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This week on Monday Night RAW, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura utilized WWE's Brand-to-Brand Invitational rule to confront the Street Profits. As a result, the Tag Team Champions will face each other in a non-title match next week on RAW.
In an ideal world, this would lead to another match between the RAW and SmackDown tag team champions down the line, one where both titles are up for grabs. The two men's tag team titles in WWE should be unified, and there are many elements that make this decision a no-brainer.
WWE needs to unify the two Tag Team Championships as soon as possible, which might just be the end goal of this angle between Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura, and the Street Profits. The two teams could end up facing each other in a literal 'Clash of Champions' later this month at the pay-per-view.
The winners of that match could be the WWE tag team champions, floating between RAW and SmackDown. WWE did this before, unifying the WWE and World tag team championships at WrestleMania in 2009. They should do the same once again.
Here are five reasons why WWE must unify the RAW and SmackDown Tag Team Titles.
#5 Reduces the number of titles in WWE
WWE currently has nine championships across RAW and SmackDown, not counting the 24/7 Championship. It is a bit too much, even with the brand split in order. Winning them doesn't feel all that significant any more, at least when compared to a few years ago.
Having two World and Women's champions on each show is a good idea, considering the sheer amount of talent at WWE's disposal. Even the United States and Intercontinental Titles have their own identities.
One pair of belts that could realistically be dropped is the tag team Championship. WWE has not particularly cared about tag teams for a long time, and it seems like an inconvenience to have two sets of tag titles on the main roster.
It is unnecessary to keep both of them, especially if they are not featured a lot on WWE TV. Eight championships are more than enough for WWE; fewer titles would increase the value of each of them.
#4 Lack of challengers on both WWE brands
The depth of the tag team divisions on both WWE RAW and SmackDown isn't great. There are around 3-4 viable challengers on either show, but most of them have a member who is unavailable at the moment, while WWE's recent release of the Authors of Pain, who could have been the next RAW tag team champions, hasn't helped matters.
The Red brand's tag team scene does have some life, with the expansion of The Hurt Business. But the tag team division on SmackDown is lifeless. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura don't have anybody to face beyond Lucha House Party, unless Heavy Machinery decides to challenge for the titles, despite Otis being Mr. Money in the Bank.
Both tag team divisions run the risk of having repetitive feuds just to fill time, and as a result, there is hardly any steam in any of the top feuds for the titles. The Street Profits' 6-month reign as RAW tag team champions has not been the most memorable because of this very reason.
Things would be much simpler, and better stories could be told by WWE if there are multiple threats to the tag team champions. Right now, there is barely one each for the current RAW and SmackDown tag team champions.
#3 One stacked division for WWE to book instead of two mediocre ones
While there are hardly a couple of interesting tag teams on both RAW and SmackDown, merging the two divisions together would double the strength of the roster. It would also slash the creative requirements for tag team wrestling in half. WWE has quite a few great teams, which could make up an excellent tag team roster.
The company has not give much attention to tag team wrestling in recent years. Handling one division and title scene might be too much for WWE as it is, so two is definitely a problem. It would be one less part of the show to worry about.
A single division consisting of every WWE tag team would be excellent if given the time and effort by the company. They should do so by devoting the time spent in building teams on RAW and SmackDown towards a common champion. There are enough top tier tag teams for this idea to work.
WWE clearly cares about some tag teams more than they ever will about the division as a whole, with the New Day being prime examples in this regard. If the tag team division is unified, the 8-time Champions could use their star power to elevate the teams on either brand, instead of just SmackDown.
#2 Less pressure on WWE to create new tag teams
With two separate tag team divisions, the lack of challengers for the champions results in additional pressure on WWE to create new teams. The lack of depth on either show has forced the company to churn out random tandems.
Even Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura, although together for months prior, were thrown into the SmackDown tag team title scene due to a lack of challengers for the New Day. Another example is Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, who became a team and almost immediately won the RAW tag titles at last year's Clash of Champions.
If WWE unifies the RAW and SmackDown tag team championships, there would not be a shortage of opponents for the Champions. They would have the flexibility to float across brands and stay on whichever one has a challenger ready for them.
Having one set of tag team champions is an extremely convenient prospect for WWE, as they will not be required to fill gaps by throwing a team together.
#1 The success of Sasha Banks and Bayley's WWE women's tag title reign
WWE already has a tag team championship floating across RAW and SmackDown, one which has proven to be a tremendous success. The booking of the Women's tag team championship since WrestleMania has put the men's tag titles to shame. The reign of Sasha Banks and Bayley has shown that a single title can work.
WWE should follow their own model and have only one set of men's tag team championships, even if it is only to make it equal to the women's version. But it goes beyond that, as the now-former best friends enjoyed a successful run as tag team champions.
They took advantage of this rule to dominate RAW and SmackDown, eventually becoming the most entertaining act in all of WWE. Unifying the tag team titles would elevate not only the champions but also the belts they are holding. Banks and Bayley defended their titles all over the place, boosting the prestige of the titles.
WWE has found the blueprint on how to ensure a tag team championship reign is successful during the brand split - and with limited teams on either show. They must now implement it on the men's titles. The collective talent on RAW and SmackDown would ensure it works wonders.
