Disbanding The IIconics exposed the issue with WWE's women's tag team division
On this week's edition of RAW, Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott, also known as the Riott Squad, defeated The IIconics to become the number one contenders for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. With this loss, The IIconics were forced to disband, leaving the already thin division with one less team. This exposed the issue to the division. There aren't enough stable or established teams to build around.
When WWE announced that there would be Women’s Tag Team Champions, this was one of the concerns. There were more teams back then than there are now, but the division still lacks depth. When Sasha Banks and Bayley became the inaugural champions, the division got off to good start.
Then, The IIconics won the titles at WrestleMania 35. Afterward, they were barely on television and the titles felt irrelevant. It wasn't until the Kabuki Warriors won them that the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship felt important. Fast forward a couple of years later and now the same issues have reared their ugly heads again. They're possible worse than they were back then.
There have been five tag teams that have held the Women’s Tag Team Championships. The IIconics, Sasha Banks and Bayley, The Kabuki Warriors, Alexa Bliss, and Nikki Cross, and now Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. Out of these five teams, only two still exist, and one of those teams, Banks, and Bayley, could break up soon.
The IIconics were last established, tag team
The IIconics disbanded last night. The Kabuki Warriors slowly faded away after Kairi Sane got injured and Asuka focused on winning the Money in the Bank match. Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are on the verge of breaking up with Bliss slowly turning heel. As for Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax, one would have to assume they're not a long-term team. Baszler will eventually challenge Asuka for the RAW Women’s Championship and Nia Jax will probably be in the title picture, as well.
On SmackDown, there isn't much more depth. Fire & Desire, the only true tag team on the show, broke up. Carmella and Dana Brooke were also a team, but Carmella hasn't been on television lately. That team seems to be finished. Lacey Evans and Naomi don't have a tag team partner.
So, breaking up The IIconics reveal the major flaw in the women’s tag team division. They don’t have many long term teams. The good tag teams that they do have are down in NXT, and the tag titles are barely defended or mentioned on the show. WWE can fix this by calling up some women from NXT like Tegan Nox, Dakota Kai, Mercedes Martinez, and so on, or sign some free agent wrestlers.
What are your thoughts on the women’s tag division? How would you address the issues in the division and what new teams would you form? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.