Quick Takes on WWE Raw Record-Low Ratings, AEW's Acclaimed Trending Up, More

Not only was Monday's WWE Raw the latest in a string of subpar shows, it also marked a new low for the red brand in the ratings as the episode drew 1.53 million viewers, according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online.

The poor numbers aren't entirely surprising considering the steady decline over the years. It's more a matter of determining what it will take for Raw's ratings to improve or at the very least refrain from falling further.

With 2021 fast approaching, no wrestling show needs more of a reset right now than Raw.

Although All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite is far from a perfect show, the up-and-coming promotion has at least done a commendable job of building up new names in the last year. The tag team division in particular has been on fire lately, and the ascent of The Acclaimed in recent weeks has been especially fun to watch.

WWE's tag team division, on the other hand, remains a work in progress. Riddle and Jeff Hardy being added to the mix could be a difference-maker in the months to come and eventually led to them capturing the Raw Tag Team Championship together.

SmackDown's tag team scene has also been treated like an afterthought for the better part of 2020. The Street Profits holding onto the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with their win on last week's show was a step in the right direction, but the lack of depth in the division won't bode well for the rest of their reign.

This installment of Quick Takes will explore WWE's and AEW's tag team successes and failures, WWE's response to Raw's record-low ratings and NXT's upcoming New Year's Evil episode.

Raw Ratings Reach New Low: How Will WWE Respond?

Almost exactly two years ago on the December 18, 2018, edition of Raw, the McMahons and Triple H appeared at the start of the show in light of Raw's record-low ratings. They vowed that change was coming and that the fans were officially the authority, essentially saying they would listen to what they wanted and give them just that.

To be fair, WrestleMania 35 that subsequent spring gave fans what they wanted with popular babyfaces such as Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch and Kofi Kingston all becoming champions. Unfortunately, the WWE product took a turn for the worse soon after with the institution of the Wild Card Rule and never truly recovered.

The company finds itself in a similar situation two years later. WWE insider Twitter account WrestleVotes reported earlier this week that Raw's recent ratings aren't "sitting well" with officials and that reactionary decisions are expected to be made, possibly as soon as this Monday on Raw.

What those decisions will entail exactly remains to be seen. Fans have speculated that it could mean the end of the brand split (again), but featuring the top performers twice a week again and decreasing the television time of the undercard would arguably do little to improve the product and create new stars.

Calling up more people from NXT also isn't the answer. While Rhea Ripley and Undisputed Era would be welcome additions to the SmackDown or Raw rosters, it should be noted that WWE has yet to make Riddle and Keith Lee feel like genuine stars since making the move to the main roster.

SmackDown has largely been a consistently entertaining show these past few months and hasn't fallen far in the ratings, so the blue brand shouldn't be affected by whatever WWE has planned for Raw.

Seeing as how the third hour of the show likely isn't going anywhere, one option would be to completely overhaul the creative process and give the reins to someone who can give it a fresh feel without Vince's input or involvement—something that may not be practical at this point.

Another would be to abandon the tired formula Raw has had for ages and running back the same matches week after week. Regardless, enough damage has been done to when it can be disputed whether changing anything will actually make much of a difference at this point, so all fans can do is hope for the best.

How a Riddle and Jeff Hardy Tag Team Could Prove to Be Beneficial

It's no secret that tag team wrestling hasn't been a priority for WWE in ages and that the tag team divisions on both brands are dealing with depth issues. That has been especially apparent on Raw with the series of matches The New Day and The Hurt Business have been having for the past month.

Once that rivalry runs its course, which will likely be on the sooner side, whoever the Raw Tag Team champions are coming out of Sunday's TLC pay-per-view will need a fresh batch of opponents to work with. New Day has done all that it can with the title, so losing it to Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander would be in everyone's best interest.

From there, Benjamin and Alexander feuding with the newly formed duo of Riddle and Jeff Hardy would make the most sense. Collectively known as The Hardy Bros, Riddle and Hardy have been teasing an alliance recently on Raw and have shown great chemistry whenever they've joined forces in tag team action.

Besides, it's not as if either one of them have anything better going on at the moment, so putting them in a team would benefit them as well as the division itself. It could be similar to what Riddle was doing with Pete Dunne as The BroserWeights earlier this year on NXT—a makeshift tandem that works well together and breaths new life into the tag team scene on the show.

Of course, Riddle's over-the-top antics will need to be addressed eventually, as the material he's had to deal with on Raw has made him more obnoxious and unlikable to fans than ever before. If it's leading to him betraying Hardy and turning heel, then that's terrific. But if not, WWE needs to tread lightly with how it portrays Riddle, and there's a strong chance that pairing him with Hardy will help with that.

