After the brand split, the Tag Team Championships were drafted to RAW. Consequently, all the SmackDown Live tag teams were left without a grand prize to compete for. However, on the August 23rd episode of SmackDown Live in 2016, Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon unveiled brand new SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
Slater and Rhyno were the inaugural tag team champions of the blue brand. They were then dethroned by The Wyatt Family. However, Bray Wyatt and his family lost the titles to the highly talented and upcoming team, American Alpha.
The American Alpha have surely been the best and the premier tag team of SmackDown Live. They won the tag titles by defeatng The Wyatt Family, who held the titles for just twenty-three days. Jordan and Gable then successfully defended their titles in a rematch against The Wyatts.
With the Royal Rumble behind us, WWE is now on the road to Wrestlemania. Thus, the next feud American Alpha gets into will most likely be culminated at “The Show of Shows”. So now, there’s a burning question that needs to be answered: Who will Jordan and Gable face at “The Grandest Stage of Them All”?
RAW has almost all the well-known tag teams such as Enzo and Cass, The New Day, The Club, etc. Whereas, the SmackDown Live tag team roster seems to be a bit frail and highly lacks star power. The Wyatts have apparently imploded. Due to Zack Ryder’s knee injury, The Hype Bros are also out of the title picture.
The Usos do have some unfinished business with Jordan and Gable. Hence, the Samoans being the next title challengers would make a lot of sense. However, the fans are looking for something new and fresh. Thus, ruling out the possibility of a Wrestlemania 33 match between American Alpha and The Usos.
Whereas, all the remaining tag-teams on the SmackDown roster have no momentum and highly lack the star power to take centre stage at the biggest wrestling event of the year. There is a lot of uncertainty and dilemma surrounding American Alpha’s next opponents.
Here are two tag teams who we believe should face Jordan and Gable at Wrestlemania 33 to propel and elevate the SmackDown Live’s tag team division to the next level.
The Revival
SmackDown Live has a thin roster and an even slimmer tag team division. The easiest and fastest way to fill out the roster would be to call up NXT stars. A highly sought-after NXT tag team can help legitimise the credibility and eminence of American Alpha and their championship reign. Furthermore, there can be no better NXT tag team for this task than The Revival.
The Revival is an NXT tag team consisting of Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson. They held the NXT Tag Team Championship on two occasions, the most for any team. They were also the first two-time champions in NXT history. They have been at the heart of the NXT’s tag team division.
However, they recently lost their tag titles in a match of the year contender against #DIY at NXT TakeOver: Toronto.
Dash and Dawson have a storied past with American Alpha. They initially lost their NXT tag titles to Jordan and Gable. Though at NXT TakeOver: The End, they regained the titles from American Alpha. Subsequently, on the July 6th episode of NXT, they defeated Jordan and Gable in a two out of three falls match for the titles.
Before Jordan and Gable were drafted to the blue brand, these two teams together put on some of the best tag team matches in NXT history.
Thus, due to their past NXT rivalry, American Alpha feuding with The Revival on the main roster will make a lot of sense. A storyline for their feud can easily be commenced by having Dash and Dawson attack American Alpha. The Revival should interfere to cost Gable and Jordan a few non-title matches.
Thus, advertently setting up a title feud between the two rival teams, which should culminate at “The Showcase of the Immortals”.
Many NXT feuds have resurfaced on the main roster such as Owens vs. Zayn, Charlotte vs. Sasha, etc. Thus it won’t be a huge surprise if the WWE creative decides to call up the most popular heel tag team in NXT to the blue-brand to battle Jordan and Gable.
It would surely be a commendable decision if The Revival join SmackDown Live and are instantly put into the title picture against American Alpha. They can be the top heels, whereas American Alpha can be the top babyfaces of SmackDown’s tag team division for years to come.
Thus, these two tag teams battling against each other at “The Show of Shows” would surely be a mouth-watering prospect for all pro-wrestling fans.
Gallows and Anderson (or the RAW tag team champions at the time)
Gallows and Anderson are arguably one of the most talked about tag teams currently in pro-wrestling. They have proven their mettle in almost all top wrestling promotions such as NJPW, WWE, ROH, etc. Before joining the WWE, “Good Brothers” were dominating the tag-team division of NJPW.
They recently won the RAW Tag Team Championship at the Royal Rumble. They have been the IWGP Tag Team Champions three times in their career. They also won the 2013 G1 World Tag League.
Gallows and Anderson are a part of RAW’s roster. However, WWE has time and time again booked inter-brand matches for the “big four” PPV’s. Thus, it won’t be a huge surprise if the WWE creative team book a non-title showdown between the tag team champions of both the brands at Wrestlemania.
The RAW Tag Team Champions are currently feuding with Cesaro and Sheamus. Though, the team of Sheamus and the Swiss Superman seem to have imploded. Thus, the WWE creative team might look for new opponents for the “Good Brothers” to face at this year’s Wrestlemania.
Since UFC 205, where Champions of two different weight classes faced each other, there has been some hearsay that WWE might follow a similar theme and book a showdown between two champions. Thus, a non-title match between the tag champions of both the brands will make a lot of sense.
If the two champion teams do face off, there can be no bigger and better PPV to do so than at “The Greatest Spectacle in Sports Entertainment”.
American Alpha and Gallows and Anderson have great wrestling prowess. Together, these two tag-teams can surely create magic inside the squared circle. American Alpha sharing the ring with two great veterans at Wrestlemania 33 will be a great boon for Jordan and Gable’s career.
Furthermore, if Jordan and Gable are booked to defeat their RAW counterparts, it will also help aggrandise SmackDown Live’s tag-team division.
If the “Good Brothers” are booked to drop the tag titles to any other RAW tag team before Wrestlemania 33. Then that other team should go on to face American Alpha at this year’s Wrestlemania. WWE creative team should seriously consider booking a Wrestlemania showdown between the Tag Team Champions of both the brands.
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