The Hydden View: The Tag Team picture

Tag Teams, they have been a staple of wrestling since wrestling began. In the 70’s we had Rhodes & Murdock, The Valiant Brothers, Wild Samoans, The Blackjacks, and the list goes on. The 80’s had the Road Warriors, Midnight Express, the Freebirds, Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard, The British Bulldogs, and this list goes on as well. In the 90’s we had some great teams such as the Steiners, Hart Foundation, the Quebeckers, and Harlem Heat. Towards the end of the 90’s we had the Dudley Boyz, Public Enemy, the Hardy Boyz, and Edge and Christian. But as the 90’s faded and the 2000’s began tag team wrestling seemed to fade as well. The Dudley Boyz and Hardy being the last remaining teams of that time, at least which are still competitive. An argument can be made that tag teams were still around; they were in promotions like ROH, TNA and those like ROH and TNA. But I am talking WWE; from 2000-2010 it seemed to die off. Yes we still had tag team champions but allot were thrown together no true tag teams.

Now look at us, WWE once again has a legit tag team picture, and one that’s fun to watch. And if you watch NXT there are more great tag teams coming. But just like the singles roster you need each role filled and I think WWE finally has that.

A stable roster: After years of floundering WWE finally has a god staple of tag teams again. The Rhodes Brothers, The Usos, Los Matadores, MizDow (short lived probably), Slater Gator, A New Day, and the soon to arrive Ascension.

The entertainers: If you look at the singles roster this a role filled by a wrestler like Santino Marella. So who fills that role in the tag team division? To me this is Slater Gator. They are very entertaining, and I think most will admit Slater has been entertaining in any role they put him in. When they come to the ring you know you are going to smile and probably laugh. This is a role a team like the Vaudevillians will be well built for in the future. I do feel this is also being filled by Miz and Damian Mizdow, but we all know this is a team destined to break up and feud with each other.

The young bucks: The Ascension have been turning heads in NXT for over a year. They are incredibly talented, and entertaining. They have a bright future; they are to the tag team division what John Cena was to the roster in 2004.

The team willing to sacrifice: I would call this the Dolph Ziggler of the tag team division, and this is the Usos. They perform at a very high level every match. It does not matter if they’re going for the title belts, or defending there wife’s honor, they go all out. Each time they come to the ring you’re excited about what they might do.

The all around team: This is the team that can have a good match with anyone. They are put in the match to make others look good and excel at it. This is the Kofi Kingston of the tag team division. This honor goes to the Los Matadores. They may not be the most over tag team, but they are very talented. They very seldom miss a spot, or a cue. They are second generation stars that treat the business just as they were taught.

The Leaders: Let’s call this team the Undertaker of the tag team division. It should be no surprise this is the Rhodes Brothers. Goldust and Stardust are remarkable performers; they are the clear leaders of this group. Dustin Rhodes has been around awhile; he has fought his own personal demons and gotten back into the best shape he has ever been in. Along with his brother they are giving the best performance of both their careers. They are also the two that the others can look up to, and question if needed. With Goldust and Stardust the tag team division is in good hands.

In closing the future is brighter than it has ever been for WWE’s tag teams, with more teams waiting to come to the main roster. I know I am once again enjoying the tag team matches we are seeing. The Rhodes Brothers and the Usos just recently put on matches that reminded me of the ones we saw in the early 90’s.

Here is my question to you the readers, what pure tag team not currently in WWE would you like to see in the WWE? And if you were starting your own tag team division who would you want to start it with?