By Request - The Great Tag Divison

Tag division where art thou?

Where has it gone though seriously?

Back in the 90's we had great tag teams. Edge and Christian, The Hardy Boyz, The Dudley Boyz, Demolition, The Road Warriors, The New Age Outlaws, T and A, Too Cool, Rock n Sock Connection and Two Man Power Trip. This list could go on forever but somewhere down the line it would end abruptly. Somewhere down the line WWE stopped caring for the tag division. Somewhere down the line Vince decided singles were better. I believe he was wrong. I believe the tag division is just as important, if not more important than the singles division. The tag division used to be somewhere you could develop your promo skills (Edge and Christian). The tag division used to be somewhere you could shine and create feuds (The Hardy Boyz). The tag division used to be worth something (The Dudley Boyz). But now its gone. Its nothing. Vince poisoned it. But it can be saved.

How?

Simply put - Develop believable teams. There have been plenty of teams that have come and gone over the last few years in WWE. Even guys like CM Punk and Kofi Kingston teamed together. It just seemed WWE through two guys together and told them you are a team now. The most recent example of this is Rhode Scholars. But what if WWE took two guys aside and said go learn these moves and come back with this style? What if something as simple as a little face paint could make you easier to invest in?

Seriously though if it aint broken dont try fix it. Even thing such as wearing matching gear can make a tag team more relevant. WWE have a bad habit at the moment of just throwing two guys together who have no storyline and hoping it works out EG Orton and Sheamus who have tagged together on several occasions even though they have no reason to.

But could WWE take superstars who aren't currently relevant and make them a successful tag team?

Pairings

Big guy + little guy = works

Mouthpiece + muscle = works

High flyer + powerhouse = works

Now keeping that system in mind could WWE not use two guys like Big Zeke and JTG and use them as a tag team. Re-package them as two guys who are sick of being held down and they want to show what they have got. Put them in matching colours or matching gear and BOOM a tag team can be born. If they dont get over dont just get rid of them. Nothing wrong with a jobber tag team (just ask Primo and Epico).
Guys like Mason Ryan and Alex Riley could even make a good team.

Who would I make a team?

Ted Dibiase and Alex Riley -Million Dollar Playboys

JTG and Ezekial Jackson - The Brigade

Santino and Yoshi Tatsu - The Foreign Exchange
Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel 

Kassius Ohno and Antonio Cesaro (if you don't know why just go hang your head in shame)

There are a lot of options really. If I could draft other guys I would put Alex Shelley and Corey Graves together. I feel they could be great as a tag team and they could revitalise the cruiser weights.

A week in wrestling; 3rd June - 10th June

So this week in wrestling we saw (be prepared for spoilers if you havent been keeping up)

Raw

• Mr McMahon and Stephanie return in a bid to prevent Triple H from wrestling

• Randy Orton and Team Hell No vs The Shield (Shield get the pin after Ambrose nails Bryan with the Headlock Driver)

• Bryan argues with Kane and Orton explaining how he is sick of being the weak link and that he will wrestle again tonight to prove he isnt

• Vince and Triple H talk backstage. Vince and Stephanie persuade Triple H not to wrestle 

• The Usos vs Prime Time Players. (Usos win after using a Superfly Splash for the pin)

• Del Rio vs Big E (Del Rio wins via the cross arm breaker that was converted into a pin)

• Sheamus vs Cody Rhodes  (Sheamus wins after hitting both White Noise and a Brogue Kick)

• Bryan challenges Ryback in a bid to show he isnt the weak link in Team Hell No

• Fandango vs Khali (Khali wins after countout. Miz distracts Fandango)

• The Miz vs Wade Barrett (Miz wins via Figure Four Leg Lock)

• The contract signing for the CM Punk vs Y2J match at Payback

• AJ and The Bellas vs Kaitlyn and The Funkadactyls (Kaitlyn gets the pin after hitting a spear)

• Daniel Bryan vs Ryback (Daniel Bryan wins by DQ after Ryback uses a table)

• John Cena vs Curtis Axel in a No DQ match (Curtis Axel wins via count out after Ryback attacks Cena)

Main Event

• Sheamus vs Antonio Cesaro (Sheamus wins via pin)

• The Usos vs Rhode Scholars (The Usos win via pin)

