Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Guycott
Do they, though? Do they really?
Besides Heyman and MVP, who was the last manager - actual manager, not just an injured mouthpiece (David Otunga) or a valet with a mic who eventually gets in the ring anyway (Zelina) - to get any actual serious time? Last one I remember is Dutch Mantell/Zeb Coulter. Paul Ellering was back for enough time to build up Authors of Pain in NXT, but then when they got called up, he was back on the unemployment line, and they got split up and shitcanned. The only other one I can think of outside of that was Abraham Washington, and he got himself fired for mentioning the one name he wasn't allowed to on Twitter (Linda).
Tag teams are worse. Most established actual "teams" that gel or work as teams get split up for no reason or treated as jokes. Then, they make teams out of whole cloth from two thrown together singles. The one of the few true teams still around right now are the Usos, and part of that is being auxillary to Roman. If they literally werent Bloodline, they'd be on the breadline, or chilling somewhere in catering next to War Machine The Viking Experience The Viking Raiders.
They have two sets of tag team champions (not counting NXT or the women's belts, because those are different difficulties), but they're mostly ornamental. The "division" itself reminds me of when Gregory Helms was the Cruiserweight Champion when there was almost nothing on the roster but "heavyweights", or when AJ Lee was the Diva's Champ with no other legit full-time wrestling ladies on the card except Nattie, and she pretty much had to carry matches against swimsuit models and "reality tv stars". There are no more Road Warriors, British Bulldogs, Powers of Pain, Demoliton, etc., etc., and the few that show up get shit on or disappeared. American Alpha had potential, but again, not only were there few other actual tag teams around to make them look good, but Vince was super horny to make Jason Jordan the next big breakout singles superstar and was super eager to split them ASAP.
I find it funny now that they went elsewhere and proved how great they are, WWE wants The Revival back... even though when those guys left, the company was about to make them a comedy act and bury them to hell. And I'm convinced if they go back and take the money, they'll eventually swing back around to that line of thinking. They only want them back to deny AEW the buzz. Just like the deal with Gallows & Anderson. Just like when they "showed interest" in the Young Bucks.
They'll dabble every once in awhile. They may put together some sort of [insert wrestler name] Tournament for Tag Team Supremacy or hire some guy who looks like they'll become the new Harvey Whippleman or Paul E. Dangerously, but then both of those ideas will last for a number of weeks, then begin to fade into obscurity, and the idea of the next great tag team renissanse or prodigous mouthpice will be shelved for another few years. They never stick with it, and they seemingly never will. I would assume on the manager front Bivins saw the writing on the wall.
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Heyman and MVP are where you could stop. I didn’t say the most managers, I said the best managers. No one touches them.
The Usos have been on the main roster for 12 years now. The New Day have been together for 8. The Street Profits for 6. The longevity argument is an outdated one. Splitting up teams wouldn’t negate the argument that WWE have a good division anyway.
Right now they’ve got aforementioned teams, RKBro, Alpha fucking Academy, The Mysterios, Ziggler & Roode, and the ability to put a bunch of other guys into the mix that currently aren’t cycled in (Edge & Priest, Gunther & Kaiser, Styles & Balor). It’s just an antiquated argument that they don’t have the teams available to produce top quality tag team stuff. It’s been the highlight on Raw.
This is probably the strongest the division has ever been since The Hardys, E&C, The Dudleys, APA, Too Cool, Radicalz days. And I can’t think of another time where it was more important
in the context of the show. RKBro and The Usos are just about to headline a PPV.
I’ve also read that RKBro are MASSIVE merch movers for them. Hence why they don’t break them up. But the team has gotten over and worked. To say they aren’t one of the most important acts there right now is just absurd.
Now compare that to AEW. Do Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus compare as champs to either WWE team? No. Are any of the teams true main event acts? No. They’ve got FTR, who are outstanding, but booked so terribly by the company. They’ve got alien belts no one cares about and have had to build up a reputation outside the show to get over enough to stand out.
WWE had them in the first place, lol. WWE wants them now? They hired them anyway. FTR quit. Their greatness was well known before any AEW run.
The anti-WWE lens skewers everything, and it tends to fall back on antiquated arguments and internet tropes that don’t hold true under examination.