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If 2015 and 2016 were all about the Women’s Revolution in WWE, then 2017 has been about the Tag Team Revolution.
The finale of the Hardy Boyz vs. Sheamus & Cesaro Ironman match at Great Balls of Fire was the most exciting 60 seconds you’re likely to see in WWE, while the feud between The Usos and The New Day is a legitimate contender for Rivalry of the Year.
Right now there are a combined 16 tag teams on the main roster – eight on Raw and eight on SmackDown Live – and another two teams-in-waiting when SAnitY and the Authors of Pain inevitably receive call-ups from NXT.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of five Superstars who could benefit from a break away from their tag partner to begin a well-deserved run as a singles wrestler in 2018.
#1 Big E
Before anybody gets the wrong idea, we are in no way suggesting that WWE splits up The New Day. Their merchandise sales are through the roof, kids love them, they have a book coming out, they’re probably future Hall of Famers… long live The New Day!
But ever since they were formed in late 2014, Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have seemingly never been out of tag-team title storylines. It would be a refreshing change to see them focus their attention elsewhere for a little while, perhaps by having Kofi and Xavier support ‘E in his pursuit of a major championship.
The former NXT champion had a disappointing run with the Intercontinental title between November 2013 and May 2014 but, in fairness, it was during a time when WWE wasn’t treating championships as seriously as they do today.
Also, Wade Keller of Pro Wrestling Torch once said that Big E was Vince McMahon's original plan to become the face of WWE before Roman Reigns. It was Triple H who reportedly pushed more for Roman Reigns.
If Baron Corbin is still United States champion when 2018 comes around, WWE could do a lot worse than have Big E send a challenge his way.
#2 Zack Ryder
Remember Zack Ryder’s first singles run in WWE? He won the United States Championship in 2011 and the Intercontinental Championship in 2016, but sandwiched between those two triumphs was a five-year spell where he officially reached ‘jobber’ status.
Zack is a different character now to the one he portrayed when he first burst onto the scene as one of Edge’s Edgeheads, or when he got himself over with fans via social media, or even when he won the Intercontinental title at WrestleMania 32.
He has shown a more intense side to his personality in recent months alongside Hype Bro partner Mojo Rawley, and whether Zack turns on Mojo or Mojo turns on Zack, it looks likely that the two are set to split up.
We haven’t seen Ryder as a heel since 2011, so perhaps that’s the direction WWE will decide to take in the coming months.
#3 Cesaro
If you were to make a list of the top-five most talented performers in WWE right now, Cesaro would be one of the first names the majority of people think of.
“The Swiss Superman” couldn’t have a bad match if he tried and, despite past criticism from Vince McMahon that he doesn’t connect with fans, the former Raw Tag Team champion oozes more charisma now than he ever has before.
In his previous runs as a singles wrestler, he wasn’t given the spotlight he deserved when he was United States champion, while his short stint with Paul Heyman was overshadowed by his new advocate using mic time before matches to boast about Brock Lesnar’s legendary win over The Undertaker.
Cesaro and Sheamus are brilliant together as The Bar, but the “The King of Swing” deserves just as many accolades as his current tag partner, and if he’s to get anywhere near that kind of success he’ll have to go it alone.
#4 Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy doesn’t necessarily have to split from his brother Matt – perhaps one could be on Raw and one could be on SmackDown Live – but it would be nice to see the former Tag Team champion have one last singles run in WWE.
There was a debate to be had when the Hardy Boyz returned to the company in March whether they should come back as a tag team or as singles competitors.
Ultimately, WWE decided to bring them back as a duo, but it did look like they were set to go off in different directions just before Jeff suffered a serious shoulder injury in September.
When he makes his comeback, which could reportedly be as far away as May 2018, don’t be surprised if we see the return of the “Charismatic Enigma” by himself rather than with his brother.
#5 Chad Gable
Chad Gable and Jason Jordan were one of the most popular tag teams in NXT history but, for whatever reason, they just didn’t connect with fans on the main roster.
While Jordan battles to win over fans on Raw, the 2012 Olympian has been aligned with Shelton Benjamin since August and the duo are currently preparing to challenge The Usos for the SmackDown Live Tag Team titles.
It’s early days in the No.1 contenders’ run as a duo but it seems a waste to put them together when Gable showed in matches against AJ Styles and Rusev earlier this year that he is perfectly capable of making it on his own.
Perhaps 2018 will see the former NXT Tag Team champion earn a well-deserved singles run on the main roster.
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