WWE tag team division : How to raise them?

[John McCass]

So, WWE tag team division is now revolving around The Usos and Miz/Mizdow. Though,there are some more teams namely, Goldust/Stardust and Los Matadores. Oh, I forgot The New Day,Cesaro and Tyson Kidd. The Ascension is in its infant stage. So, WWE tag team division is lacking right now because of less teams.






Why has it became stale?
What we had in 2014. 3 (say 4,if Rybaxel) teams were in limelight - The Usos, The Wyatt Family and The Dust Brothers. Only feud which delivered was The Usos vs The Wyatt Family and the best match was Fatal 4 Way at Survivor Series. We are watching repeated matches every week after week. Best tag team championship match in my memory is the championship match at Wrestlemania X7. It raised the bar of tag team division. Tag team division got stale after Team Hell No splitted. There has not been any gimmick match for Tag Team Championship other than that steel cage match featuring The Usos vs The Dusts which was as same as a regular matchup. Biggest problem is the lack of jobbers' team. They can't give throwaway matches rather than PPV matches.






What it needs?
How many teams the tag team division needs?
IMO, there must be at least 8 to 10 tag teams on the roster. 2 jobber teams and at least 6 main event teams.






Which teams must step up in 2015?




1.The Usos (with angry gimmicks) : We have seen much of the Usos. They need some gimmick change. No, I am not saying turn them heel but instedad make them angry type hunting for the brass ring. They will still be the babyface. But, it will look great.






2.The Ascension : This team has just stepped up and they are not going to split anytime soon. They are going to have a great run till 2016. This team is getting same treatment as The Usos got last year. So,they are going into Championship scene very soon.






3.The New Day (Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston) : Big E must go into the midcard and let these two work into the tag team division as they are great in ring workers. They must work as a faction but seperate for the Championsips.






4.Cesaro and Tyson Kidd : WWE's two underutilised talents are thrown into the tag team division where they are working as jobbers but,they deserve a championship shot. Also,they need a great name.






5.The Prime Time Players : Darren Young has healed up now and Titus O'Niel is also free. They had a great feud with Team Hell No and they will again do the same if allowed to.






6. The Lucha Dragons : No need to say much about them. They have worked great matches in NXT. Though, Sin Cara still needs some improvement but,its okay. They will serve as a great team. They can be called up in 2015.






7. Los Matadores : They are also underutilized. They are also used as jobbers. Let them be in the championship feuds. They put on great matches and can have a great luchadore vs luchadore feud in The Lucha Dragons.






8. The Dudley Boyz : Okay,it may be fantasy but rumors surrounding are them to return. They can be used as talent enhancement as well as champions. No need to say much about them.






9.Heath Slater/David Otunga : The division also needs some jobbers. This can be one of them.






What are your thoughts about tag team division?

 

[TheICChampion]

My thoughts about the tag division? It flat out sucks. While I agree with some of your ideas with the teams, the thing is that it would require planning and dedication that, frankly, is non-existent. The tag division has been (with very few exceptions) ignored for the most part for years and left with no direction and very few decent teams that stick around. Granted, there are many more options out there as a singles competitor, but that usually doesn't work out so well. And WWE is not exactly known for making the smartest decisions when it comes to tag teams. Remember the Wyatts? They had some of the best tag team matches in YEARS with the Usos, one or two of which were showstealers, and then what happens? They split them up. Happens all the time when a team gets over when they weren't supposed to. Remember the Hollywood Blondes in WCW? Look, I want the tag division to get better, I just don't have very high hopes for it to get much better than it's been lately.

 

[LODemolition]

The tag team division is in bad shape right now and it's about to get worse, with The Miz & Sandow likely splitting up and being Wrestlemania opponents. I would also think that Cody Rhodes will be going solo again before the year ends.

I'd like to see at least 7 or 8 teams so that not every tag team feud would have to be for the titles. I would love to see Prime Time Players reassemble. Neither guy is doing anything right now, and they made a pretty decent team in my opinion. I thought they deserved a run with the tag titles before being split up.

