Speaking of The Tripster, as we always seem to be, I caught Heat last night - and thought that his match with Maven was very good, perhaps the best TV match of the week, even. They also did a superb job of building to the match, making it seem like a real big deal for Maven to be going up against Trips.
Now, before people start on the “because it’s Triple H” slant, think about this - it’s a big deal because Trips is the World’s Champion - regardless of who that is, of course it’s a big deal for Maven to get a match with him. If you watched closely, you also saw a debut of what is sure to become a new catchphrase, and possibly shirt for Trips - “Ain’t no shame in gettin’ beat by The Game” - now that’s merchandising!
I don’t really want to harp on about the pros and cons of the Triple H title reign, as it’s been done to death by practically everybody, and discussion rages in every wrestling forum across the World Wide Web - no doubt you have your own views, and your own opinions about him, and nothing that a keyboard monkey like me can say will change your mind.
So let’s instead concentrate on something else... something sadly lacking. How about, say... Tag Team Wrestling on Raw. What happened to it? Your World Tag Team Champions La Resistance have heel heat, but realistically, they have the titles because they were part of an angle with Kane and Rob Van Dam. I doubt there’s anyone that really thinks that they are in a position to justifiably call themselves worthy champions.
But on the other hand, who else is there? The Dudleys? Been there, done that, got stale, sold the T-shirt. Bubba Ray and D-Von are undoubtedly one of the finest tag teams that the wrestling world has ever seen - but they’ve been doing the same act for the past 3 years straight now. It’s wearing a bit thin, but they remain over in a live environment - and it’s the fan who pays his 20 bucks or whatever to go a live show that the WWE listen to, not the Internet.
The Tag division on Raw is in desperate need of some sprucing up, before the belts become an afterthought. There’s a simple answer to the problem, but if you’re an NWA-TNA fan, look away now. The answer to Raw’s tag problems is James Storm and Chris Harris - collectively, America’s Most Wanted.
They are the dominant tag team in the NWA right now, given that it looks like Triple X have ran their course now. AMW sit in a similar position to The Dudleys - they came, they saw, they conquered, and now? They have nowhere to go but down. They have a great moveset, a great look, and most importantly - they work together as a team. Not just a couple of midcarders thrown together at random for lack of anything else to do, these guys work like a team and they work hard.
If Vince can’t prise away America’s Most Wanted from the NWA, then there is another team that he could turn to, an established team that worked a match on NWA TV last week, but isn’t a big part of the promotion - that team is Simon Diamond and Johnny Swinger. To be honest, it amazes me that Simon Diamond isn’t already in the WWE anyway, so why not bring him in with his established tag team partner?
Throw Diamond’s fiancee Dawn Marie in as a manager, and get them on Raw as cocky heels - sounds like a plan to me. Diamond and Swinger had a weird kind of charisma together, but it worked. Swinger was underrated, and wasn’t just the makeweight of the team. The two of them both know their way round a ring, and Diamond in particular could blow away La Resistance for mic skills.
If we’re talking ECW tag teams, then you have to think about one of the most bizarre combinations that ever saw the inside of a wrestling ring - ‘Dastardly’ Danny Doring and ‘The Angry Amish Warrior’ Roadkill. They were a unique team, and were absolutely smoking hot when ECW closed - yet never made it to the WWE. Why? Word is they had a trial match or two before a Raw and were too good, and the WWE apparently didn’t want the rest of the roster shown up by them.
Roadkill is one of the more agile ‘big’ men out there, and Doring, while small by WWE standards, knows how to work. They deserve to be in the big time, they earned it in ECW. Roadkill in particular would be huge in the WWE with his unique gimmick, yet they remain on the outside looking in...
Even looking down into the developmental ranks, their must be a couple of guys that are ready to be called up and tagged together, in the Basham Brothers mould. I haven’t had the pleasure of catching any Ohio Valley shows, but with James E. Cornette working behind the scenes, you can be sure that tag team wrestling is alive and well.
I’ve seen nothing but good reports about people like Rob Conway, Nick Dinsmore, Seven, and Bane - why not put them together as a team for a few weeks on dark matches, then give them a shot? While the Basham Brothers may not be the most charismatic team in the world (all it takes is a decent manager to change that - Shaniqua is not that manager) they don’t look out of place in the ring.
Whatever happens, surely the WWE realise that the art of tag team wrestling is dying in front of them, and they have to do something to save it. A good tag team match is a thing of beauty - look at the Smackdown Tag Team Tournament last year for evidence of that - and it’s been a long time since we’ve had a decent series of Tag matches on Raw. Come on Vince - save the Tag Teams!
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