The Acclaimed Are AEW's Next Breakout Tag Team

AEW arguably has more talent in its tag team division than WWE does with Raw, SmackDown and even NXT combined because of the volume of teams it has under contract. That includes The Acclaimed, which recently arrived on the scene and has already made a noticeable impact.

Max Caster and Anthony Bowens debuted on AEW Dark in late October and were signed to deals shortly thereafter. They went on to stack up victories on the program before making their way to Dynamite and immediately making enemies out of SCU and The Young Bucks.

On Wednesday's Dynamite, The Acclaimed was able to put the inaugural AEW world tag team champions away in clean fashion in addition to announcing its intention of competing for Young Bucks' tag team titles. It'll get its crack at the gold next week on the show, and although it's unlikely that The Acclaimed will cut Young Bucks' reign short, all that matters is that it looks credible in defeat.

AEW has a top team in The Acclaimed for years to come, so it's crucial that it's consistently booked strong in its first few months on Dynamite. That doesn't mean it needs to become champions anytime soon, but taking the champs to the limit in an outstanding outing would make its stock soar within the promotion.

Caster always impresses with his pre-match promos, while Bowens brings the intensity once the bell rings. It's an excellent combination of style and substance that helps them stand out in a stacked tag team division.

Top Flight shouldn't be slept on, either, as it'll be taking on Inner Circle's Chris Jericho and MJF on Wednesday night as well. The team is also probably coming out of that one with a loss, but a breakout performance can go a long way in establishing Top Flight as stars on the rise.

Predicting the Rest of the Card for NXT New Year's Evil

On paper, NXT's New Year's Evil episode on Jan. 6 has the potential to be a mini-TakeOver special, much like Halloween Havoc back in late October.

So far, the only two matches announced for the anticipated event are Finn Balor vs. Kyle O'Reilly in a rematch for the NXT Championship and Karrion Kross vs. Damian Priest. Both bouts are bound to be barnburners, but the rest of the rumored card should be equally exciting as well.

Currently on NXT, several rivalries are brewing that could culminate at New Year's Evil. Shotzi Blackheart and Candice LeRae have had bad blood since Halloween Havoc, Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez appear to be headed for a rematch, and Toni Storm should be in line for an NXT Women's Championship opportunity against Io Shirai.

Outside of the women's division, Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher are still at each other's throats (and the Fight Pit would the perfect place for them to settle their score), Kushida has his sights set on Johnny Gargano's NXT North American Championship, and Curt Stallion is owed a shot at Santos Escobar's NXT Cruiserweight Championship.

Any one of those matches could happen at New Year's Evil and would be a wonderful addition to what's shaping up to be a special card. It's also an awesome way of kicking off 2021 on a high note and setting the tone for the year to follow.

AEW Dynamite has bested NXT in the ratings more often than not since the shows started airing opposite of each other in October 2019, but more themed episodes of NXT such as New Year's Evil could be what helps the black-and-gold brand catch up.

Who's Next to Challenge the Street Profits for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles?

Since becoming Raw tag team champions in early March, not a day has passed that The Street Profits haven't held gold. They traded in Raw's tag titles for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship on Night 2 of the 2020 WWE draft and have stood atop the tag team division on Friday nights for over two months now.

Their dominant reign continued this past week when Street Profits knocked off the No. 1 contenders, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. Montez Ford held Ziggler's tights while pinning him for the three-count, so it's possible that program will continue for at least another few weeks.

Beyond them, though, the well runs dry. The blue brand's tag team scene has never been more desolate, and that's with the recent addition of Otis and Chad Gable to the mix.

The Mysterios could potentially chase the tag titles at some point, but a babyface vs. babyface feud wouldn't make a whole lot of sense, and turning Profits heel right now would be the wrong call. Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler, formerly of The Forgotten Sons, are also an option, albeit not an interesting one.

That leaves Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro as the only logical pair of opponents for Street Profits to face heading into the new year. Granted, they already beat Nakamura and Cesaro in a televised match ahead of Survivor Series, but it was entertaining enough that more matches should be in order.

While those teams are feuding over the twin titles, SmackDown should make more of an effort to showcase tag team wrestling and put more compelling teams together. Calling up a tandem or two from NXT—such as Undisputed Era or Breezango—wouldn't be the worst idea, either.

Street Profits as champions will only be strong as the challengers they beat, so hopefully WWE has more in mind for SmackDown's tag team division in the new year than having Street Profits battle Ziggler and Roode for eternity like they did Andrade and Angel Garza.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.