Ranking all of the SmackDown tag-team champions from worst to best 

SmackDown's 1000th episode is just over one week away, and excitement for the event is slowly starting to build, with several names having already been announced for the show.

While details are still being announced for the event, fans can rest assured that the show will be a celebration of all that has made SmackDown great over the last two decades.

One thing that SmackDown has become renowned for, especially in recent years, is exceptional tag-team wrestling. While Raw has struggled in this department since the brand split in 2016, SmackDown has excelled, and hopefully, that will be acknowledged on next week's show.

With that in mind, let's take a look back at all of the teams that have won the latest incarnation of the SmackDown tag-team titles since 2016, and rank them from worst to best.

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#6: The Wyatt Family

The Wyatt Family's run with the titles was brief and forgettable

The Wyatt Family's run with the tag-team titles felt as though it existed for two reasons. The first of which was to get the belts away from Rhyno and Slater, who had run their course as champions, and the second of which was to further advance the storyline between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton.

The group won the belts at TLC on December 4th 2016 and would drop the belts just two days after Christmas to American Alpha, making their reign the second shortest in the belt's history.

The group held the belt under the free-bird rule, with Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, and Luke Harper all defending the titles.

Ultimately, their run with the titles was incredibly forgettable and was just another chapter in the infamous Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt feud from late 2016/early 2017.

#5: Heath Slater and Rhyno

Heath Slater and Rhyno were in the inaugural SmackDown tag champs

Heath Slater and Rhyno were the inaugural SmackDown tag-team champions when the belts were first introduced on the brand back in late 2016, though, it is unclear whether or not that was the WWE's initial intention.

When the brand split initially happened back in 2016, Heath Slater was the only superstar left without a home, which started a storyline which saw Slater desperately trying to convince Shane McMahon that he was worthy of a place on SmackDown.

Slater's 'I've got kids' turned out to be a roaring success, and fans quickly rallied behind the former 3MB member. This led to Slater being partnered up with Rhyno, and the two men quickly became one of the most popular acts on SmackDown.

This all culminated with the duo defeating The Usos at Backlash 2016 to become the first ever SmackDown tag-team champions.

Of course, their popularity soon dwindled and the group would lose their titles a few months later to The Wyatt Family at TLC.

While their run is fondly remembered for being a classic underdog story, the division didn't exactly prosper with the team as champions.

#4: The Bludgeon Brothers

The Bludgeon Brothers were booked too strong as tag champs

Harper and Rowan have always been one of the most under-rated tag-team partnerships in the WWE, and while the Bludgeon Brothers gimmick itself was incredibly questionable, fans were happy to see them given a chance with the tag-team titles when they won the belts earlier this year.

Unfortunately, the WWE's booking of the group meant that their reign was not quite what it could have been.

The duo was booked to look incredibly dominant and as a result, all of their matches ended up being glorified squash matches.

Instead of being allowed to put on match of the year candidates against the likes of The Usos and The New Day, Harper and Rowan had to work very quick matches which never went longer than 10 minutes. As a result of this, fans quickly grew tired of their title reign, and the rest of the division was left looking a bit weak.

Sadly, the group was finally allowed to perform just at the end of their runs, putting on two excellent matches with The New Day before dropping the belts to the team on an episode of SmackDown at the end of the Summer.

3: American Alpha

American Alpha

were

never given the

calibre

of opponents they deserved

Amazingly, American Alpha is still the only team to have won tag-team gold on both the main-roster and in NXT, which, given the talent that has made the move from Full Sail to the main-stage is a pretty shocking statistic.

The group won the SmackDown tag-team titles from The Wyatt Family at the end of 2016 and would hold the belts for nearly three months before dropping them to The Usos on an episode of SmackDown.

While Gable and Jordan always looked excellent in the ring, their reign was not what it could have been due to the caliber of opponents they were put up against.

Instead of being given high-quality opponents like The Usos, the group spent the majority of their time defending their belts against the likes of Breezango and The Ascension.

The team was split up during the Superstar Shakeup a few weeks after losing their belts, which is unfortunate given that the arrival of The New Day on SmackDown really helped take the SmackDown tag-team division up a notch.

2: The Usos

The Usos were one of the hottest acts of 2017

While The Usos are currently stranded in no-man's land on SmackDown, the group was instrumental in making the SmackDown tag-team division what it is today thanks to their runs with the belts throughout 2017.

The Usos have been staples of the WWE for some time now but they've never felt more relevant than they did during 2017. The group was involved in a months-long feud with The New Day, which saw the two teams put on several match of the year candidates and exchange the tag-teams back and forth a total of five times between March and October.

Playing hot potato with the titles can often have a negative effect but that was not the case with the SmackDown tag belts in 2017. The storyline basically focused on the fact that both teams were as good as one another, and their exchanging of victories really helped build momentum for the feud, and as a result, the division as a whole.

1: The New Day

The New Day

have

held the SmackDown tag-titles three times

Since moving to SmackDown in mid-2017, The New Day has become one of the brand's most dependable acts, winning the tag-team titles three times and establishing the division as one of the most exciting in the WWE.

The group's popularity as a tag-team is unparalleled on the current WWE roster and their in-ring performances have continued to get better and better with each passing match.

Their program with The Usos throughout 2017 was one of the WWE's hottest tag-team feuds in recent memory, and their matches against the likes of The Bludgeon Brothers and The Bar in recent months have really helped boost the division following months of poor booking.

While there has been a lot of talk of breaking the group up, their current run as tag-team champions is shaping up to be one of their best yet, and the WWE would be unwise to pull the plug on a break-up anytime soon.