WWE: How They Could Turn Cody Rhodes & Wade Barrett into the Next Great Tag Team

A while ago I wrote an article about how Christian and Cody Rhodes could be a great tag team.  That was back when Rhodes wore a mask and had a different character and Christian wasn't injured.

In that time, Rhodes' character evolved from monotone, masked heel to a more traditional comic book villain.  It comes down to personal preference, but I believe that his promos and his persona are much better than they were before.

Rhodes just needs someone to help him seem like a true threat.  Someone who can benefit from the partnership just as much as Rhodes could.

That is where Barrett comes in.  Barrett is a great partner for Rhodes.  

Both men are manipulators.

Both men refuse to trust others, but can forge alliances to stop common enemies.

And both men know the value of fighting smart over fighting hard.

Each of them is a shrewd, calculating, cold individual who is willing to do what it takes to win, even if it means setting aside their mistrust and leadership abilities to work with someone on equal footing.

That mistrust would tear them apart down the road, but it would also make them one of the most dangerous tag teams before it would happen.

Barrett's size and ability would certainly set him apart from Rhodes, but if Rhodes can prove to be the quicker and slightly more intelligent ring technician than they can both find roles for themselves in a team.

The best part of this is how well Barrett and Rhodes could push themselves as heels.  Both are capable of great promos and both seem to know how to create a decent heel persona.  Using their abilities on the mic they could both easily convince a crowd to turn against them.

In this way they are a lot like The Miz and R-Truth.  The only difference is that Rhodes and Barrett are imposing in a way that Truth and Miz have never seemed to be able to pull off.  The Miz and Barrett are both cocky, but looking between the two it's Barrett who seems like more of a threat.

Rhodes and Truth both seem a little crazy, but Rhodes is also younger and seems to be a bit more technically sound then Truth.

In a sense, Barrett and Rhodes could be the next step in creating a better heel tag team than the one that, until recently, was running amok in the WWE.

The best part is that by teaming up two heels it also allows them to cheat and attack the babyface wrestlers in two-on-one matches and beatdowns.  Not only does it work for the characters, but it will instantly garner negative attention from the fans.

Put together, Rhodes and Barrett could change SmackDown and the WWE and become the two best villains in the company.

And that just might be worth watching.