The Hardy Boyz made their grand return to WWE television at Wrestlemania 33 and nearly blew the non-existent roof off the Citrus Bowl. The moment was the most talked about segment of the night and fans are still reeling from it. The brothers are now 7-time WWE tag team champions. However, it’s time for their 7th reign to be put to bed early.
On consecutive weeks of Monday Night Raw, both Sheamus & Cesaro have taken 1-2-3 pins from one of the Hardy brothers. This potentially foreshadows a win for the unlikely duo on Sunday. For the past few months, Sheamus & Cesaro have been the backbone of Raw’s undercard, and now it’s time to push them into the limelight fully.
Here are five reasons why Sheamus & Cesaro should win the tag team championships at Payback.
#5 To turn Sheamus & Cesaro heel
Since Wrestlemania, nobody has been getting louder reactions than the Hardy Boyz; they are truly the life & soul of Monday nights. Pinning the most over tag team in the company today instantly turns Sheamus & Cesaro heel, and I like it. Imagine a brogue kick to the head of Matt Hardy followed by the three count and a chorus of boos.
This would entirely turn Sheamus into the heel he was born to be and give Cesaro some much-needed character development. Not only does it make sense, but it will also be best for business.
#4 Short reigns peak interest
In a day & age where society loses interest in things relatively quickly, it’s imperative that the WWE ensure they keep their product fresh and ever-evolving. Only the truly larger than life characters can be pushed to the front for decades like a Hulk Hogan and John Cena. Other stars can only entertain in short bursts, and that’s why Steve Austin said he had to turn heel in 2001. Seeing the Hardy Boyz back in the WWE is great, but a long title reign from the brothers may wear thin.
We want to see them thriving; we don’t want to hear those pops get quieter by the week. A feud with Sheamus & Cesaro packed with title changes, like Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks, would leave the WWE Universe second-guessing and unable to predict the outcome of feuds, thus giving us compelling television.
#3 Make new stars
Today’s WWE landscape is like never before; it’s in a transition phase where Vince is looking towards new stars to carry the company forward. New stars are not just new debutantes; it’s about different superstars that have never had that main event push.
Sheamus may be a 3-time world champion, but he’s never had the show built around him. Cesaro, on the other hand, has never been given his rightful main event shine. Payback is the perfect opportunity to give the duo the ball fully, and there are no better opponents for it to happen against than the Hardy Boyz.
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As one of the most famous tag teams in the history of wrestling, the Hardy Boyz have a star power that not many duos possess. A clean win for Sheamus & Cesaro at the Raw PPV Payback could exactly be the rub they need. When they ended The New Day’s historic reign last year, it was great, but the New Day doesn't possess the star power that the Hardy Boyz do.
#2 To give the Hardy Boyz a sense of vulnerability
Since the Hardy Boyz returned in front of 70,000 people at Wrestlemania, they have not lost a single match. They’ve beaten everybody on Raw, but now it’s time for the extreme duo to experience their first loss.
As popular as they are, if they keep on winning matches, the WWE Universe will grow bored of them. Fans can’t buy into wrestlers that always win, and that’s why they boo Roman Reigns mercilessly; it's because they know that he will always win the big one.
Let’s not have the Hardy Boyz go in such a direction. Let’s give the Hardy Boyz their first defeat upon their WWE return to credible opponents on a PPV stage. The loss gives the Hardy Boyz something they haven’t experienced recently and provides us with an interesting character arc.
#1 Sheamus & Cesaro are better wrestlers
It’s all well and good to perform hardcore moves on ladders, but it’s a different ballgame to be able to tell a story on the canvas. WWE’s style of wrestling allows fans to watch a tale unfold through two wrestlers grappling in the ring. The Hardy Boyz have been all over the world performing the most outrageous of stunts, but now they’re back in a WWE ring, and they’ve been shown not to have that much substance. People want them to see them in extreme rules matches and not just bland Monday Night Raw bouts.
On the other hand, wrestlers like Sheamus & Cesaro have proven they can deliver regardless of the stipulation. In my eyes, better wrestlers deserve to hold championships over one-trick ponies.
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