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One of the biggest fan criticism of WWE over the past few years has been their handling of the tag team division. Despite having some of the best teams in the business in its ranks, the company has never showcased the division the way it ought to be. The company's constant negligence of the division has led to some great tag teams becoming minor players.
The most frustrating part is when the company decides to use the tag titles and scapegoat the entire division to further an angle or a storyline. We have seen this happen multiple times over the past few years, with the most recent one being the odd pairing of Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman as tag team champions.
The company also has the habit of getting two Superstars, who are directionless and aren't involved in any storyline, together to form a tag team. While random tag team pairings aren't well-received, especially these days, there have been numerous instances when these teams found success and connecting with the fans. Whether it is through a great storyline leading to their run or their performances as a team inside the squared circle, these teams were able to get the fans behind them.
Here are five such tag teams:
#5 Bobby Roode and Chad Gable
A veteran of the squared circle, Bobby Roode's career in WWE has been a mixed bag. The Glorious One ruled the roster during his time in NXT but, sadly, hasn't had the same success on the main roster. A two-time tag team and former United States Champion, Roode has been a mid-carder during his run on the main roster.
A former Olympian, Chad Gable has been a tag team specialist for the majority of his run in WWE. He tagged alongside Jason Jordan on NXT and SmackDown, where the duo held the Tag Team Championships for both brands. Following Jordan's departure to RAW, Gable was paired up with Shelton Benjamin.
Gable was moved to RAW in the 2018 Superstar Shake-up and his partnership with Roode started in September of that year. Roode and Gable defeated The Authors of Pain on a December 2018 episode of Raw to win the RAW Tag Team Championship. They dropped the title to The Revival on a February 2019 episode of RAW. Roode and Gable's partnership ended after Gable was drafted to Smackdown during the next Superstar Shake-up in April.
The duo had some incredible matches against The Revival on both TV and live events. Roode and Gable are now both currently a part of SmackDown. While Roode is currently suspended due to a Wellness Policy Violation, Gable - now calling himself "Shorty G" - has had quite a run as a Singles star over the past few months especially following his run in the 2019 King of the Ring.
#4 Asuka and Kairi Sane (The Kabuki Warriors)
It would be an understatement to say that Asuka and Kairi Sane have saved the WWE women's tag titles from obscurity. The duo's run as champions has seen them become major players on RAW. Sane and Asuka have been dominant as champions, successfully defending their titles on numerous occasions. But, fans were not necessarily thrilled when the two joined forces way back in April.
Sane and Asuka were randomly put together on an episode of SmackDown following Sane's call-up to the main roster, with Paige acting as their manager. Many felt that Asuka and Kairi were great Singles stars, and putting them together was doing a great disservice to their talent. In addition to that, many felt that the Paige brought nothing to the table as the duo's mouthpiece.
The duo won the Women's Tag Team Championship from Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross at Hell in a Cell 2019. The finish of the match saw Asuka using the green mist on Nikki Cross. Following their victory, the duo turned their back on their manager, Paige, with Asuka green-misting her. Asuka and Sane's turn to the dark side has been beneficial to their characters which were getting stale. They look more vicious and cohesive as a unit more than they did when were babyfaces.
Asuka and Sane successfully defended the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship against the team of Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch at TLC thereby becoming the first tag team to main-event a pay-per-view (if we are not wrong) in recent times. With Sane on the shelf, Asuka is looking to challenge Becky Lynch for the RAW Women's Championship at the Royal Rumble.
#3 Aleister Black and Ricochet
The pairing of Aleister Black and Ricochet was a rather strang one. Two of the top guys in NXT, Black and Ricochet were called up to the main roster on a whim at the start of 2018. The duo was randomly put in the tag team a week after their main roster debut.
Black and Ricochet continued their partnership on NXT where they competed in the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They defeated Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel, DIY and The Forgotten Sons en route to winning the prestigious tournament. Meanwhile on the main roster, Black and Ricochet unsuccessfully challenged The Revival for the RAW Tag Team Championship at Fastlane 2019.
