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Tag team wrestling has been one of the biggest store spots when it comes to WWE Programming. Despite having some of the best tag teams in the industry today, the company has baffled us time and time again by not putting in the effort to showcase their tag team division. Although there have great feuds like New Day Vs The Usos and The Bar vs Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, they have been few and far between.
But, over the past few months, the company had tried to revitalize the division and to an extent, it has worked. This past week on RAW, we saw a great Triple Threat Match for the RAW Tag Team Championship between The OC's, The Usos, and The Revival. The tag team matches on the past few pay-per-views have been pretty solid as well. Although we are excepting a huge turnaround for the division anytime soon, there have been signs of the company at least looking to build or rather rebuild the division.
Despite the flak that WWE gets for their handling their tag team division, the company has managed to make stars out of people who were considered tag team specialists during the initial phase of their career. Names like Edge, Jeff Hardy, Christian, Matt Hardy and most recently Kofi Kingston have gone on to achieve major success as singles stars.
Here are five tag team specialists in WWE who can be huge singles stars:
#5 Big E
It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Big E is one of the best all-around performers in WWE today. The New Day Member is one of those people whom you can slot in any role and you can rest assured that he will exceed your expectations. Whether it be revitalizing the tag team division or hanging with the big guns of the company in a Battle Royale, the muscle of New Day has always knocked it out of the park.
With the list of accolades that the New Day has been able to achieve over the past few years, it is easy to forget that Big E was a singles star, and a very good one at that, before him joining with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. He is a former NXT and Intercontinental Champion. Fans have been clamoring for Big E to be pushed as a singles star for years now. He has everything one would want in a top star.
Although it might not sit down well with a large portion of the WWE Universe, we believe that the company would turn Big E heel and feud against Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship. Despite gyrating his hips and throwing pancakes into the crowd, Big E can be serious when push comes to shove. Him going to the dark side and turning on his New Day Brother Kingston out of jealousy and contempt would be something special.
#4 Montez Ford
The Street Profits are one of the most beloved acts on NXT. The duo of Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford have a constant feature on the Black and Yellow Brand since 2016. But, 2019 is the year when Dawkins and Ford truly broke out as a team having great matches on NXT TV and winning the tag titles in their Takeover debut at NXT Takeover 25. The Profits were recently called up to the main roster.
RAW's Executive Director, Paul Heyman is reportedly a huge fan of the duo's work, which can only bigger and better things for Dawkins and Ford in the coming months. Just a look at the duo will tell you who the real star in the group is. Although Angelo Dawkins is a great in-ring performance, it is Montez Ford who comes off as a star. A plethora of WWE Legends have spoken about Ford potentially becoming the next big thing.
He has all the tools that one needs to succeed in WWE. He is very athletic and can cut a great promo. With the right kind of booking and presentation, the sky is the limit for the Chicago-native.
#3 Otis
Heavy Machinery is one of the most entertaining tag teams on the roster right now. Although they are not featured weekly on WWE programming, the duo of Otis and Tucker have made most of every opportunity they have been given and made the most out of it every single time. One of the biggest reasons why Heavy Machinery has gotten so over with the crowd is due to the antics of Otis.
The former collegiate wrestler has been one of the most consistently entertaining acts on the blue brand. Otis has this ability to grab people's attention whether it be through his ridiculous athleticism or his antics inside the squared circle. His tag team, Tucker, is a good in-ring performer but lacks that innate charisma which Otis possesses.
Otis can be a huge singles star for the company in the future. Although he might not be built like a Prototypical WWE main event star, we believe that the company has come far way when it comes to how a main event star should look.
#2 Karl Anderson
Before arriving in WWE in 2016, Karl Anderson made a name for himself in the Land of the Rising Sun. One of the founding members of the Bullet Club, the Machine Gun would become one of the top gaijin stars in New Japan. Although he primarily worked in the tag team division, Anderson also tasted success as a singles star during his time in NJPW. Anderson even made it to the finals of G1 Climax in 2012 before losing to Kazuchika Okada. He also took over the reins of the Bullet Club following the departure of Prince Devitt (Finn Balor) for a brief period and was considered to be the faction's de facto leader at that point.
Anderson debuted in WWE alongside Luke Gallows on the RAW after WrestleMania 32, taking out The Dudley Boyz. Although their run in WWE (in totality) has left a lot to be desired, Anderson and Gallows have been on a roll ever since reuniting with AJ Styles. The duo won the RAW Tag Team Championships this past week on RAW in a pretty solid Triple Threat Match, which means we are going to see more of the Good Brothers, and we aren't complaining.
Anderson is a pretty solid singles star in his own right. Although he has been put in a lot of singles matches in WWE, he has delivered pretty much every time he has been put in one-on-one encounters. Plus, he has one of the best Spinebuster in the business today. Although we don't expect the company to put the world title on Anderson, he can be pretty solid mid-card Champion.
#1 Kyle O'Reilly
Ever since debuting in NXT in 2017, Kyle O'Reilly has been the backbone of the brand's tag team division. The Undisputed Era member has two highly successful tag title reigns with two different partners - Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong. O'Reilly has had a couple of singles match on NXT TV, the most notable one being against Pete Dinner for the WWE United Kingdom Championship, and almost all of them have been good to great.
Kyle O'Reilly is one of the most well-rounded performers in WWE today. Anything you can think under the sun, the Canadian Superstar in all probability can do it. He is a great in-ring performance and is great on the microphone. O'Reilly comedic timing is one of the best in the business today and is something which he incorporates in his match regularly. The Guy nearly kills himself every single he performs on a Takeover and is an absolute treat to watch whether he is performing on the ring or cutting a promo.
O'Reilly reached the pinnacle of his singles careers when he defeated his now- Undisputed Era brethren, Adam Cole to win the ROH World Championship at Final Battle 2016. It would truly be a travesty if O'Reilly gets called up to the main roster without ever winning one of the two major singles titles on the black and yellow brand.
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