This WWE year has been especially rough for tag teams.
With the recent draft even more tag teams have been split in the both the male and female divisions.
WWE is in desperate need to bolster up its tag team division to have enough contenders ready for the Streets Profits (SmackDown Tag Champions), New Day (Raw Tag Champions) and Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler (Women’s Tag Champions).
However, taking advantage of what you’ve already got seems the smarter way right now than hiring even more talent. All rosters are full of singles stars with nothing to do.
The so-called ‘Franken-teaming’ is not a success guarantee – what the teammates need is a purpose and a storyline that gets fans interested in the act.
That is why it has worked for teams like The Bar, but not for teams like Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode.
Today, we try to find tag team partners that not only have similarities in character and style but also fill a void in the division and have the potential to become an entertaining unit.
10. Aliyah & Carmella (SmackDown)
Yes, Aliyah and Carmella actually faced each other on an episode of SmackDown in 2017.
But this is not why they are teaming. Carmella recently debuted a new gimmick on SmackDown, seemingly portraying her as some kind of fashionista-character.
This actually fits quite well with what Aliyah is doing in NXT as part of the Robert Stone Brand, displaying a character she herself dubs ‘boujeé’.
While Stone would have to find another client again, Aliyah could come over to SmackDown as Carmella’s boujeé protégé. Over time, Aliyah could work herself into the heart of fans while Carmella is trying to use her as a shield. A wonderful dynamic which could get fans invested for a longer run.
9. Ariya Daivari & Kona Reeves (Raw)
Reeves’ ‘The Finest’ character in NXT and Daivari’s ‘Dinero’ character on 205 Live are actually quite similar. Also, both have been waiting for ages to do something of note on their respective brands.
Putting them together and moving them to Raw would display their talents to a wider audience. While Reeves could easily slide into a comedy role, Daivari is there to bring some serious grit into the tandem.
Their dynamic of workhorse and mouthpiece should direct them to some interesting storylines and entertaining segments. Vignettes with them showing their wealth and arrogance would put them over as a heel team.
8. Bo Dallas & Cameron Grimes (SmackDown)
Hear me out on this one. At first, this seems a bit random but there is much more to it.
Not only have both been criminally underestimated in their respective careers, but Dallas’ original ‘Bolieve’ and Grimes’ current gimmicks have them both consider themselves as a much much bigger deal than they actually are.
Simply: They are pretty delusional. Dallas even took at as far as trying to tell the audience to be like him to find success in life. This act getting together could rally up the fans against it with emphasis.
Imagine Dallas and Grimes getting victory after victory, proving their point. You would not hear the end of it. This has all the potential in the world.
7. Shorty G & The Brian Kendrick (SmackDown)
Both of them had their biggest career highlights as tag team champions.
The Brian Kendrick is one of the longest-reigning tag team champions specifically with the ‘WWE Tag Team Championship’ lineage between 2002 and 2009 – an accomplishment he achieved alongside Paul London.
Shorty G, or Chad Gable at the time, formed a beloved tag team with Jason Jordan which led to them winning NXT and SmackDown tag team gold before the duo was split up.
Also, Shorty G held tag team gold on Raw too with Robert Roode. Remember that? Oh, and there was a tag team with Shelton Benjamin, too… which led to nothing.
So why would you put them in a team? Creative certainly has nothing for both of them as singles wrestlers, but together they could find new greatness. While Kendrick could adapt the role of a mentor knowing what it takes to remain tag team champion for over 300 days, Shorty G could thrive again by taking his opponents back to wrestling school.
This act certainly needs a lot of time to grow and has a risk to drown, but given the right time, this could be Kendrick’s last chance to land a hit and put over a younger talent at the same time.
6. Chelsea Green & Mickie James (Raw)
To explain this combination to you, we need to go back in time.
Before there was WWE for Chelsea Green, she worked in IMPACT Wrestling and on the indies as ‘Laurel Van Ness’, a crazy bride gimmick that showed that Green has a wide range of skill when it comes to diverse character portrayal.
James, on the other hand, is no stranger to brilliant acting and embracing her crazy side. In her legendary feud with Trish Stratus, which also featured a title match at WrestleMania 22, she showed her fans what she can do when she is let loose.
Now you mix both of these crazy chicks, add James’ experience which can only help Green, and you got a perfect tag team combination ready to fight all other women’s tag teams.
5. Tamina & Raquel Gonzalez (SmackDown)
What the current champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax are missing is strong competition.
It does not get much stronger than Tamina and Raquel Gonzalez in WWE’s women’s roster. While the act of Dakota Kai and Gonzalez is stagnant, Gonzalez could refresh her career by going to SmackDown.
For veteran Tamina, it is time to finally go after a legit title and win it. Along the way, she could help to establish a fresh star in Gonzalez. The story of the two mean towering ladies coming together to take on the dominant Jax & Baszler writes itself.
4. Tony Nese & Murphy (SmackDown)
Yes these two, sort of, have been a team before in 205 Live and later feuded for the Cruiserweight Title with Nese winning it off of Murphy on the WrestleMania 35 pre-show.
But in 2020, things are different. While Tony Nese is a heel in NXT and 205 Live, Murphy was a disciple for Seth Rollins before turning babyface and ending up on SmackDown.
To prove to Seth Rollins that he can be a leader himself, he could ask for a favour of his former partner-turned-foe Nese by offering him a spot on the blue brand.
Nese would be stupid to say no and Rollins could see that his protégé had become a leader himself. However, Murphy should not be trying to repeat history and should rather invite Nese to a fair partnership.
A babyface Nese & Murphy going for the tag titles could serve for some entertaining contests.
3. Drew Gulak & Matt Riddle (Raw)
In July 2019 the WWE Network hosted EVOLVE’s 10th Anniversary celebration, which saw Matt Riddle taking on then Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak.
This was a reunion since both of them had been part of EVOLVE’s Catch-Point faction during their tenure with the promotion.
Unfortunately, WWE has nothing to do for Gulak as a singles wrestler and Riddle should not be pushed right to the top of Raw for now. So why not go after the tag team titles as ‘Catch Point’?
Not only would this act be highly entertaining in and out of the ring, but it would also show fans what Riddle and especially Gulak can do together. Tag team wrestling at its best. Imagine them against the New Day. Magic.
2. Braun Strowman & Dabba-Kato (Raw)
Dabba-Kato and Strowman have faced off before during Raw Underground, but imagine them as a team.
There is no AOP anymore, who knows where Indus-Sher are, and the Viking Raiders are both unfortunately out injured. There is no monster tag team left in WWE right now.
Instead of trying to find legit opponents for Strowman other than the United States and WWE Champions, the ‘Monster Among Men’ could venture into the tag division alongside a towering compadre.
Plus, once again, a rather inexperienced talent like Dabba-Kato could benefit from teaming with a former world champion like Strowman. This can only lead to total domination and you love to see it.
1. AJ Styles & Samoa Joe (Raw)
They are both former TNA guys, so they can be a team, right? Well, that is not what would make this team incredible.
The ‘Phenomenal One’ and the ‘Samoan Submission Machine’ coming together with a common goal – to elevate tag team wrestling in WWE. This could be their agenda, their reasoning for why they team.
Also, both have never won tag team gold in WWE before, although Joe did win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2015 with Finn Balor.
The in-ring styles of Styles and Joe would perfectly complement each other during their tag team matches and would definitely put a much-deserved spotlight on the tag team roster.
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