WWE SmackDown Live: Breaking Up The Hype Bros

A look at how to break up the Hype Bros on WWE SmackDown Live so that it’s a win-win for both members of the team.

The Hype Bros have been mixing it up on WWE SmackDown Live for a while now. The team of Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley are good but not great to be honest. Rawley is still in his infancy as a character. Much like Apollo Crews, an athletic babyface who loves to smile, Rawley is yet to show his identity. Running around and saying he is hyped doesn’t necessarily make sense. Zack Ryder on the other hand has been a victim of WWE’s inconsistent booking for a long time.

It can be understood if creative is indeed high on Mojo at the moment. He is relatively new to the business and as such, has taken less bumps in the ring. Rawley, at the age of 31 has many more years left in his tank as well. His career can still be saved with consistent booking, provided he improves on his in-ring game and persona. The two can have a relative level of success as a tag team. However, it would be wiser to break them up at this point in time.

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The obvious question that must be asked at this time is how to book their break up. One of them has to turn heel for this to happen. Seeing as how Mojo has been presented on screen until now, I doubt if he can play a credible heel. Zack Ryder, on the other hand, has ample reasons to do exactly that. Ryder has been in the WWE for a long time. His career has seen its ups and downs. Though he is only 32 years old at the moment, the time he has spent inside the ring should have enabled him to reach greater heights by now.

That frustration should plant the roots of a turn in Ryder. A few weeks ago, creative could have played this up rather easily. However, they seem to have an aversion to pulling the trigger on this angle. After tweaking his knee during a battle royale to determine the number one contender for WWE SmackDown Live’s Tag Team Championship, Ryder was out for a good while.

In the mean time, Rawley had been making name as a singles performer. When eventually Ryder returned, the team faced the Usos for the Tag Titles in a losing effort. That should have been an ideal point in time to execute a heel turn.

If that wasn’t convincing enough, fast forward to a few weeks later to the battle royale to determine the number one contender for the United States Title. Surprisingly, it was Rawley who would eliminate his own tag team partner later in the match. We were treated to a backstage segment where the duo was seen arguing over what transpired in the ring, during an episode of Fashion Files.

Ideally, this should have initiated Zack Ryder’s heel turn and the eventual breakup of the Hype Bros. However, that would not happen either. Most recently, they were featured in a squash match to put the Usos over ahead of their title match with the New Day. Now might be one of the last few logical opportunities to pull the trigger on this breakup.

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As I stated before, Mojo can only survive as a face on WWE SmackDown Live, unless he is repackaged entirely. Ryder on the other hand has ample reasons to turn on his partner, who has been holding him back. He went from winning the IC Title at WrestleMania to jobbing out to the Usos in a blur.

In a last-ditch attempt to recapture glory, Ryder can either turn into a nasty heel who cheats to get the job done, or he could move to Raw, team up with Curt Hawkins and start fresh. Hawkins has been trying to get Ryder on his side ever since his return to the WWE. Moreover, he recently lost his 100th Match int he WWE. Pairing up with Zack Ryder could help breathe some fresh life into him as well.

Mojo Rawley on the other hand could continue to build himself up as a singles performer. That is, after getting retribution for whatever he suffers at the hands of Zack Ryder. If Rob Gronknowski transitions into pro-wrestling and eventually, the WWE, creative can then pair these two as well. However, let me reiterate that unless Mojo Rawley comes up with some character evolution, his singles career would have a very short shelf life.

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Which one of the Hype Bros do you think has a better future in the WWE? Do you think Zack Ryder has what it takes to have one more successful singles run? What are your thoughts on Mojo Rawley as a singles performer? Does he have a ceiling that is too low? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.