'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
They say that anything can happen in WWE. This week on RAW, the unthinkable happened when Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy teamed up to defeat the RAW Tag Team Champions, The Viking Raiders in a pretty fantastic match.
But why were Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy picked ahead of The AoP to dethrone perhaps the most dominant RAW Tag Team Champions in some time? Why did these cowardly heels pin the Champions absolutely clean?
Fear not, for I have the answers for you in this article. Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think of my rationale in the comments section below.
But before I begin this article, let me wish Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy the heartiest of congratulations for winning the prestigious titles on this episode of the flagship WWE show.
#5 To elevate Buddy Murphy up a notch
There is a good reason why Aleister Black beat Buddy Murphy three times in a row on RAW. This is because even casual fans can become fans of Black owing to his gimmick and the cool character he portrays unlike Murphy, who is just a 'good wrestler'. Murphy has all the talent and the potential in the world, but he needed something major to ascend a rung or two on the WWE ladder.
And he did just that by not only teaming up with Seth Rollins, who's arguably the biggest star in RAW at the moment, but by also winning the RAW Tag Team Championships from a team that has ruled the division. For all that he has accomplished in NXT, 205 Live and even SmackDown, taking on Roman Reigns, this was Buddy Murphy's shining moment, in my personal opinion.
And voila! Suddenly, he's a top-tier Superstar!
#4 Possibility of feuding with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe
Hey, a change of guard at the top of a division is only as exciting as the potential match-ups that it promises for the tag team Championships. We are aware that Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy are two of the best singles performers in the world and in case they are able to channel their ability into a tag team environment, the world is certainly their oyster in my opinion.
As we have noticed many times in the past, with WrestleMania season approaching, it is often the singles competitors who start competing for the Championship (case in point, Nicholas and Braun Strowman) as opposed to the 'pure' tag teams, which is unfortunate. But because of this union, we can have a potential feud with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
This is a big ticket-feud and one that can make the tag team division exciting once again. The casual fans have started gravitating towards Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe as babyfaces, and we know that the smart fans love them already, so this feud should be quite explosive indeed.
#3 To make the Tag Team Division more star-studded
Even though The Viking Raiders have been portrayed as an unstoppable tag team, winning matches with the least amount of trouble, one can hear crickets when they come out to compete. To me, a champion is only as strong as the men/women he/she faces and the lack of competition for The Viking Raiders may have severely diminished their appeal.
There is no doubt what The Viking Raiders are capable of doing in the ring, but one has to admit that both Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy are significantly bigger stars. And such has always been the case in WWE where Vince McMahon hasn't always treated the tag team division with the kind of respect that it deserves.
Maybe SmackDown is a different case because The New Day are such strong characters, with each of the character having his own identity. Unfortunately, such was not the case with The Viking Raiders and hence, their run was cut short.
And hence, there was a massive title change on RAW.
#2 No place for Seth Rollins in any other Championship picture right now
I think that it's pretty clear from the way things stand that Seth Rollins is not going to win the Royal Rumble. I mean he's a heel and so are the two Champions on RAW and SmackDown. Honestly, I do not think that anyone in the WWE Universe wants to see another Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins feud or another reboot of the feud between Seth Rollins and The Fiend.
Had Rey Mysterio won the United States Championship on WWE RAW, I could have imagined Seth Rollins renewing his rivalry with him once again. But there is no way at all that Andrade vs. Seth Rollins will become a reality, unless the plan is to turn Andrade babyface and if that were to happen, then Zelina Vega would be redundant.
Why would you have a manager who cheats to help her client win, aligned with a white meat babyface, when all is said and done?
Seth Rollins is too important a wrestler to be kept out of the title picture, and this was honestly the only place for him.
#1 Possibility of dissent with The AoP down the line
In case you guys have the time, you need to check out the official Sportskeeda podcast with Korey Gunz and Tom Colohue that has been linked on this page. The duo has shared their views and their thoughts on Seth Rollins' brand new faction and how Buddy Murphy lost the feud with Aleister Black, but thanks to Paul Heyman, he still came out the winner!
But one has to admit that it is surprising that The AoP, arguably the most dominant tag team on RAW was not chosen for a shot at the Tag Team Championships and instead, Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy put themselves in line for a title shot.
It could only mean that we're going to see a fracture in the faction at some point down the line, with the two teams facing off for the titles (especially if you consider that The AoP did not help Rollins and Murphy win the titles).
Honestly, I wouldn't be upset if this is the eventual WrestleMania match. It's not something that fans have been expecting and is guaranteed to be a good match.
The Authors of Pain need this match after how they were booked with Drake Maverick.
Do you love to play crosswords, Wordle or other exciting games? We'd like to connect with you. Fill the form here!
