6 WWE Tag Teams not given enough time to flourish
The WWE tag division has been heavily criticized by both detractors and fans for years now. The company has a habit of building up a team the WWE Universe is genuinely interested in, only to fumble at the goal line.
It happens so often some wonder if it's on purpose. We've seen many duos and trios that were seemingly on the verge of stardom only for WWE to completely halt their momentum or break them up.
Back in 2020, we saw WWE put the IIconics and the Riott Squad in a match, where the losing team would break up. Not a single fan wanted either result, and it stands as one of the weirdest creative decisions they have made in the past year.
Today we'll be looking at similar decisions and teams that were never the same after the fact. We're counting down six tag teams that WWE didn't give enough time to flourish. The first pick may be controversial, but hear me out.
#6. Former WWE SmackDown Tag Champions American Alpha
Alright, so after this spot there's going to be a rule regarding tag titles on the main roster. If a team has won the RAW or SmackDown Tag Titles, they're disqualified from the list...except for American Alpha.
Honestly, I debated going with American Alpha or Authors of Pain here, because both fit the same narrative. Despite winning gold on their respective brands, neither duo were together on the main roster long enough to matter. American Alpha seemed to be one of two teams destined to build up SmackDown's tag division.
Alongside The Usos, it looked like Chad Gable and Jason Jordan were going to be the main focal points for the tag titles. They would end up winning the belts in December of 2016 after beating the Wyatt Family, Usos, Heath Slater and Rhyno in a Four Corners Elimination Match.
Unfortunately, the reign only lasted three months before the belts were shifted to The Usos. Soon after, Jason Jordan was moved to RAW to be Kurt Angle's illegitimate son, leaving Chad Gable on SmackDown to team up with Shelton Benjamin.
American Alpha was a standout team in NXT, and many considered them a new version of the Steiner Brothers. Fans thought they'd be major players in the tag division for years. Unfortunately, that weird Kurt Angle story came up and split up what could've been one of the greatest tag teams of the modern era.
#5. The Riott Squad
I know it's weird to put this group on here. Considering how long they were around, some may consider this an inappropriate pick. However, they were start-stopped and broken up so many times that WWE never truly gave them a chance.
The group formed in 2017, broke up two years later when Liv Morgan was drafted to SmackDown, and Sarah Logan was released before they could reform in 2020. They were constantly feuding with the IIconics and were always on the edge of winning the tag titles.
Seriously, the WWE Women's Tag Titles seemed tailor-made for the Riott Squad, especially by the time it was just Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott on the roster. Heading into WrestleMania 37, the WWE Universe was hoping to see the real-life friends capture the gold.
Instead, Ruby Riott was released, leaving Liv Morgan as a singles competitor.