They pulled off duty during WrestleMania weekend. Their match against The Viking Raiders at NXT Takeover: New York was one of the best tag matches of 2019. Black and Ricochet were also a part of the Fatal 4 Way Match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 35.
The duo holds the distinction of being the only team to have challenged for the Raw, SmackDown and NXT Tag Team Championships within one month. Two of the most well-rounded in-ring performers on the roster, The Dutch Destroyer, and the former Prince Puma were a tag team and delivered every time they got an opportunity.
Black and Ricochet's run as a tag team came to an abrupt end after Black was put on SmackDown and Ricochet on RAW during the Superstar Shake-up following WrestleMania 35. But, now that Black is back on the red brand, there is a possibility that we might these two crowd-favorites join forces once again.
#2 Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose
Ok, we are kind of cheating here, but hear us out. Despite being members of The Shield, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins never actively competed as a tag team barring a few TV tag matches and six-man tags. It was Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns who held the tag team gold during The Shield's first run from 2012-2014.
Following his win over Triple H at WrestleMania 33, Seth Rollins was directionless for a while. His feuds against Samoa Joe and Bray Wyatt didn't set the world on fire and The Architect was struggling to find his footing as a babyface. That was until his paths crossed with a familiar friend-turned-foe and followed next was truly magical.
The Ambrose-Rollins reunion was the best thing on RAW during the summer of 2017. The duo's chemistry was on the full display during the program. After weeks and weeks of subtle teases, the duo finally joined forces after fending off an attack by The Bar on the go-home show for SummerSlam 2017. Ambrose and Rollins defeated Sheamus and Cesaro at SummerSlam 2017 to win the RAW Tag Team Championships. They would hold on to the title for the next month and a half before dropping it to The Bar before Survivor Series 2017.
The duo would once again capture the RAW Tag Team Championship a year later by defeating Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre in the main event of the October 22, 2018 episode of RAW. Following their victory, Ambrose would turn on Rollins.
Ambrose and Rollins were impeccable as a tag team and had great matches against the likes of The Bar, Gallows and Anderson, The Hardy Boys and Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre. They were one of the most over teams in the company during their time together as a unit.
#1 The Bar ( Sheamus and Cesaro)
One of the most decorated tag teams in the company over the past few years, Sheamus and Cesaro started as just another randomly put together team. The duo was in the midst of their best of seven series in the fall of 2017 which ended in a 3-3 tie. Following this, RAW General Manager Mick Foley decided to put them together as a tag team.
The early days of The Bar saw a very interesting dynamic play out between Sheamus and Cesaro. Despite joining forces, Sheamus and Cesaro didn't change their character and we're at loggerheads. Sheamus was the heel in the team while Cesaro was the cheerfull good guy. This made for some interesting TV moments and gradually saw a shift in Sheamus who slowly starting acting out as a face before the duo's fully turned heel during their feud against The Hardys.
But, they did rake up some impressive victories along the way which resulted in them getting a shot at The New Day at Roadblock 2017. Sheamus and Cesaro defeated The New Day to become the RAW Tag Team Champions, thus breaking The New Day's historic 438-day reign as tag champs.
The Bar was the backbone of the tag division during their time together as a unit. The duo has had a plethora of incredible matches against a myriad of opponents. They won the RAW Tag Team Championship a record four-time and held the Smackdown Tag Team Championship once.
The duo's partnership came to end in April 2019 following Sheamus' injury and Cesaro move to RAW during the Superstar Shake-up. But, now with Cesaro on SmackDown and Sheamus returned to the blue brand a few weeks ago, the possibility of seeing The Bar together once again isn't out of the realms of possibility. But it seems like Sheamus going to be performing as a singles star on the blue brand if his promos are anything to go by. But, as they say, never say never in WWE.