I would put The Wyatt Family back together. Harper & Rowan put on the best tag team matches of 2014 with The Usos. I don't think either of them are going anywhere in singles competition. They should've built up to a split, instead it just came out of nowhere in the Bray Wyatt vignettes.

I'd also pair up Jack Swagger with a new partner to reform The Real Americans. I think some good choices for a partner would be Zack Ryder, R-Truth, or Curtis Axel. I think Adam Rose and Fandango could be a decent combination if both continue to fail on their own.

The Vaude Villains could make a nice addition to the roster as well whenever WWE decides to move them up.

I can see the tag team championships going back and forth between The Usos and The Ascension all year long, but the team that really deserves a run with them from what I've seen so far is Cesaro & Kidd. They do some cool, innovative stuff in the ring that we've come to expect from them.

I love tag team wrestling and really hope they decide to do something about the division to make it stronger. It's not horrible, but it could definitely be better. I'm also hoping the rumors about The Dudley Boys are true. They've gotten themselves in great shape and still have plenty left in the tank.

 

[MCMG]

The tag-division is in a strange place and has been for a while. The Shield, Team Hell No and the emergence of The Uso's really gave the entire division a boost but it has stagnated in recent months. Several teams broke up this time last year and they didn't do much to help rectify the imbalance that was created. Harper and Rowan worked a few good matches but they split too.

Looking at the current division, we might be approaching a similar situation. Star and Goldust must be splitting soon. Miz and Mizdow the same. Cesaro is far too good to be in a tag-team as well. Indeed, that would leave The Uso's, New Day, The Ascension and Los Matedores. Plus maybe Slater and O'Neil which isn't saying much.

The key is clearly NXT. There are some fantastic teams down there and all are different and unique in their own right. They can offer someone interesting to the division which will instantly help. Big Cass and Enzo; The Vaudevillians and the Lucha Dragons are three that could debut tomorrow and be ready. The issue is, of course, that you need long terms plans for all of them and you can't just place all of them on the main-roster at the same time.

Using those three teams plus the existing division then the WWE isn't in a bad place;

The Ascension
Usos
New Day
Big Cass + Enzo
Lucha Dragons
The Vaudevillians
Los Matedores

plus varying combinations of current guys on the roster and anyone from NXT that might need a different way of being introduced onto the main shows.

The Ascension are fresh; New Day have a lot of potential and The Uso's will get new teams to work with. It isn't all bad but they need to use NXT sooner rather than later.

 

[mkw1962]

The Tag Team division is in a sad state right now, your best team is on top right now because there is no competition. Miz and Mizdow are going to break up, The Acension is not ready yet, Los Matadores is a midcard team, The Dust Brothers need another push to get started, I do not know what they are waiting for with Cesaro and Kid and New Day has to let Big E. go he would be better as a single.
This is what you do, you need about 8 to 10 teams to get it going, have a tournament to see who will face the Usos here are your teams:
Ascencion
Dust Brothers
Cesaro/Kid
Dudley Boys
Los Matadores
New Day
New Age Outlaws
Big Show/Kane
you can make some more teams like Titus Oneil/Mark Henry or team up BNB with Sheamus. I would like to see Randy Orton team with John Cena, there are a lot of possibilities Vince needs to get it going.

 

[jholcomb22]

The biggest problem is not lack of teams...at the highest point of the tag team era, there were only 3-4 teams we cared about, Hardys, Dudleys, E + C, APA. The problem is now the superstars look at the division as the jumping off point to singles fame. Nobody tries to steal the show or go long term...its just "how fast can i break out and be the star". Also WWE wants to use the break up as a storyline way too often. Some teams could have been good for years, Cody and Ted, Cody and Sandow, any two nexus members, Harper and Rowan, the list goes on...It just takes time to build them. If they have our attention, we can watch the same 3 teams battle for years. It happened in the early 2000s, it can happen now.

