiz,Harts,etc have all gotten over after winning the Tag Titles.

Someone said TNA has a Strong Division? Really? I don't see many Teams there either other than Beer Money,MCMG, and Generation Me.

 

[RD_21]

The problem is that the WWE always want a single star out of a tag team instead of having a tag team be a tag team. God I missed the day of the Headbangers, New Age Outlaws, the Nation and so many other team.

But if the WWE always want a signle star out of a tag team is because they believe that we don't care about tag team. I think that that's a vicious cycle... We don't care because they made it irrelevant and they won't make it matter because we don't care. The Usos, Cryme Time and the Hart Dynasty should be in feud and featured a lot, just like Archer and Hawkins and the Dudebusters. They have team but they don't use them.

 

[ScruffDog]

I see a few people trying to pick the moment that the WWE tag tiles became worthless, and it happened before most of you think. It happened at Wrestlemania 25 when they unified the tag titles in a dark match. This was a major unification with Carlito and Primo vs. Miz and Morrison and it wasn't on TV. I remember watch Wrestlemania that year waiting for this match and was floored to find out it was a dark match. Hell they showed the women’s unification on TV, it really shows you were the tag division sits in the WWE.

Tag wrestling is one of the best things in this business. Most, if not all, of the top single wrestlers ever started in the tag division. Tag team wresting is a good way to get a lot of wrestlers some work at one time. With all that young guys they have, and are not using, the tag division would be a good way to use them and get them some much needed exposures. I don't now what the WWE has against tag team wresting, its an easily way to get a lot of wrestler involved in a story line.

I hope they try and build there tag division again. I think having a tag NXT is a great idea, but I don't see them pushing tag team wresting in the WWE and time soon.