• Justin Gabriel vs Curt Hawkins (Gabriel wins via 450 splash pin)

Impact Wrestling

• Hogan books Hardy vs Bully Ray in a ladder match with a hammer above the ring for the main event

• Hernandez vs Chavo in a BFG qualifying match (Hernandez wins via pin)

• Devon calls out Abyss to no avail. Joseph Parks comes out and attacks Devon instead)

• Robbie E vs Samoa Joe in a BFG qualifying match (Samoa Joe wins via Coquina Clutch and makes Robbie E tap)

• Rampage Jackson makes his first appearance on TNA programming only to be confronted by Kurt Angle who tells him "if you want to beat the  best, you're looking at him"

• Sabin, Storm and Gunner vs King, Roode and Aries (Sabin, Storm and Gunner get the pin)

• Mickie James vs Taeler Hendrix (Mickie James wins after a high spinning kick and gets the pin)

• Devon and Knux are shown looking backstage for Abyss. Abyss attacks them and tells Devon that he is taking the TNA television title to the abyss

• Jeff Hardy vs Bully Ray (no winner due to Bully running away and interference by Brooke Hogan) 

Smackdown

• Miz TV with Team Hell No and Orton. (segment ends with Kane leaving and Teddy Long sets up a tag match with Orton and Bryan vs Rollins and Reigns)

• Curtis Axel vs Jericho (Curtis Axel wins after CM Punk's music hits and distracts Jericho)

• Del Rio vs Heath Slater (no contest as Dolph Ziggler appears and announces it will be Dolph vs Del Rio on RAW)

• Kane vs Ryback (Kane wins via DQ when Ryback uses an eye poke and then puts Kane through a table via powerbomb)

• Sandow and Sheamus have another segment that ends in them both brawling with Sandow standing tall

• Orton and Bryan are seen backstage talking about their match. Orton says he doesnt like partners and he doesnt like Bryan

• Zack Ryder vs Fandango (Fandango wins via pinfall)

• Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton vs Rollins and Reigns (Bryan and Orton win via DQ when Ambrose gets involved. Orton RKO's Bryan and gets boo'ed to finish the show)

This weeks top 5 rumours

5. There could be more members joining the Wyatt Family
4. Daniel Bryan is in line for a big push this Summer
3. MVP "I will be back on US TV later this year"
2. Zack Ryder to receive another push
1. Rampage Jackson signs to TNA and Bellator fighting

OK as you know from previous blogs I'm not one for rumours but this week there have been some good ones. 
Daniel Bryan deserves a huge push and really WWE would be stupid to not push him just now. The guy is on fire and everything he touches turns to gold. He can work with nearly anyone and make them look great in the ring (Ryback is the key example here.) Its rumoured that he will be facing Cena at Summerslam in a face vs face match for the WWE Championship. Honestly I would rather see Daniel Bryan vs Dolph Ziggler in a 30 minute Ironman Match to show off the great talent but we know it wont happen. 

More members joining the Wyatt Family? Could this be a good thing? I believe so. I think the more the merrier as long as they have a story plan for the majority of the group. I would love to see it build to the size the original ministry was. I hand on heart believe that Bray Wyatt will be gold when they get him on TV. 
Rampage Jackson. UFC star, Movie Star and now wrestling star? If you aren't excited about this for TNA you are mad. Unlike King Mo, Rampage Jackson has actually had a phenomenal career  and can surely only bring good things to TNA. Already Kurt Angle has begun teasing his match with Rampage and it could honestly be a great match so long as Rampage remembers that its a "fake" wrestling match.

My highlight of the week

My highlight this week isn't going to a star or an individual performer but its going to TNA for putting on one of their best PPV's in a long time. With the company building that star power but still utilising their own wrestlers and creating more and more feuds I am becomingmore involved with the product again. There was only two matches on that card that I would have said were below par but that was a shock as I went in with low expectations after the last PPV and One Night Only show. With a a strong card and a good finish I would have gave it a 7.5/10 which is much more than Bret Hart goes giving out.

Superstars to watch this week
Orton - watch for the changes in his babyface character
Daniel Bryan - his development is insane
Bully Ray - still keeping Aces and Eights relevant on his own IMO
Curtis Axel - After good words from Vinnie boy backstage how are they gonna keep him on his pedestal?
Paul Heyman - If you don't respect this guy you need to re-think why you love wrestling.

