The Usos Tag Title Reign Should Start at WWE No Mercy

The “new era” in WWE started in WWE this summer, but for The Usos it really began in the build up to Backlash when they turned heel by attacking American Alpha.

While twin brothers Jimmy and Jey Uso have been one of WWE’s best tag teams in the last five years or so, they became stale. Fans liked them during their initial run to the top. However, after hearing “when we say uce…you say oh” so many times it got old. In the last year or two, they started to get booed. That’s why WWE’s creative team on the Smackdown Live brand deserve a lot of credit for having them turn heel after the brand split took place.

It sounds simple, right? If a face act isn’t getting cheered as much or if a heel isn’t getting booed as much, they should change the character. Just because it makes sense doesn’t mean WWE is willing to do it.

There are many instances on the current WWE roster where the company is so stubborn about keeping somebody in a certain role that they won’t change that person. Does The Usos cousin Roman Reigns ring a bell?

Reigns should have turned heel in the spring of 2015 when the crowd completely rejected him. The Usos could have turned heel with him doing the same sort of thing they are doing now. Instead, Reigns continued in the face role and he’s still getting booed well over a year later.

The fact that The Usos have turned heel, completely changed their look, changed their mannerisms and ditched the face paint shows that they are fully committed as bad guys that Smackdown’s tag team division can build around. Unlike every other team on WWE’s Smackdown brand, they have credibility as two-time Tag Team Champions.

More wwe: WrestleMania 33 Match Card Projections 2.0

At WWE Smackdown’s next pay-per-view No Mercy, which takes place on October 9, The Usos will challenge Heath Slater and Rhyno for the gold. As the new champions, it might make sense to have Slater and Rhyno retain the titles. However, they are really just a short term team that WWE put together to pay off the “Heath Slater needs to win to earn a contract” storyline. Now that the story is past that angle, they shouldn’t have the titles.

What’s the main tag team feud going to be on Smackdown long term? The Usos vs. American Alpha. There’s no rush to put the titles on American Alpha, but if the Usos win the titles in October and hold them all the way to Wrestlemania 33 then it will mean more when American Alpha wins.

When The Usos faced American Alpha on the September 20 edition of Smackdown, it was a nice tease of what these teams can do. The Usos worked so well as crafty heels that worked on the injured leg of Chad Gable. They took advantage of every opportunity presented to them in the match and ended up taking Gable out of the match. Later in the match, Jason Jordan tried to win for his team, but he couldn’t get the job done. The Usos ended up double teaming him for the win, which again showed their vicious side as well as their intelligence.

By putting The Usos in the No Mercy Tag Team Title match, WWE is telling the audience that The Usos are ready to ascend to the top of Smackdown’s tag team division.

If The Usos turn has taught us anything it’s that there’s a lot of untapped talent on WWE’s current roster. Sometimes all it takes is a tweak of a current of a current performer or team. The Usos are proof that change can be very good and at No Mercy, they’ll have the gold to prove it.