Over the past year since the WWE Brand Split, SmackDown Live has continued to make a name for itself as what Commissioner Shane McMahon called “the land of opportunity.”
That hasn’t only applied to singles competitors like Jinder Mahal and AJ Styles rising to the highest levels in the company. The blue brand has also served as the proving grounds where tag teams like Breezango, The Usos, and The Colons have continuously been given the spotlight to develop and showcase their abilities.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Whereas we previously wondered if SmackDown might become too heavy on comedy with the addition of the New Day following the “superstar shake-up,” it now seems there’s trouble in paradise for the blue brand tag division, with several teams looking like they could be heading toward a split or see their storylines stagnating.
Despite stealing the tag division spotlight since their arrival, and debatably coming out on top in last week’s rap battle with SmackDown tag champs The Usos, the The New Day have still failed to capture the tag belts from their rivals. Now it looks like despite the power of positivity, they may be destined to compete in singles bouts for a while until they get another shot at the belts.
Up Next: Is WWE Breaking Up American Alpha?
We’ve witnessed growing tensions between Hype Bros Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley, which began to surface in backstage promos prior to last week’s Independence Day Battle Royal and boiled over with Mojo’s turning on his recently returned partner in that event. Could the formerly inseparable “broskis” be headed for a nasty split, like their RAW counterparts Enzo and Cass?
While we can’t see American Alpha ever turning on each other in that manner, it looks as though the WWE may be doing its part to split the young team up. The two have hardly been seen in tag team action since losing their Championships to The Usos earlier this year, but Chad Gable has been featured as a solo performer multiple times in recent weeks since their return. Gable says that Alpha may have pushed to the back of the line as a team, but that they were still looking for competition in the meantime.
Meanwhile, we’ve heard rumors of Primo and Epico Colon being broken up as well or possibly even leaving the WWE in the near future. The former Shining Stars have looked good since ditching the goofy timeshare salesmen gimmick, but also pose a bit of a redundancy for the division, as their new street-tough look closely mirrors The Usos own repackaging.
More: SmackDown is Better Than RAW for This Reason
… and then there’s whatever is going on with Breezango, aka The Fashion Police. Particulary with regard to their ongoing feud with the Ascension in the Fashion Files loosely held together storyline. Don’t get me wrong, the comedy vignettes are still among the very best segments in all of WWE’s product, but their value is more in the gags and costumes than getting fans to care about either team’s advancement toward the belts.
Though the cooperation of hungry young teams is one of the aspects that makes SmackDowns tag division more interesting than RAWs, if the WWE can’t find a way to book teams who are not in the title hunt, they may as well break them up to build up singles stars.