Slammiversary XI - Impact Wrestling at its best in a long time

Slammiversary XI - Impact at its best in a long time

The Card For The Night;

• Ultimate X match for the X - division title - Kenny King vs Suicide vs Chris Sabin
• Jeff Hardy, Magnus and Samoa Joe vs Doc, Garrett Bischoff and Wes Brisco
• Gut Check Finals (winner gets the first entry into the BFG series) - Sam Shaw vs Jay Bradley 
• First Ever "Last Knockout Standing Match" - Taryn Terrell vs Gail Kim
• TNA TV Championship Match - Joseph Parks vs Devon 
• TNA World Tag Team Championship Match (elimination rules) - Bad Influence vs Chavo and Hernandez vs Roode and Aries vs Storm and Gunner
• AJ Styles vs Kurt Angle
• TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match (if Sting loses he can no longer compete for the title) - Sting vs Bully Ray

Spoilers/Results

• Sabin won after brawling with King while hanging from the ropes.
• Jeff Hardy, Magnus and Samoa Joe won after an entertaining match. Magnus is really coming into his own which IMO is great.
• Jay Bradley won and then cuts a promo on how he will be the first to enter the BFG series and be the last to leave it.
• Taryn Terrell wins after doing what looks like a bulldog or a cutter style move off the ramp. Dear WWE take notes this is how the Divas matches should work. 
• Devon and Knux attacked Parks earlier in the night backstage and you see him "bleeding." Devon demands the ref count Parks out after ringing the bell. Devon cuts a promo saying Parks is worthless and that if Abyss was there he would beat him too. Abyss hits the ring and the ref rings the bell. A match ensues where Abyss wins and some how becomes the new TV champ. 
• Storm and Gunner win the match after Daniels gets Bad Influence DQ'd and Roode and Aries eliminate the other two teams.
• Kurt Angle is named the HOF inductee of 2013 and goes on to win the match. This match was great. Very back and forth and AJ's character is building even more. 
• Bully Ray wins after hitting three piledrivers (one of which was on the boards under the mat) and  interference from the Aces and Eights. Ken Anderson throws Bully a hammer that Bully uses to make contact as Sting dives off the top rope.

My thoughts on the PPV

The PPV as a whole was one of TNA's better PPV's. I didnt think the card looked very strong but I was mistaken. The Knockouts match was great and got some great reactions from the crowds. WWE needs to take some notice because right now, IMO, the Knockouts are much higher quality than the Divas. I would also like to point out that both Taryn and Gail do a better figure four leg lock than Miz. 

The 6 man tag match was impressive. Both Magnus and Joe need to get that push soon. I am so sick of them being under used. Magnus really is going to be big and I can promise that. He has the look and the ability. I know it sounds crazy just now but if WWE snatched him up then Barrett and Magnus could dominate that excuse of a tag team division. Joe needs to go back to being a killing machine. He has the ability to be the top star again but TNA just dont push him and its a damn shame.

The gut check match was pretty green. Both competitors looked quite uncomfortable. While Jay Bradley has the look and technique of a heel he just straight out bores me. I cant get into him. His character is just, well thats just it, there is no character. I feel Sam Shaw could have been a great X Divison star so maybe they will use him for that. He is athletic enough and with a bit of tweaking they could mould him to be a good midcard guy. 

I want to clear something up. While I love that Abyss/Joseph Parks are the same wrestler he needs to get back into shape. The pay off with this will only work if his ring work is just as good as the story telling. Eventually they are going to have to point out that Abyss and Parks are the same guy and I look forward to see how they do it but I just hope they do it sooner rather than later. Either have him completely unaware that its happening or have it that Abyss is just a complete genius and planned the whole thing so he could win the BFG series and have a go at the gold. 

James Storm must have done something to piss off officials back stage. There is no way a guy who goes from being world championship material back down to the tag division with a guy who hasnt been seen in months. Its almost like they are punishing him. Either give the cowboy his horse to ride on or let him go be good in the other companies. 

