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Over the years, WWE has been known to use the trope of pitting heated rivals alongside one another in tag team matches. There have also been times when two rivals willingly partner up, whether that being on a permanent basis or for one night only. The company does love its odd pairings.
Roman Reigns will team with former WrestleMania rival, the Undertaker, in a No Holds Barred Tag Team Match against Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre at Extreme Rules. This wouldn't be the first time that Reigns would team up with a former nemesis, with no tangible bad blood at the time.
There have been instances where two Superstars, who were feuding at the time, were cast with each other in tag scenarios, and their chemistry was off the charts. Superstars who did not seem like a natural fit with one another, at all. Some of them stuck, while some did not. Will the Big Dog and the Deadman find similar success at Extreme Rules?
Here are four recent odd pairings in the WWE, who worked really well together.
#4 Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton
Randy Orton had been feuding with Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper for a while before he eventually relented and joined the Wyatt Family. It would all be part of a devious plan, culminating in a WWE Championship victory at WrestleMania, but the four months that the Viper spent with the Wyatts were some of the most interesting of his career. He did not even fit in with Wyatt and Harper, beard and everything, but it worked perfectly.
Orton and Wyatt were the survivors for Team Smackdown in the 5-on-5 Men's Survivor Series match and eventually captured the Blue brand's tag titles. They demolished Heath Slater and Rhyno, with a phenomenal finish. Wyatt did his creepy crab walk to distract Rhyno while Orton sneakily slithered into the ring and hit the RKO to pick up the victory. They would lose the titles pretty quickly, but Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton had tremendous chemistry as partners. It should have been explored more in 2017.
#3 Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
Finn Balor and Samoa Joe were the first-ever Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winners but embarked on a bitter rivalry soon after, one that would last over half a year. Both men eventually moved to Monday Night Raw and around two years following their tag team triumph, Balor and Joe began a rivalry on the Red brand, albeit an extremely short one. The pair of them were forced to be partners against Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
What followed was a spectacular showing of chemistry and the single greatest performance by a tag team of two feuding Superstars. Balor and Joe were all over the place, complementing each other's moves perfectly. The ending sequence saw the Irishman rise for the Coup de Grace on Anderson, with Joe diving through the ropes to take out Gallows. Right after Balor got the pinfall, Joe rushed to the back as his obligation was complete. It was just masterfully played to perfection.
#2 Daniel Bryan and Kane
Daniel Bryan defeated Kane at SummerSlam 2012, sparking a new rage of anger for the Big Red Machine. He was sent to Anger Management alongside Bryan, who had been extremely entertaining in his heel role. The pair were eventually forced to team and resolved their anger issues by hugging it out in the ring. At the time, it seemed so bizarre and perplexing that Bryan and Kane could be tag team partners.
They eventually grew as a team and their chemistry got stronger and stronger, with the WWE universe even voting on a name. However, it looked like Team Hell No could implode at any time. That was what made this odd couple all the more interesting. They eventually stayed the course and remained a cohesive unit they lost the WWE Tag Team Championships after an eight-month-long reign. Daniel Bryan and Kane may be the most successful odd pairing in WWE history, a truly golden period in both their careers and an example of great WWE comedy.
#1 Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt
This pairing did not stay a team, nor did it go anywhere. But what truly made Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt work so well was the bizarre nature of the partnership. Throughout the summer of 2015, Reigns and Wyatt had been embroiled in a bitter rivalry which culminated in a Hell in a Cell match. Six months later, a week or so after WrestleMania, the Wyatt Family came to the WWE Champion's rescue against the League of Nations. The terrifying trio of bearded beasts seemingly turned face on the post-'Mania edition of Raw, by attacking Sheamus, Rusev and Alberto Del Rio.
It seemed unfathomable, but Bray Wyatt would make an absolutely phenomenal babyface. That was proved when he teamed with the Big Dog to take on Sheamus and Del Rio. The two former rivals managed to co-exist and eventually dazzled alongside each other. The finish of the match was perfect. As the Eater of Worlds kept Del Rio down for the pinfall, following a Sister Abigail, Reigns leapt over his partner to deliver a crushing spear to Sheamus. It was a beautiful sight.
Of course, WWE could not explore Roman Reigns being an ally to the Wyatt Family due to an injury to Wyatt soon after. But this match, and sequence, showed the incredible chemistry between Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns.
