5 Reasons why WWE broke up Toxic Attraction
WWE baffled its critics when the company decided to break up Toxic Attraction on the February 7, 2023, episode of NXT. After almost two years in NXT, Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin looked ready to be promoted to the main roster's women's tag team division.
Instead, Jacy turned on Gigi in a way similar to how Shawn Michaels betrayed Marty Jannetty during the infamous Barber Shop segment.
Why did the promotion decide to split up Gigi and Jacy? Why would the Stamford-based company do away with such a hot commodity that was picking up steam in Orlando?
Without further ado, here are five reasons why Toxic Attraction broke up on the HBK-led brand.
#5. WWE sees more money with singles wrestlers than tag teams
If you're a longtime consumer of WWE programming, it's clear that WWE heavily prefers to push its singles division over the tag team scene. While the toxic duo as a team was certainly an attraction for some, the company may see bigger dollar signs with Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne as singles competitors.
Wrestling legend Kevin Nash mentioned on his podcast Kliq This how WWE owner Vince McMahon hated tag team matches, describing them as garnish. Unsurprisingly, WWE has a habit of splitting up tag teams, and Toxic Attraction certainly wasn't immune to the effects of this trend. It remains to be seen whether Gigi and Jacy as singles competitors is a bigger draw than their allure as a collective.
#4. WWE wants to see who's the bigger star: Gigi Dolin or Jacy Jayne
Breaking up Toxic Attraction could be a test to see who will come out of their rivalry as the bigger star. WWE may be looking to see who will sink or swim in the feud between Jacy Jayne and Gigi Dolin.
So far, judging from the breakup and its aftermath, Jacy has made a bigger impact compared to Gigi. Jayne has been given more mic time, and she really made an impression on the NXT Universe when she super-kicked Gigi.
She made an even bigger impression when she threw Dolin into the Ding Dong Hello door and finished off the segment by kicking her former partner in the face. The mark on Gigi's face tells the story.
However, Gigi still has time to gain momentum in this storyline. NXT fans are certainly curious to see how she'll respond to Jayne's vicious attack.
#3. Shawn Michaels' fingerprints were all over this breakup
HBK is the top authority figure on the white-and-gold brand. He's not only a powerful on-screen personality, but he's the man who calls the shots behind the scenes when it comes to NXT. Toxic Attraction's implosion looked a lot like the Barber Shop segment involving The Rockers in the early 1990s.
Both breakups took place during a wrestling talk show segment. Both segments started off by showing friction between members of a tag team, leading to a phony reconciliation, with one wrestler ultimately betraying the other.
Jacy and Michaels would both use a superkick to down their former partner, leading to them throwing their friend-turned-enemy into a stage prop. HBK's fingerprints were obviously all over the February 7th edition of Ding Dong Hello on NXT.
#2. Toxic Attraction just doesn't feel right without Mandy Rose
Once Mandy Rose was released by WWE in December 2022, Toxic Attraction didn't feel the same. Rose was the centerpiece of the team, and her two allies just couldn't fill in the gap left by her star power leaving the group.
The company may have felt that Gigi and Jacy just weren't clicking without their leader. As NXT Women's Champion for 413 days, Mandy Rose dominated the HBK-led brand, and the duo of Dolin and Jayne arguably weren't able to fill her shoes in her absence. However, there's always a chance that Toxic Attraction could have a reunion if and when Rose is rehired by WWE sometime in the future.
#1. Give Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne a chance to develop their own separate identities in WWE
Separating the duo gives both Gigi and Jacy the opportunity to develop an identity separate from Toxic Attraction. The identities of Dolin and Jayne were so closely tied to their group that wrestling fans were more likely to remember the name 'Toxic Attraction' than the names Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne.
Now that Toxic Attraction is no more, Gigi and Jacy both have the chance to branch out on their own and write their own destinies. As individuals, Dolin and Jayne can forge their own identities separate from the group that used to rule NXT's women's division.