Examining Best Ways to Reintegrate Ryback and Curtis Axel into WWE Programming

The ailing WWE tag team division is set to get back a pair of bruisers: Ryback and Curtis Axel.

Axel and "The Big Guy" can be far more than just filler upon their returns, especially if they are reintroduced into the WWE fold in an effective way. Portraying them as viable threats is key to wiping off the stink of bottom feeders they had begun to develop.

The duo seemed to run out of gas just before nagging injuries took Ryback offscreen. 

They had lost 12 of their last 13 televised matches, per CageMatch.net. That included losing a 2-on-1 Handicap match against Roman Reigns and enduring a stretch of eight straight losses. 

Beyond that, they simply felt like everyone else's stepping stools.

Then came Ryback's surgeries. He told fans in a video on YouTube that he needed to repair his groin and hernias:

Word is that he's nearly ready for action again. PWInsider's Mike Johnson reports, "Ryback and Curtis Axel are both expected to return to WWE TV within the month, as Ryback is about cleared to return medically."

It would be a missed opportunity for WWE to simply have RybAxel just show up on Raw and go right back to inflating the rest of the tag division's win-loss record.

The following are a number of potential entry points for Ryback and Axel. They each give the pairing momentum to begin their next run either as a revitalized team or a splintered one.

Challenge Intercepted

RybAxel was lacking in the dastardly act department. While Goldust and Stardust pounded Jey Uso's knee with a steel chair, Ryback and Axel didn't leave the same kind of damaging mark.

The Usos could serve as the victims again as the absent team returns.

Jimmy and Jey could stand in the ring and call out Goldust and Stardust. They could talk about how they have earned the right to a rematch. When they ask the tag team champions to come out and face them right then, RybAxel could saunter out instead.

Axel and Ryback should announce their arrival by sending both Usos through the announce desk (Ryback does have a history of breaking tables with his enemies' flesh).

They could tell the crowd that the tag team division has been fraudulent without them and that they are going to spend the next few weeks proving how weak all the other squads are.

The Big Guy and Axel could then interrupt various tag team matches, smashing Los Matadores with chairs or ambushing Slater Gator before they head to the ring. In little time, WWE can establish Ryback and Axel as merciless and dangerous.

One of their many attacks could also spark their next feud, be it with The Usos or some other team.

Surprise Guests

The Usos are the most likely challengers for the straps Goldust and Stardust took from them. There aren't any other babyface teams that could step into that role without some major work.

It's not as if Los Matadores are believable contenders right now.

Rather than just hand The Usos that opportunity, though, WWE could create some drama by way of a tournament. An Usos victory it would earn them a title shot, but along the way the company can showcase a number of other teams, including RybAxel.

WWE could announce an eight-team tourney to crown a new No. 1 contender. The first round would look like this:

• Los Matadores vs. The Wyatt Family
• The Usos vs. Slater Gator
• Sin Cara and Kalisto vs. Adam Rose and The Bunny
• Big E and Kofi Kingston vs. Mark Henry and Big Show

It wouldn't be until that fourth matchup that RybAxel would come into play. Kingston and Big E would be waiting in the ring for their opponents, but neither big man would come out.

Soon, Ryback and Axel would step out, grabbing a mic and explaining that Henry and Big Show wouldn't be competing thanks to injuries suffered backstage.

Allowed to enter the tournament as alternates, RybAxel would go on a surprising run. They'd beat Big E and Kingston, Sin Cara and Kalisto from NXT and push The Usos before finally losing.

Credit: WWE.com

Not only would this route give them two wins, but it would open the door for a feud with the men they took out to get into the field in the first place. 

Creating a new set of enemies while battling to earn the right to face the champs is an easy, effective way to get RybAxel back in the mix.

The Implosion

If WWE believes that Ryback and Axel would be better off apart, that split can help propel both men.

On an edition of Raw, Axel could stand in the ring and announce that Ryback is back. He would introduce his partner and embrace him in the ring.

Axel could talk about how close they came to the tag titles in the past and list the men they defeated together. The speech would then slowly shift to one centered on blame.

The third-generation wrestler would say how abandoned he felt when Ryback went on the disabled list. In Axel's mind, Ryback's injuries would be indicative of his weakness. He'd tell The Big Guy that if he had chosen a decent partner he'd be holding gold today.

Ryback could try to reason with his partner, but Axel could attack him. He could bring him down to his hands and knees and crack him across the back with a steel chair. The shots would echo as Axel screams about Ryback holding him down.

Credit: WWE.com

After the attack, Axel could explain that he's found a new, superior running mate: Bo Dallas. Dallas would soon emerges to join in on beating Ryback down. 

Ryback would now have two rivals to overcome right away. The tag division would get a new duo, one based on Dallas convincing Axel to "Bo-lieve" and follow his lead.

Whether as each other's enemy, a pair of goons taking out the tag division or the men who felled two giants, Ryback and Axel can come back to WWE TV in a memorable way.

A number of stories wait to be told. RybAxel's fists wait to serve as storytellers.