Angle vs AJ shocked me with the ending. I thought AJ would go over and then it hit me. If AJ had gone over Angle he would have beaten a face and therefore would have been viewed closer to a heel. Now that he lost to a heel he can look and see that he has to be the good guy to get the job done. This could bring the story full circle almost like what they did with Sting and the NWO back in WCW. Really I would like to see AJ win the title but still have no allegiance to anyone. It would then be AJ Styles vs The World and it could be good to see. 

Sting can no longer challenge for the TNA World Heavyweight title but for how long? We have seen this time and time again in all promotions. How long before Sting tears apart Aces and Eights demanding his title shot?

Personally I believe after the tease last night with Brooke Hogan (She came out looking sad as Bully was being hit with a chair) that we will see Bully say he still loves her and try get her to turn to Aces and Eights. Sting will use Brooke to get his title shot again or will use Brooke to get Hulk to lift the ban. 

By the way checkout Bully Ray's piledriver promo if you can.

My stars of the night

Suicide

Gail Kim

Taryn Terrell

Magnus
Samoa Joe

Gunner

Austin Aries

Kazarian
Christopher Daniels

AJ Styles

Bully Ray

Where do TNA go from here/How I would go about it

• I believe the knockouts will continue feuding and eventually Taryn will get a title shot.
• Suicide, Kenny King and Petey Williams will have a number one contenders match.
• Hardy will find someway to get back into the title picture or at least take down some of Aces and Eights.
• I could see Samoa Joe and Magnus continuing to feud with Bischoff and Brisco
• They need to keep booking AJ Styles as well as they have been or it will flop as an angle.  

I am lost as to what they will do with Roode and Aries but there was definite tell tale signs of Roode being almost jealous of this partnership Storm has with Gunner. This could result in Aries trying to convince Roode he is just as good as Storm or it could end with Roode trying to take out Gunner to ensure that Storm doesn't see success.

Again let me hear your thoughts and opinions on what should be included in the next blog. The main topic will be RAW from Monday the 3rd of June but lets mix it up. 

This week in wrestling - (27th May - 3rd June)

So this week in wrestling we saw (be prepared for spoilers if you havent been keeping up)

RAW

• Paul Heyman accept Chris Jericho's match on behalf of CM Punk

• Cena vs Curtis Axel in a non title match

• The stipulations change for the WWE championship match at Payback

• Del Rio vs Langston

• D'Bry continue calling himself the weak link and trying to prove himself

• Kofi vs Ambrose

• Barrett vs Fandango with Miz as special guess ref

• Tons of Funk and Khali (I REFUSE TO CALL HIM GREAT) vs 3MB

• Kaitlyn and Natalya vs The Bella Twins

• Bret Hart Appreciation Night

• Shawn Michaels Appreciation Night 
• Randy Orton and Sheamus vs The Rhode Scholars

Main Event 

• Barrett vs Sheamus in a non title match

• Justin Gabriel vs Antonio Cesaro

• Tons of Funk and R-truth vs 3MB

Impact Wrestling - Go home show before Slammiversary

• Team 3D vs Sting and Joseph Parks

• Kurt Ange bitches about AJ Styles

• Samoa Joe and Magnus save Dixie Carter from the Aces and Eights
• Bad Influence, Bobby Roode and Austin Aries vs Chavo, Hernandez, James Storm and Gunner
• Kenny King & Gail Kim vs. Taryn Terrell & Chris Sabin

• Ken Anderson vs AJ Styles

Smackdown

• Kane vs Seth Rollins
• Daniel Bryan vs Roman Reigns
• Ryback vs Kofi Kingston
• Sin Cara vs Curtis Axel
• Del Rio vs Big E
• Cody Rhodes vs Chris Jericho
• Randy Orton vs Dean Ambrose in a non title match

TOP 5 RUMOURS OF THE WEEK

5. Dolph Ziggler still not cleared for ring work.

4. Batista is Dixie Carters big signing

3. Mark Henry getting heat backstage

2. Stipulations changed in WWE championship match due to Vince McMahon wanting Cena to have "epic" moments at this point in his career

1. That we will see a more serious Chris Jericho from now on

Now im not one to go for rumours but I have researched number 4 and I can 100% confirm that its not going to be Batista as he is filming in London for "Guardians of the galaxy." He also stated on twitter, " I am a WWE guy to the core."

