WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Perfect Time For a Sheamus and Cesaro Breakup

It's difficult to deny that Sheamus and Cesaro have played a pivotal role in the revival of Raw's tag team division over the last year-and-a-half. However, the duo going their separate ways is long overdue, and WWE Royal Rumble 2018 is as perfect a time as any to start the process of splitting them up.

At the event, Sheamus and Cesaro will vie for Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan's Raw Tag Team Championship in a rematch from the Christmas episode of Raw. They have spent the better part of the past six months trading the titles back and forth with Rollins, and thus their feud must conclude with this match.

Furthermore, there isn't much upside to the tandem known as The Bar becoming four-time tag team champs considering they have already run through every other tag team on Raw.

It's safe to say fans didn't have high expectations for Sheamus and Cesaro when they were first forced to come together as a tag team in late 2016. After all, both men had been directionless for many months and deserved to be spotlighted more in singles competition.

At the time, though, the Raw tag team scene (which was mainly dominated by The New Day) needed new blood. Sheamus and Cesaro were the answer to that problem and quickly emerged as a better makeshift tag team than anyone could have imagined.

All good things must come to an end eventually, and with WrestleMania 34 looming large, both men are due renewed pushes on their own.

Credit: WWE.com

Sheamus has had a wildly successful career since 2009, capturing the WWE/World Heavyweight Championship on four different occasions in addition to the United States Championship. His days as a main event player are likely over, but that doesn't mean Cesaro should be relegated to tag team wrestling forever.

Lingering neck issues Sheamus has been suffering from in recent months have led to speculation that is why he is still involved in a pairing with Cesaro. If that is the case, WWE should find a different partner for Sheamus that doesn't have as much untapped potential as Cesaro does.

Even after six years on the main roster, the ultra-talented Cesaro has yet to reach the elite level he deserves to be at.

The WWE Universe got a sneak peek of just how popular Cesaro is when he won the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 30. It's almost unbelievable that was four years ago at this point, but he can still return to those same heights with a proper push.

Having The Swiss Superman repeat that feat at the upcoming installment of WrestleMania sounds far-fetched, but it is a possibility, nevertheless. Let's not forget, Cesaro was involved in a tag team with Jack Swagger around this time four years ago before teasing tension on the road to WrestleMania.

For all intents and purposes, the Royal Rumble sets the stage for what we will see during WrestleMania season, and therefore it is a fitting event for The Bar to begin their breakup.

For those dreading the thought of yet another Sheamus vs. Cesaro program stemming from their split, there isn't a rule in place stating they absolutely have to feud with each other. A full-fledged rivalry between these two is actually unnecessary given their extensive history.

Instead, they can mutually agree to end their partnership and decide it would be best to break apart. Raw has plenty of teams to work with, including Rollins and Jordan, The Revival and The Balor Club, so the removal of The Bar from the tag title picture shouldn't make a major difference.

Rollins and Jordan may be at odds at the moment, but the dissolution of The Bar would be much more beneficial to Sheamus and Cesaro at 2018's Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.