 

[Darkshadow1234]

The problem is the lack of tag teams and the lack of focus on tag team wrestling. WWE isn't focus or doesnt care about tag team wrestling anymore. Hasn't cared since 2001.
In the AE. We had E & C, hardys, dudleys, apa, jericho&benoit, hollys, new age outlaws, radicalz, katentai, headbangers, and many more. I loved tag team wrestling. no matter the team
The tag teams in the AE had passion and chemistry with each other. They didn't break up too fast. Or anything.
Nowadays tag teams dont last long at all. Most of the time they fail as single stars.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

Agree with Darkshadow, in the attitude era there were DEFINITELY more than just 3 or 4 teams people cares about. One key similarity between the AE and the 1980s Hogan era was that (with a few exceptions) people were invested enough to care about the majority of the roster, largely as the wrestlers were allowed to develop their own characters (up to a point) and have input on their career paths (case in point: the New Age Outlaws were bland 'music stars' feuding on ppv pre-shows but both suggested to management they would rather team up and tag team gold was discovered).

For whatever reason WWE has moved away from this over the last 12 years, and the tag division in particular has suffered. To suggest that the Usos v Wyatts 2/3 falls clash from Battleground was the best tag match in years is not a stretch, and says it all.

WWE is far too quick to split teams, and almost always one gets the 'Jannety' treatment; it needs to remember there IS a place for proper tag teams and tag teams CAN have storylines. Only then will it improve

 

[Darkshadow1234]

Agree with Darkshadow, in the attitude era there were DEFINITELY more than just 3 or 4 teams people cares about. One key similarity between the AE and the 1980s Hogan era was that (with a few exceptions) people were invested enough to care about the majority of the roster, largely as the wrestlers were allowed to develop their own characters (up to a point) and have input on their career paths (case in point: the New Age Outlaws were bland 'music stars' feuding on ppv pre-shows but both suggested to management they would rather team up and tag team gold was discovered).

For whatever reason WWE has moved away from this over the last 12 years, and the tag division in particular has suffered. To suggest that the Usos v Wyatts 2/3 falls clash from Battleground was the best tag match in years is not a stretch, and says it all.

WWE is far too quick to split teams, and almost always one gets the 'Jannety' treatment; it needs to remember there IS a place for proper tag teams and tag teams CAN have storylines. Only then will it improve

Thank you for agreeing with me bro. Finally someone who has intelligence . And comes up with a good argument.

 

[Radical]

Biggest problem like most people have said is that too many tag teams are made just so they can break up pretty soon after.

It's actually a little funny because if you look at the WWE video game, it's like every year they try to come out with the newest roster and have the newest, hottest tag teams and every time there are like 2 or 3 tag teams that have split up by the time the game comes out! That means they haven't even stayed as a team more than a good year and a half.

Thank goodness The Usos are twin brothers or I GUARANTEE you they would have split up already since they debuted in WWE.

See, why did the fans care about Hardys, Dudleys, E & C, APA and New Age Outlaws so much? Partly because they stayed as teams for a long time! For years! And even if they kind of changed their style there was still a team there. Like when E & C was with The Brood, they were still a team, then when they broke from The Brood they were still a team. The APA were their own team, they joined Ministry of Darkness for a while, then back to their own thing. New Age Outlaws were part of DX so they had more staying power because of how important DX was to the overall show.


WWE today is missing these bigger factions that welcome new members but don't force them to completely change. I miss that from WWE today. A real lack of factions and groups. The Authority is the only one now and that's why people are getting pretty bored of them because there are so few teams around.

So what can be done? What are the teams going into 2015?

The Usos
The Ascension
Kidd & Cesaro
The New Day
Los Matadores


Miz & Mizdow are likely splitting up soon. Goldust is retiring so obviously Cody is going to be split from his team with Goldy pretty soon.

Pretty weak division if you ask me. So who could be added?

