Tagged under: EOTR Tag Team Tuesdays, Erick Rowan, Kevin Owens, Luke Harper, Sami Zayn, Smackdown Live, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, WWE
By @AmeenKnows
Last week I touched base on the state of the Smackdown Live Tag Team Division. I could have used harsher words to describe just how much disdain I actually have for the grotesque state of said division, but I like to play nice. And yes, I used the words grotesque and disdain so you can see I know fancy words. However that's unimportant. I've thought up 3 particular teams I would want to see reunited on Smackdown. Three teams that I think could bolster the division and breathe new life into it. I wanted to use actually plausible actions instead of doing something like randomly putting Rollins and Ambrose back together and moving them to the Blue Brand.
*Luke Harper and Erick Rowan
-I kicked off with Harper and Rowan because its the easiest option to book. Gimmick aside, it's very clear that WWE just doesn't see how special Luke Harper really is as a singles star. He may not wow you with the showmanship, but Harper can get his hands dirty with the best of them. Erick Rowan hasn't done anything, besides creep out Renee Young, and it's clear creative has no plans for him similar to the first split the two experienced in 2014 when Harper was Intercontinental Champion for a week and Rowan was in a stairs match. Putting them together brings back an interesting dynamic where they both will become the hardest hitting and most physical team on the brand which bodes well meshing with Highflyers (Usos) and more technical/hybrid styles (The New Day). Also, the duo doesn’t speak so they can float between tweener as a face to knock off the Usos or as a heel randomly attacking the New Day.
*Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
-This is the most unlikely of the three teams due to character but would be the most exciting to see. Sami Zayn is the loveable underdog babyface and Kevin Owens is the trash talking prizefighter who hates his bestfriend. In order to set this up it would take a huge change of heart from either star thus making it highly unlikely since both are really good in their roles. Teaming up in ROH was one of my favorite things about both of them. They were so in sync with each other from years of knowing each other so each match became special because they presented something different each time. With them in the Division you know you're going to get two talkers who can carry the division if need be and can make forgotten guys who randomly get a title shot (like the Ascension) look good with a good amount of time in a match.
*Moustache Mountain
-I figured this one would also be hard to pull off considering no United Kingdom Tournament competitor will be called up anytime soon and WWE clearly sees Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne as the clear cut runners of the division, so pairing up with Trent Seven as Moustache Mountain in WWE seems a bit unlikely, however that doesn't mean it wouldn't be fun. The current Progress Tag Team Champions are fun to watch because of their showmanship, similar to fellow Brit Jack Gallagher, and their abilities to wrestle their asses off. They've got two good fighting styles that usually always mesh well together: a brawler and a mat wrestler. I don't have to tell you how great potential matchups will be. Just search "Moss & Slater vs Moustache Mountain" and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.
-Ameen
Tagged under: AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, John Cena, Kevin Owens, Nakamura, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, Smackdown Live
By @TrueGodImmortal
Shinsuke Nakamura is being positioned for a run as the face of Smackdown. That's right, soon, Nakamura will be the face that runs the place. He makes his main roster in ring debut at the Smackdown PPV Backlash against Dolph Ziggler, which is sure to be a solid match, but the real bread and butter for Nakamura will come in the feuds he has going forward AFTER this one. Sure, Nakamura and Ziggler could go a few more months, though I doubt it, but there are opponents that the entire world is waiting to see him face. Today, we look at the Smackdown roster and pick the top 5 Nakamura opponents on the roster.
5. Baron Corbin
-Are you shocked? You shouldn't be. Corbin is a rising star and though I could have put Sami Zayn on this list, the truth of the matter is that we've seen that match already and both men are faces. Corbin is a heel that has very few redeeming qualities, making him the perfect opponent for Nakamura as he rises up the Smackdown ranks. I'd like to see Corbin and Nakamura battle it out for the US Title during the fall with Corbin mostly coming up short in his attempts to take the title away from Nakamura. You may be confused by that statement since Nakamura is not the U.S. Champion. Stay tuned.
4. Randy Orton
-I would love to see this and I suspect we will. More than likely, our first encounter of Nakamura vs RKO will be wasted on a random put together main event on Smackdown much like Styles vs Orton was. Still, I think Orton would step his game up to keep up with Nakamura and that they would have likely have one of the most engaging matches that Nakamura could have. Orton going for a RKO on Nakamura would be amazing, if only for the job Nakamura does selling it.... and subsequently kicking out for it before he gets the victory (because Orton shouldn't go over Nakamura).
3. John Cena
-This is probably the biggest marquee match of them all, and if I had to be honest, I'd do this one at SummerSlam. Cena has made quite the living recently putting over people at SummerSlam, whether it was CM Punk (2011), Daniel Bryan (2013), Brock Lesnar (2014), Seth Rollins (2015), or more recently, AJ Styles (2016). Why not continue that streak by having Nakamura and Cena in a larger than life dream match that could already be an instant MOTY candidate. Nakamura and Cena being put into a big time matchup would honestly be the only match that could rival the main event I expect in Styles vs Orton for the title. Nakamura vs Cena is a Summerslam or Wrestlemania caliber main event, and I can only hope we get that one day soon.
2. Kevin Owens
-So remember when I said Nakamura should defend the U.S. Title against Corbin? Well, here's the thing about that. Nakamura will be the one to defeat Owens for the U.S. Title before Owens moves up to the WWE Title picture where he belongs. In the midst of the Jinder Mahal nonsense, Owens has been a shining spot. I see Nakamura and Owens feuding into the summer after AJ Styles loses the match at Backlash. Nakamura and Owens would give us some match of the year candidates that would lead to Nakamura taking the US Title, likely at SummerSlam.
1. AJ Styles
-I don't even need to say much about this one. It's the inevitable. This match needs to happen, likely at Wrestlemania 34. The two best wrestlers in the WWE. Nakamura vs AJ Styles. In front of 80,000 people. Give them 25 minutes to go out there, hopefully for the WWE Title, and this match would be a true classic. Let Nakamura win the Royal Rumble, with Styles holding the WWE Title, and let the story build itself. It would be the greatest thing the WWE has done in some time.
-True
