Team Hell No Were the WWE Highlight in 2012

Oh, sure. Up-and-comer Ryback emerged as a star last year with his Goldberg-esque babyface character. Crazed Diva A.J. Lee, and her complicated romantic entanglements, also became a must-see act in 2012.

In addition to this, WWE champion CM Punk managed to put together one of the longest title reigns of modern times.

Sure, all performed well in their roles. But, make no mistake about it; the real star act of 2012 was Team Hell No, the wacky pairing of Daniel Bryan and Kane.

As part of therapist Dr. Shelby’s anger management the two were forced to put aside their differences and work out together over the summer—and they’ve been going from strength to strength ever since.  

Thanks to the popularity and solid in-ring efforts of the WWE Tag Team champions, the company’s tag team division is more entertaining than ever. When Bryan and Kane took off with the fans, the company was forced to come up with new teams—like Team Rhodes Scholars—to put against them.

Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara, the Prime Time Players, and Justin Gabriel and Tyson Kidd are other promising pairings that have been forced in recent times.

The result is great matches and fun characters that fans can stick their teeth into.  Who could have possibly guessed this time last year that tag team wrestling would be making a comeback and end up being one of the highlights of the show?

Not only did the dysfunctional duo revive WWE’s deathly dull tag division, but they provided the first genuinely funny comedy in wrestling in years.

Indeed, the segments in which the rage-prone Bryan and Kane attended Dr. Shelby’s anger management classes will surely go down as some of the best comedy skits ever.

Bryan and Kane played their roles to perfection—Kane hilariously delving into his murky, deeply dysfunctional past, in particular, is still one of the best things WWE has ever aired.

And who can forget the nice but ultimately clueless Dr.Shelby, surely one of the best non-wrestling characters in recent times?

We haven’t see the last of him either: Per Monday’s Raw, Shelby is due to make his return to television for Team Hell No’s six-month evaluation. No doubt this will be uproarious.

Of course, that’s not to suggest the pairing of Kane and Bryan doesn’t have drawbacks.

Sure, being in a tag team is probably the best role for a veteran like Kane (his character is probably too ridiculous to go back to the World title scene anyway), but what about Bryan?

He is arguably at his peak as a performer, and WWE are placing him in a mid-card tag team.

OK, it’s not a bad role for him, but it does seem like something of a waste considering what he could be capable of if he were in main events again.

But, hey, it’s not like he’ll be teaming with Kane forever. He can easily be re-introduced to the championship scene whenever WWE decide the time is right. Team Hell No may be holding him back but it’s not damaging him. It’s perfectly fine for now.

And, hey, it's not like being in one of the best tag teams ever is that much of a demotion.