The Mark Henry heat is due to him taking time of due to his shoulder injury that has been nagging at him. Apparently the plan was to have Henry turn face and go against Big E but this new apparent heat is the possible reason as to why we saw Big E ignore AJ Lee after his match on RAW this week.

Vince McMahon has done something clever in my opinion. He has changed the stipulations of the WWE championship match from an ambulance match to a three stages of hell match. The first fall is a Lumberjack match, the second a tables match and the third is the ambulance match. This idea isn't as crazy as it seems. Vince wants Cena to get some big moments so that this stage of his career is more exciting. Maybe it will take away some of the heat from the crowds but who knows right? But the problem I see with this is either Cena loses the belt after just a two month run or Ryback loses yet another PPV. So bury a title run or bury a superstar? I know which I would pick. 

My highlights of the week 

The Wyatt Family Promo/Vignette - Oh thank the lord its about time. If you havent already seen Bray Wyatt or the Family down in NXT go and check them out. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBUEUvIRB28

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD3-dWA-JG4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S6RgEbLB2s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu4bszMlcVI

These guys will be amazing on the main roster. I have waited for so long. I love the character of Bray Wyatt. Its a very imposing role and even trying to think that this guy was Husky Harris is weird. The Family are huge and Bray plays an amazing father figure, the role in someways reminds me of Raven and the gathering but on a much bigger and more powerful scale. 

Kofi Kingston gets destroyed

Let me make this clear, I DO NOT HATE KOFI. I think Kofi is a great performer but he needed space to go and develop his character some how and I believe this time off is perfect for it.  Ryback destroyed Kofi on Smackdown and now he is "injured." Im not sure if its kayfabe or not but even so. This is great as it made Ryback look like a machine like he should be and Kofi gets space (you will see what I mean in a minute.)
Just like Dolph, Kofi is one of the future stars and I know a lot of people would disagree but everyone has to start somewhere. Given the right character adjustments I believe Kofi and Dolph can be the next generations Cena vs Orton. 

How I would book him returning; I have been saying for months Kofi needed to be side lined. I would have this time to have him work out a bit and develop his aggression. I imagine that Ryback and Cena will feud up until SummerSlam and it will probably be a no-DQ style match or a gimmick match. I would have Kofi walk out during the main event and attack either just Ryback and remain face (this im not fond of but its an option) or have him use a chair and destroy Cena and Ryback, casually grab a mic and stare straight down the camera and say, "Do I Have Your Attention Now?" This of course would turn him heel/anti-hero and could make him fresh again. 
Now before anyone says that there is too many heels I realise there is Dolph, Lesnar, The Shield, Swagger, 3MB, PTP and a bunch of others but how many do you see remaining heels after SummerSlam. Dolph gets huge pops no matter where he is, Punk will come back and get a massive pop (possibly the biggest of the year as its in his hometown he is due to return), Big Show flip flops, Big E is supposably turning face. 
Kofi has been "wronged" so to say by so many he would at least  have motive as well. 

Now of course that is just fantasy booking and WWE would never follow it up. Evan Bourne is due to return soon and Kofi has just been sidelined so I imagine they could try and put them back together as AirBoom again and push the tag teams.

Suicide
For those of you who dont know, Suicide is the masked character in the TNA x-division and is in my opinion a good addition to the division. There have been several men under the mask including Kaz and Chris Daniels so when I saw this;

http://www.wrestling101.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/tna-kazarian-suicide-christopher-daniels.jpg

I was a little excited. Now it turns out its TJ Perkins who is under the mask this time and I must say I am impressed. This guy could make a full time run out of playing the character. He  is very tight in the ring and his movements are very fluid. I LIKE. WELL DONE TNA.

CM PUNK, WHERE TO GO?

This week Heyman accepted Y2J's offer of a match at Payback on behalf of CM Punk. I want to know where you see this going and what you invision happening.
Personally I believe that Heyman and Punk will split shortly and it will cause Heyman to tell Lesnar to attack Punk. This could lead to a match at SummerSlam.
There was a lot of hints that Y2J could become a Heyman guy. There is also talk of a more serious Y2J character so who knows.

Let me know what you think.
I want to hear your thoughts and ideas on any topics you have.

How can I improve my blogs, what can I add to these blogs to improve your reading.

See you next week and keep an eye out for the things I have said.

Leveller