WWE: Has the WWE's Tag Team Division Finally Died a Painful Death?

There was this idea for decades that tag team wrestling was great for a promotion and television. It helped generate more fan support, showed more wrestlers on television and created more competition and more title opportunities.

Lately, the idea of a tag team division in both the WWE and TNA has been a joke. And while TNA has worked over the last few months to revitalize its tag teams and foster more competition, it appears the WWE has given up on the idea that the McMahons helped establish decades ago.

This past week, Evan Bourne was suspended for a second time by WWE officials for violating the company's wellness policy. This would be the last time that Bourne, an exciting high-flying wrestler, could be suspended by WWE officials without being released from the company.

At a house show last week, Bourne and his tag team partner, Kofi Kingston, dropped the titles to Epico and Primo. Bourne cannot return to action until the middle of March.

The tag team belts in the WWE have been a constant source of discussion especially here on Bleacher Report. While many of us grew up watching the likes of the "Soul Patrol," the Executioners or the Hart Foundation walk around beating up all challengers, this is not the case anymore.

The 1980s was the "golden age" of tag team wrestling across the board in different promotions, but today's generation is lost on this idea and would rather see more singles matches where everyone is competing for the same belts, and there is a logjam at the top of both the WWE and TNA for title contention.

Back in the 1980s and even the 1990s, it wasn't uncommon for a singles champion (like Ron Garvin) to hold a regional title and a tag team title as well (as he did with Barry Windham in Georgia Championship Wrestling).

And because Epico and Primo are now a championship team, what does that do for the "division" as there is no major competition for them? Where are the major teams of the 1980s like The Killer Bees, The Hart Foundation, The Horsemen and the Midnight Express?

Trent Barreta and Tyler Reks do not strike fear in anyone. Neither do Samoa Joe and Magnus in TNA, for that matter.

Tag team wrestling was supposed to be an art form, a division of sorts where teammates worked together. We saw some of that with Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater and to some extent, Joe Hennig and David Otunga.

But now, there is a only barren wasteland with a tag team champion but no one out there to challenge them to prove they really are the best.

It is just another nail in the coffin for a once-proud part of a diversified business.