WWE Royal Rumble 2013: What's Next for Team Rhodes Scholars After Loss?

So what is the next step for Team Rhodes Scholars following its loss to Team Hell No at WWE Royal Rumble 2013?

The same thing might be said for Team Hell No following what happened in the Rumble main event. Daniel Bryan eliminated Kane and then Kane returned the favor by dropping Bryan ringside.

But back to Team Rhodes Scholars. What’s next for Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow?

We could see them returning to singles competition, but given what they have done to help renew interest in the tag team division—and they do work well as a team—we might see them get yet another crack at the gold.

For the second time, Rhodes and Sandow failed in front of a pay-per-view audience to capture the tag team championship from Kane and Bryan. The first time, at last October’s Hell in a Cell, Rhodes and Sandow won by disqualification. That meant no title change.

But between then and now, the Rhodes Scholars fought their way back into the top contender's position by beating Team Hell No in a televised match.

Some within the Internet wrestling community actually thought Rhodes and Sandow might be the favorites in the match. After all, Team Hell No had just “graduated” from anger management class and it appeared that it might be coming to the end of its storyline.

But Team Hell No proved it was not quite ready to hand over the titles. Sandow tapped out to Bryan and Team Hell No won the match cleanly. Sometimes, a clean loss means the end of a program.

The next few weeks will tell the tale of what WWE wants to do with Team Rhodes Scholars. WWE Creative might want to focus both Rhodes and Sandow on singles action. Rhodes is on many lists as a potential WWE or World Heavyweight champion, and Sandow has proven he can hold his own as a solo act.

Or WWE just might try to lead everyone into thinking that the third time might be the charm. Next month’s pay-per-view is Elimination Chamber, and depending upon the state of Team Hell No by then, we could see another match for the titles.

With the intrigue surrounding Kane and Bryan’s actions in the 30-man Rumble match, WWE might pick EC to finally bring that story to an end and start looking at a Kane vs. Bryan match at WrestleMania 29.

Follow Bill Atkinson on Twitter at @BAtkinson1963