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WWE transformed SmackDown to SmackDown Live in 2016, as the company brought back the brand split and gave the Blue brand its own roster. Although RAW drafted the bigger name Superstars in the 2016 Draft, SmackDown Live showed the fans that popular names don't matter nearly as much, if one knows how to book great storylines.
The SmackDown Live Tag Team Division did not have a single eminent team, as even The Usos were down on momentum. However, creative changed the landscape of the division by pulling off some remarkable feuds. Many fans felt that the competition in the SmackDown Live Tag Team Division was always strong, as the writers used their options effectively.
From The Ascension to Breezango, every tag team had time to prove itself in the SmackDown Live Tag Team Division. Now that WWE's 'B Show' has relocated itself to Friday nights on FOX, one can say that the era of SmackDown Live has concluded.
As previously discussed, the SmackDown Tag Team Division’s work was always impressive. Eleven tag teams won the coveted SmackDown Tag Team Championships from 2016 - October 2019. Here are all the SmackDown Tag Team Champions ranked from worst to best.
#11 The Revival
Despite being billed by many as the greatest tag team on the globe, Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson have just not been able to validate that badge on the main roster. The duo migrated to SmackDown Live after failing to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the RAW Tag Team Division.
The Revival battled The New Day for the championships at Clash of Champions last month and WWE allowed them to pick up the titles, however, they have done nothing relevant since.
Since their impressive Clash of Champions victory, The Revival have not defended the SmackDown Tag Team Championships even once. Hence, they have been positioned last on this list.
#10 The Hardy Boyz
It is disheartening to put Matt and Jeff Hardy so low in the rankings, but the team held the SmackDown Tag Team Championships for only 21 days before they were forced to vacate due to Jeff Hardy's injury.
The team defeated The Usos in a title bout on the April 9th SmackDown Live episode to win the gold, but before they could establish themselves as the Blue brand's premier duo, Jeff suffered a lamentable injury.
#9 Shane McMahon and The Miz
The WWE Universe knew beforehand that Shane McMahon and The Miz had united forces only to one day feud. However, ‘The Best Tag Team in the World’ won the SmackDown Tag Team Championships during their brief existence and provided fans with a feel-good moment at the 2019 Royal Rumble.
Unlike The Revival and The Hardy Boyz, the team of McMahon and 'The A-Lister' defended their titles on one occasion, but The Usos got the better of them in that contest. As expected, Shane turned on the Miz the following month to set up their WrestleMania 35 match.
#8 The Wyatt Family
Back when Bray Wyatt was known as 'The Eater of Worlds' and the leader of The Wyatt Family, he formed a tag team with Randy Orton to win the SmackDown Tag Team Titles. The duo secured the belts at TLC 2016 by defeating Heath Slater and Rhyno.
Their brief 23 day teaming was a lively one, as the chief target of the storyline was to develop conflict between Wyatt and his ardent disciple Luke Harper. The Wyatt Family dropped the titles to American Alpha on the last SmackDown Live episode of 2016.
#7 American Alpha
It was surprising when WWE disbanded one of the hottest tag teams of 2017 NXT. American Alpha had been one of the elite teams of SmackDown Live in the 2016-17 season, as Jason Jordan and Chad Gable carried their momentum from the developmental territory to the main roster.
WWE pushed them as a powerful tag team and gave them the SmackDown Tag Team Championships before 2017 began. American Alpha held the straps for 83 days before losing them to The Usos ahead of WrestleMania 33. The most famous match of their title reign was the Tag Team Turmoil Match that had taken place at Elimination Chamber 2017.
#6 Heath Slater and Rhyno
While SmackDown had the likes of The Usos and The Vaudevillains on the roster, creative crowned the unlikely pair of Heath Slater and Rhyno as the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions. Slater's free agent status compelled him to align himself with Rhyno and take part in the Tag Team Championship Tournament. Everyone knows what transpired later as WWE effectively produced yet another famous underdog moment.
Slater and Rhyno enjoyed being at the helm of the SmackDown Tag Team Division for 84 days before they lost the titles to The Wyatt Family. During their pairing, the team of Slater and Rhyno defeated The Usos, Breezango, and The Spirit Squad.
#5 Daniel Bryan and Rowan
Rowan shook the WWE Universe by joining forces with Daniel Bryan at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. He played the role of Bryan’s insurance policy during his WWE Championship reign and when Bryan lost his title, he and Rowan pursued the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
The duo captured the gold on May 7th, 2019 and dominated the rest of the division for 68 days. During this phase, there was a shortage of tag teams in the division, however, Bryan and Rowan were still exceptionally entertaining. They had had a rivalry with Heavy Machinery before clashing with The New Day.
Bryan and Rowan lost their SmackDown Tag Team Championships at Clash of Champions 2019, but both heels led the thin division well.
#4 The Bar
While Sheamus and Cesaro were adversaries at the start point of the SmackDown Live era, by the era’s conclusion, the European stars entrenched themselves as one of the greatest modern era tag teams. Known as The Bar, 'The Celtic Warrior' and 'The Swiss Cyborg' captured the SmackDown Tag Team Championships on the show's 1000th episode.
Their tenure lasted three months and they even represented SmackDown Live at Survivor Series 2018. Their association with The Big Show made their title reign feel special while their feuds with The New Day and The Usos were billed as the year's best. The Bar inevitably lost the titles to Shane McMahon and The Miz at Royal Rumble 2019.
#3 The Bludgeon Brothers
After the Wyatt Family’s demise, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan found themselves with no proper on-screen characters. It was then that creative repackaged them and launched them as The Bludgeon Brothers. WWE built them up as a dominant team heading into WrestleMania 34 where the duo won the SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
Harper and Rowan ruled the roost on SmackDown Live for the better part of 2018 before dropping the titles to The New Day on a SmackDown episode. They got the better of Team Hell No, The Usos, and The Club during their impressive 135 day reign. WWE had bigger plans for the Bludgeon Brothers, but an untimely injury to Rowan forced the company to revise.
#2 The New Day
The longest reigning Tag Team Champions in WWE history, The New Day, feuded with The Usos in 2017 and set the entire SmackDown Tag Team Division on fire. The trio of Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods have won the titles four times, with their latest reign lasting from July 14th, 2019 to September 15th, 2019. They picked up their first SmackDown Tag Team Championships at Battleground 2017, where they knocked out The Usos in a superb match.
Apart from The Usos, The New Day feuded with The Bar, The Bludgeon Brothers, and The Revival during their sojourn at the top. While Kingston had turned his focus to the singles division during his WWE Championship reign, Woods and Big E extended the New Day’s domination in the division. Now that Kingston’s reign is over, the former WWE Champion may join The New Day in the tag team department once again.
#1 The Usos
As mentioned previously, the team of Jimmy and Jey Uso played a substantial role in the prosperity of the SmackDown Live Tag Team Division. The Samoan twins are 4-time SmackDown Tag Team Champions and had been a part of the brand since the 2016 Draft.
The Usos portrayed face characters back then, but they quickly turned heel and developed into one of the top tier teams in the business. The Usos defended their titles against every tag team available and likewise under every stipulation possible. Their association with the Blue brand ended in 2019 when WWE moved the twins to RAW, however, The Usos were the lifeblood of the SmackDown Live Tag Team Division.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
