Jey Uso's Injury Will Deflate WrestleMania Tag Team Championship Match

The sound you hear is the WWE Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania falling apart. Jey Uso's shoulder injury guts the bout, exposing the tag division's lack of depth in the process.

It had yet to go official, but it looked as if Cesaro and Tyson Kidd would put their titles on the line against a slew of teams. WWE swirled Los Matadores, The New Day and The Usos into the championship picture. All the teams clashed over the last few weeks.

Going with a multiteam contest has been WWE's go-to move for recent WrestleManias. Last year, four teams collided over the title. At WrestleMania 28, three teams went to battle.

Cesaro and Kidd vs. Los Matadores vs. The New Day vs. The Usos didn't feel like a show-stealer, but it would be a solid offering to the card.

Now the latest word is that Jey is hurt. WWE announced on its website that he "suffered a shoulder injury during an eight-man tag team match" on last week's SmackDown. PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson adds,"The injury to his shoulder is legitimate."

There is no word on the extent of the damage, but with less than two weeks left until WrestleMania, it's not looking hopeful that The Usos will be a part of the tag title fray.

If that's the case, the bout will go on without its heart. Cesaro and Kidd are plenty exciting as a pair, but they will struggle to make anything memorable with the poor quality of opponents they have in front of them.

The Usos were the most thrilling squad in the mix for the belts. They had the best chemistry with Cesaro and Kidd, and the longest, most impressive resume of the all the potential contenders.

Now WWE's options for the champs are all unappetizing.

What about Cesaro and Kidd vs. The New Day? No, thank you. Cesaro and Kidd against Los Matadores? Not close to a WrestleMania-worthy match.

The champs defending against The Ascension? If WWE hadn't made the growling newcomers look about as intimidating as a pair of sea slugs, maybe.

The trouble is that WWE has done a poor job of showcasing and building its tag division.

Officials reunited The Prime Time Players but have done nothing with them since. WWE called up The Ascension from NXT, only to have John "Bradshaw" Layfield mock them and for a bunch of middle-aged former wrestlers to overpower them.

Los Matadores are hampered by a silly gimmick and the fact that the company left them offscreen for so long.

WWE does nothing to portray them as contenders or get fans interested in them. The company seems to keep them in storage throughout the year, only to dust them off come WrestleMania time.

The strategy hasn't been a success, as Matt Black of Fight Game Nation points out:

The New Day features talented wrestlers but has been a failed, tepid group. WWE put them in blue outfits and called it character development. It's unclear what their gimmick is supposed to be.

They are positive guys who like to clap. Beyond that, Big E sweats excessively and has a sweat rag handy. That's certainly not the blueprint for connecting with the crowd.

Should that team and/or the bullfighters step up to Cesaro and Kidd, the excitement level will be minimal.

The Usos are the biggest stars of the division and the most enticing potential challengers for Cesaro and Kidd. Take them out of the equation, and suddenly this potential three-team bout feels like something that belongs in the first hour of SmackDown.

Credit: WWE.com

That's what happens when your tag team division is essentially two teams and some filler behind them. One injury sees the entire structure tumble over.

WWE has to be hoping for Jey to heal quickly or for The Dudley Boyz to walk through the door, telling the bullfighters and The New Day to step aside.