WWE: What’s Next For The Raw Tag Team Division?

On Monday Night Raw, the Authors of Pain finally claimed gold by defeating Seth Rollins. Now, with the tag team belts free from being accessories to Raw’s biggest rivalries, what’s next for the brand’s tag team division?

It had begun to feel like it would never happen, but now the Authors of Pain have finally reached their rightful place at the pinnacle of the Raw tag team division.

Now that the belts are free from the stifling effect of The Shield’s latest rivalries, what’s next for the somewhat underdeveloped Raw tag scene?

It would seem the most logical step is to start pushing a team to challenge for AoP’s crown. While its true we could potentially see Rollins challenge for the belts again with a new partner, its hard to see that end up being the case with the red-hot rivalry with Dean Ambrose still burning.

That leaves us the already established teams on Raw to sort through to find a pair of worthy challengers.

Unfortunately, that task may prove a bit more difficult than it would appear given the current state of the division. Right now, most of the existing tag teams on Raw lack the right push or combination of stars to be realistically positioned as exciting challengers for AoP.

The names that immediately jump out to most people when looking over the Raw division are Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson, The Revival, for example.

Sadly, The Revival have struggled to cling to any sort of relevancy on the brand. First, they were in a strange placeholder feud with Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley that served more to advance Lashley and Reigns’ rivalry than to promote WWE’s Top Guys. Lately, the pair have been practically invisible aside from suffering a recent loss to a debuting Lucha House Party.

That leads me to believe that even if The Revival began to be treated like the great tag team they are, then they would still need a few months to build back up to the level they would be needed at to do a rivalry with AoP justice.

Speaking of Lucha House Party however, they appear to be interesting prospective challengers for the tag team championships on the surface. However, I would argue the team is simply portrayed as too comedic at the moment for a real rivalry with AoP.

The Authors of Pain would shine brightest in their initial title defenses if they were given teams who appeared to be legitimate threats to their level of dominance. An angle with Lucha House Party would inevitable be more about roll-up pins and comedy angles designed to make AoP look inept then it would be to promote their destructive natures.

That leaves the rest of the assorted tag teams on Raw as potential challengers, and to be frank, none of them seem ready for an extended feud.

The Ascension, although at one point being a team that would be perfect fit to fight AoP, are still seen too much like damaged goods at this point. I would argue Chad Gable and Bobby Roode haven’t really shown any lasting gimmick or chemistry yet, and B Team runs into the same comedy problems that an AoP versus Lucha House Party rivalry would run in to.

Additionally, although I do believe Titus Worldwide could have been intriguing challengers for the tag team championships at one point, Apollo Crews and Titus O’Neil appear to have separated for the moment. Besides, they’ve already had a rivalry with AoP earlier in the year which would dampen any excitement for seeing the two teams feud.

If no one in the current tag team division is left then, what pairing of competitors is actually worthy of facing the Authors of Pain in their first extended feud with the tag team belts?

Believe it or not, its a pair of superstars who have graced our televisions numerous times over recent weeks.

Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush would be the perfect pairing to take on Authors of Pain.

Lashley and Rush already have a dynamic gimmick to work with, while also being presented as a truly impactful team as of late. They also provide the power of Lashley to make the pair seem like a true threat to AoP. In addition, Rush would make the perfect kind of competitor for AoP to throw around and show off their true strength.

Ideas abound when thinking of all the exciting possibilities for matches between these two teams. Imagine Rush being whipped by a powerbomb out of the ring and onto a groggy Lashley, or the exciting tag team moves two competitors like Rush and Lashley could combine to make.

While it may not be the most obvious choice, I believe Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush are the only real team on the Raw roster who could square off in an exciting and intriguing rivalry with the Authors of Pain.