Projecting the Length of Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre's WWE Raw Tag Title Reign

The Raw tag team division has been WWE's weakest division throughout 2018. Before WrestleMania, Sheamus and Cesaro had to carry a lackluster collection of challengers until they lost the titles in a comedy angle with Braun Strowman and were sent to SmackDown with no one replacing them.

However, on September 3, the direction of the division shifted when Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre stepped up and forced their way into a title match against The B-Team, winning the Raw Tag Team Championships.

Since they first aligned, Ziggler and McIntyre have had the best run of any team on Raw. The Showoff won the WWE Intercontinental Championship with the help of The Scottish Psychopath, and both have had great matches with Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Finn Balor and more.

As champions, they have already had solid matches with Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas as well as absolute show-stealers with The Revival and Ambrose and Rollins. Perhaps more importantly, they are bringing needed attention to the talent in the division with many stepping up.

As the Raw tag team champions wind down their feud with The Shield, likely ending with the six-man tag match at Super Show-Down, their reign will shift focus to the tag team division. Who will step up next, and how long will this title reign last?

While nothing is certain yet, there are a few interesting hints of what is to come for a championship reign that could reshape Monday Night Raw. These are projections of what could come to pass and would make sense based on the make-up of the division.

Raw October 22: Successful Title Defense vs. Bobby Roode and Chad Gable

Roode and Gable have become a quickly successful team but are already showing signs of dissension. It is unlikely they will last long together, but it would make sense for the duo to get at least one opportunity at the champions before falling apart.

Ziggler and McIntyre have been taking on all challengers so far, so it would make sense for them to keep that up with another strong match on Raw. These two teams could be electric together and deserve a better spotlight than they are likely to receive.

In the end, though, this would not be a big match for the champions, who would retain. Hopefully, in the end, a bigger challenge would step up, with Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder looking for a second chance.

WWE Crown Jewel: Successful Title Defense vs. The Revival

The first time these two teams fought, it was an incredible television match with neither team letting up. If they are going to fight again soon, it needs to be on a better stage. The second Saudi Arabia event will have many matches on the card, including most WWE titles on the line.

With Rollins and Ambrose likely done with the group, the most credible immediate challengers would be The Revival, who should be slowly turning face to balance out the division. The story of the conniving heels becoming defenders of the division would make for a great story leading into Crown Jewel.

In the end, though, the challengers are unlikely to pick up the win. The champions are just getting started and need to stand up strong when it matters most. Hopefully, Dawson and Wilder look good enough to stay top contenders for a while despite the loss.

Raw November 5: Successful Title Defense vs. Heath Slater and Rhyno

At this point, it would likely feel like no one could step up to the champions, but they would still need to defend the championships. Slater and Rhyno are former tag champions, but this is a spot that anyone could have, even a makeshift team.

This would just work as a warm-up for a bigger competition against the SmackDown tag team champions. While The New Day would be fending off a host of impressive competitors, this is the best Raw would have in waiting for now.

WWE Survivor Series 2018: Champion vs. Champion Clash with The New Day

Survivor Series has become the time of the year when Raw and SmackDown compete to decide which brand is better, and that includes championship matches that are often far better than they have any right to be, given the low stakes.

It is hard to be confident that Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E will still have the gold in mid-November, but this would make for an electric opener. Last year at Survivor Series, New Day and The Shield put on an awesome match, and this could be even better.

Either team could win, and it would not change the direction of the champions. However, it would make more sense for Ziggler and McIntyre to lose, as it would give the Raw division something to hope for—the chink in the champions' armor.

Credit: WWE.com

WWE TLC 2018: Successful Title Defense vs. Authors of Pain in a Tables Match

The Authors of Pain are heels at the moment, and they will likely be heels at the end of the year. They are just too good for that role. However, there is no way Akam and Rezar are kept out of title contention all year with their dominance on display for so long.

TLC would be a great time for Drake Maverick to finally push the Raw general manager to give his monsters a shot, and the dynamic would be easy to sell. Ziggler and McIntyre may be dominant, but they are also opportunists. They will do anything to stay on top.

The Authors represent a nearly unstoppable threat that will force the champions to escape in any way possible. A tables match would protect the heels, as the match type rarely ends with one competitor looking better than the other.

Raw January 7: Successful Title Defense vs. Authors of Pain

It would not be right to have Akam and Rezar fall short once then drop out of contention. Maverick could contest the decision in the tables match and demand a second opportunity where the champions would still feel like the underdogs.

However, having heels end the reign of heels is not a crowd-pleasing decision. This would be a fun enough match where the champs did their best to get any advantage and escaped again, and it might be even better if the monsters win. It just seems like the wrong moment.

WWE Royal Rumble 2019: Compete in Rumble Match

How do great tag teams fall? The answer is almost always ego. The #Heel has already been shown repeatedly to be the weak link of this duo, but the former Chosen One has refused to see it so far. The Rumble is the perfect chance to begin forcing the issue.

WrestleMania will need major feuds, and Ziggler vs. McIntyre sounds perfect regardless of whether it is a singles match or involved with some champion. In the Rumble, The Showoff could dump out his partner late but still end up losing, creating the necessary rift.

Credit: WWE.com

Raw February 11: Title Loss to The Revival

The Revival were once revered as the best tag team in the business, but their main-roster transition coupled with a pair of back-to-back injuries derailed them for a while. They have come a long way already and are almost ready for a return to the top.

By February, they should be especially taking advantage of a pair that cannot get back on the same page, likely looking toward Elimination Chamber and a potential world championship shot.

It may seem odd to project such a huge moment for an episode of Raw, but it was on Raw that Dawson and Wilder had their title match stolen from them. After hopefully picking up a series of wins in the division in the time since Crowd Jewel, they would be in perfect position to carry the division into 'Mania.

A small disagreement late in the match would be all the tag team specialists would need to capture the titles and the disputable title of the greatest tag team in the world.

This projection may be optimistic, as WWE rarely lets any title reign last too long, but it would be a massive run for the Raw tag team division that would reshape the division.

These two veterans are in peak form right now, and they will likely move onto bigger and better things once this title reign is over. Stars like The Revival, Authors of Pain and B-Team will all benefit from getting this spotlight.

It may not change the perception of the tag team division long-term, but it should help the brand hold out until another Superstar Shake-up.