First Article: WWE in the Now

Hey everyone :)

My name is Jorge, and I am writing to you from the confines of my home in Santiago, Chile.

So why am I writing this? I just wanted to outline a few thoughts about what is currently going on with the WWE.

Tag Division

The tag division might finally get to live up to more of its potential now that Jericho (and his 1,004 holds) and Edge (who is rumored to have injured his ankle at a house show Friday) are the champions.

But why are they the champions? And what will the program do for WWE?

There are three trains of thought as to why they became champions. The first one has to do with all the smack talk coming from TNA. TNA keeps shoving down our throats that they take tag competition seriously, and have "the best in the world."

It is hard to argue the first point, since the WWE has done a very poor job developing teams and/or feuds for their tag division, and prioritize singles wrestling above all.

The second point is debatable, as WWE has more tag team talent to use, yet they are just not using the individuals for said tag competition (Christian & Edge, Hardys, Brothers of Destruction, World's Greatest Tag Team, Miz and Morrison, etc).

However, being the leader in sports entertainment, they probably feel that they have to put out a superior product than TNA in all fronts.

As such, they cannot let TNA claim that their tag division is better, because it may draw viewers away from their programming. As a strict business decision, WWE might be countering TNA by enhancing their tag belts and the competition for them.

The second reason has more to do with circumstances. Now that Punk and Jeff Hardy are feuding, they might not have anything for Jericho and/or Edge in the main event level since there are no top babyfaces to feud with.

It seems like they are saving Morrison for the winner of the Punk/Hardy feud (aka heel Punk vs face Morrison), and the Jericho-Rey Mysterio feud is seemingly over (pending their match at Night of Champions), even though most of us wanted the feud to continue due to the high caliber matched delivered.

Also,it is rumored that Jericho (he has hinted at it) will have a program with the Undertaker when the Dead Man returns.

Additionally, it has been mentioned that both Jericho and Edge have been nursing nagging injuries, so even though they might have to wrestle across all WWE promotions, they can help each other out by sharing time in the ring and putting less stress on their own bodies.

The third reason why they might have become champions is so that they can feud with each other. We all know that both are heel wrestlers, and both claim to be the face of Smackdown.

They also have ego-maniacal characters, which could lead to tensions as to who really is the best between them. I personally dislike this program, since it has been done many times before, and it would most likely require for one of them to turn face (and both of them have been phenomenal as heels lately).

Also, I don't like to use the tag belts as a way of furthering singles individuals unless they need the push. Neither Jericho nor Edge need a push.

If they do this right (pending Edge's rumored injury), the new champions can help usher in a new era of tag wrestling at WWE. The main event status that both individuals own instantly elevated the importance of the belts.

Also, both are very accomplished tag wrestlers in their own right. If they stay in the same page (storyline wise), tag teams will perceive these titles as very difficult to obtain.

If the program runs for a long time, whatever team beats them will be elevated hugely (Legacy, Hart Dynasty, Kendrick + partner, new tag teams, etc), with the elevation being proportional to the program's length.

This has potential, IF WWE does things right. If they build the tag division right, they can split off the belts again if there are enough quality tag teams to compete for them.

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