Lucha Dragons, Vaudvillians or Enzo & Big Cass could be brought up but it should be later in 2015 because of the main roster debut of The Ascension they need to focus on or else if too many new teams debut from NXT it will get watered down without the teams getting a chance to get over.

I would be okay with PrimeTime Players re-forming. I think that would be good for them. They can be a bit more serious and intense and make for some good feuds.


I can say that I'm not sure what new teams I for sure want to see featured in 2015 but I know that seeing any team face each other multiple times a month gets old really, really fast unless there is at least some seriously good storylines involved or at least slight change in team dynamic without breaking up the team completely.


Tag Team division does not look great going into 2015. But by 2016 if they can get a good hype and debut for Lucha Dragons, Vaudvillians and Big Cass & Enzo and KEEP those teams together for at least a few years the tag division will be great once again.

 

[GeTiTT]

Like pretty much everyone else said, lack of teams and lack of teams wanting to go above and beyond.. WWE messed up by breaking up the Wyatts. They put on great matches with the Usos and would have liked to eventually seen them win the titles! They could of put on great gimmick matches together. Hopefully this year we see this team reform sooner than later.

New day needs to turn heel ASAP! No one likes them they're so boring as a face group! They need a heel turn and Big E needs to be the single competitor of the group and keep kofi and woods as the tag team. They need to build consistent chemistry as a tag team.

I'm fine with PTP reuniting they started growing on me before they split.

If the rumors are true and we see a Dudley return this would be great to have them feud with the ascension.

Bring up Lucha Dragons

We got..
Usos
Wyatts
New day (kofi & woods)
PTP (young & Titus)
The Ascension
Los Matadores
Lucha Dragons
The Dudley boys
slater & Curtis axel(jobbers)

 

[MWRedskins]

Why has it became stale?

this is easy for me....1) the tag team titles design (it looks like two big pennies with straps), 2) lack of teams and 3) lack of teams promos.

What it needs?

WWE needs to get rid of the current tag team titles and bring back ANY of the old ones (i personally would've kept one of the smackdown tag team belts and one of the RAW tag team belts, it would've been really unique if WWE did THAT move. i also think they need to create more teams....i would team up Luke Harper and Bo Dallas, make Luke Harper a BOliever (which means he would be easy to manipulate as well). call up Neville and have him form a team with Sandow (have him and Miz break up) then have Miz team up with Breeze (who he claims will be the next hollywood star).

Which teams must step up in 2015?

well the Usos are great, but need promo time, so give them more promos. make the Ascension into a more stronger tag team and get rid of the Road Warrior like attire. make Cesaro and Kidd a strong heel tag team and give the New Day more speaking time and have them claim that their New Day means they are chasing success and have Woods and Kingston as the tag team and have THEM chase the tag titles and send Big E. to chase the IC title and have them cut promos about how they are tired of being held down by the Authority. the New Day needs better promos. no one wants to see them happy go lucky, they want to see them serious and angry. they can be serious and angry and still be faces. also give the Dust brothers better promos to work with and make them faces.

What are your thoughts about tag team division?

it needs more/better teams and it needs time for promo cutting. it's hard to get anything over in pro wrestling if they just wrestle and there's no talk. i understand some wrestlers can't cut promos which is why i have one team being Miz and Breeze (and let Miz put over Breeze as a future hollywood star) and one team being led by Bo Dallas. the tag division is good, but it could be better and it could be worse. i like WWE's Tag division better than TNA's because they have more teams. TNA's tag teams are the Wolves, the Revolution, the Hardys and the Bro-Mans and i hate typing Bro-Mans while the Hardys are an older tag team and can't be around forever while WWE has teams like the Usos (young and ready to go), Miz and Mizdow (isn't bad, but i think Miz could do better), the New Day (has potential if booked right), the Ascension (great if booked right) and Kidd and Cesaro (great if booked right) and i like Los Matadors and would like them MUCH better if they got rid of that stupid bull. WWE has the teams, they just need better booking and belts and if they made more teams, the tag division can be great.