Once upon a time, the tag team division was something that was taken seriously. From The Hart Foundation to Demolition to the Legion of Doom to the Dudley Boyz, the tag team division meant something. The definition of a good tag team is two people who work together as one fluid team. Further more the seldom-used tag team finisher was a testament to their teamwork.

When the move was hit you jumped for joy and cheered because it was exciting and it was a move that could only be done by two people working together in unison. Fast forward to 2010 and after and the tag team division is a gigantic joke.

The rocker are another example of teamwork personified
image source "bleacherreport.net"

What has made the tag team wrestling so obsolete? If this writer had to make a guess, it would probably be due to all the main events on Raw and Smackdown that seem to always have to be some form of tag match. This diminishes what a tag team is. You can’t just throw two teams together and expect them to mesh. That’s not how it worked.

The Steiner Brothers and Hardy Boyz were brothers in real life, but even if it wasn’t true in real life, the gimmick was that they were brothers and spent time together and that’s why it worked. Edge and Christian are a perfect example of that. They started off as a team and fictional brothers before they became successful singles competitors. The same goes for the Hardy Boyz. Before Matt was European Champion and Jeff was a grand slam champion, they were stealing the show as a tag team.

So with that said, can the tag team division be fixed? Of course it can.

Right now, World Wrestling Entertainment is doing a pretty good job at making the tag team division mean something again. To be completely honest, the thanks should go to USOs and Luke Harper and Eric Rowan for keeping the tag team titles relevant for months on end. It seemed like every pay per view these two teams were having the best match of the night. It wasn't just the high flying and super kicks (which were also awesome) or the extremely powerful moves (which were also great), it was also the way both teams sold each other’s offense. At any point either team could loos the match.

Kicking out at the last minute, making the other guys look amazing during their matches, and also telling a story during the matches. They made it look like they legitimately hated each other. Each move looked like it was sent to end the person and both sides would get near falls and we, yelled out loud from the crowd or at home "OOOOOH!!!" every time one of them kicked out. We want to believe that each side could lose and that the story behind it is worth something. The USOs along with Eric Rowan and Luke Harper are single handedly responsible for keeping the tag team division worth it.

The key to their feud and every feud is a build up and a story. If there's no background to a fight, than what am I supposed to get invested in? As much as we want wrestling, this is sports entertainment and we want the drama. We want to see that there is some sort of animosity between the team and the reason for it. The best singles matches have a story and that should be no different than in the tag team division.

For a while the tag teams just fought and traded the title without anything to go on. Even if it's something as simple as what The New Day is doing now. Everyone hates them because they go out and preach and nobody wants to hear it. So at least when their opponents hate them, we know why. They are coming down and trying to beat them just to shut them up. It's like the Right to Censor (which ended way too early); teams need heat going into their matches, especially during the pay per views.

Maybe it's just that there hasn't been any focus on this particular division. The USO's and The New Day aren't the ones keeping the lights on in the McMahon household. The money is in Cena, Orton, Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and so on. So the people in the tag team division will fall through the cracks. Stories don't get written for them, merchandise isn't made (There used be a time when almost every tag team had a shirt or some kind of merchandise), and they tend to end up on the preshow and not the actual pay per view. Not that there is anything wrong with the preshow, but sometimes it's months on end where there's no tag team title match on the show. Even this past WrestleMania the titles were defended on the preshow and not the actual show. A title should be defended on the Mania main card if it actually means something.

Due to the lack of effort put into making the tag titles relevant, it seems like WWE doesn't care. Its things like this that make the fans question the motives of WWE management. The tag team titles could easily be not only a moneymaker, but also something that could headline a pay per view. If the time and effort to make a product of value was put into the plethora of talent that they have representing the tag teams, that division could be another thing the fans come and look for week after week.

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About the author
Mark Lynch
Comic Books, movies, and TV. Enjoy the shenanigans and all the awesomeness.