Things the WWE Needs to Do to Rebuild the Tag Team Division

It used to be the gem in the WWE’s crown.

The tag team division has been the breaking ground on WWE television for some of the greatest performers of all-time. Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and Jeff Hardy are all examples of guys who have been propelled to greatness on a wave of momentum which began with a truly great tag team run.

Tag team matches at one point were placed at the top of the card on live events because the best match of the night was almost always from the hard-working tag team division. Great teams like the Road Warriors, Demolition and the Brainbusters kept us on the edge of our seats year after year, being every bit as popular as the guys at the top.

Oh, how things have changed!

There currently is no tag team division. The platform from which the greats ascended the ladder is left off the pay-per-view cards. The only remnants of the once unshakeable institution are hastily brought together teams with no connection to the audience, with no opponents to work with. The tag belts themselves stand as being highly symbolic of the division for which they stand, having gone from being the golden prize for a uniquely talented pair of individuals to meaningless copper belts worn by two performers that creative has “nothing for."

In that vein, here is a list of things that have to happen in order for the WWE to return one of its longest standing divisions to a semblance of its former glory. 

A Spark: Instituting the Rebirth of the Division

It’s not as simple as taking two guys from lower down the card and putting them together to fight each other over the belts. There needs to be something more, something that can account for the pairing of new superstars, the introduction of new tag teams from development and return some kind of prestige to the tag belts.

One suggestion would be to hold a tournament for the belts, with an announcement that any team from around the world can come and compete for the greatest tag team prize in the industry. This allows for a number of things.

Firstly, it allows for the introduction of new teams from developmental, such as the Kings of Wrestling, or the Rotundos, in a realistic way. By billing them as established teams who have come to compete in a tournament, the WWE can effectively remove the stigmas associated with rookie performers to the fans. Some slick presentation of matches in some vignettes would allow for the casual fan to buy into the teams as being readily established.

Secondly, it allows for the underutilized talents to create teams for a reason. If they are seen to be forming together in the pursuit of the glory and the spotlight afforded to the tag team champions, it gives the fans a reason to either vilify or get behind the newly-formed team. The easy part is that the WWE has a number of previously used gimmicks from FCW that could be applied for the newly formed teams. Wade Barrett and Drew McIntyre could reform the Empire, and Joe Hennig could use the gimmick he used with the younger brother, forming a new version of the Fortunate Sons with Ted Dibiase.

Thirdly, it would provide an opportunity to bring back former tag teams, originally for a short-term deal, in order to boost the credibility of the tournament. In bringing back former teams and having them put over the younger, newer teams, the WWE would essentially be adding a level of legitimacy to the division and to the eventual champions that it wouldn’t otherwise have. 

Adding Ingredients: Packaging New Teams

But simply putting together the teams isn’t enough. In order for the newly established tag team division to thrive, the WWE will need to do a lot of packaging.

The problem with a number of today’s tag teams is the focus upon the individuals rather than the team. Air Boom shows a perfect example of this. Whilst the team had some good matches and were over with the crowd, they were essentially just Evan Borne and Kofi Kingston doing their usual thing, with matching coloured gear and a silly name.

A successful tag team needs more than that. Firstly, they need a clear-cut sense of identity as a unit. Every successful team from the Attitude Era had a team identity. Edge and Christian as the goofy, fun-loving characters, the APA as the hard-hitting, poker-playing veterans, even Too Cool as the charismatic dancing act. The crowd reacts best to teams with a strong sense of identity, which can be achieved through a series of steps.

Firstly, the team must have their own music, which should underline the character of the team and their in-ring style perfectly in a way that only Jim Johnston can.

Secondly, they must have similar ring gear. It is one of my pet peeves when singles guys make no changes to their dress when placed in a team with someone with a markedly different style. It only worked for the New Age Outlaws because they found an attachment on a personality level.

Thirdly, the teams need to have an established style of tag team wrestling. The crowd need to know that when they see a team, they are either going to see an APA-style brawl, a World’s Greatest Tag Team-style mat clinic or even a bushwhackers style comedy act.

In following these steps, the WWE would increase the chances of the new teams, and the new division, connecting with the fans. 

Something Different: Bringing Back the Mid-Card Stable

There are also ideas to add depth to the new division, fleshing it out more and giving it some more scope creatively. The first of these would be the return of stables in the mid card.

Whilst there have been a number of stables over the past 10 years who have followed the New World Order idea of taking out the top guys in the company, there has not been an emulation of a lot of the best stables in the history of the business, such as the DX and The Nation of Domination. People tend to forget over time through the success of former members that the Nation and DX were mid-card groups, fighting over the European and Intercontinental Championships.

Establishing mid-card groups allows both for the masking of individual flaws, but allows for more camera time for a number of the lower-card wrestlers who have difficulty breaking through, who are being constantly lost in the shuffle. It also allows each member to have a limited amount of mic time, which, let’s face it, didn’t do The Rock or HHH any harm.  

Providing a Mouthpiece: The Return of the Manager

Watching the recent nostalgia edition of Smackdown, I was reminded of the best way to market a new team. On the episode, the Heath Slater and Tyson Kidd were accompanied to the ring by none other than “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart.

The manager, functioning as the mouthpiece of the group, allows for the vocal inabilities of the talents to be covered whilst also helping to provide definition.

Among current employees, there are numerous examples of people who could fill the role, from the current crop of Vickie Guerrero and Abraham Washington and Ricardo Rodriguez to people like Matt Striker, Michael Cole and even the D-O-Double G, the Road Dogg, who, lest we forget, got his break as the Roadie, the manager of Jeff Jarrett. All of the people above can talk, and all are able to add something new to a new tag team in order to get it over with the fans. 

So there you have it, folks! Just a few simple and easy to implement ideas to get the ball rolling. Feel free to leave comments either on the article or on your own ideas on what needs to be done to save the WWE tag team division.