Credit: WWE.com
The fan base has been chomping at the bit for WWE to finally create Women’s Tag Team Titles, but what is the best way to go about introducing them?
As the Women’s Revolution train chugs ever-forward, we are constantly treated to new and groundbreaking announcements. Between the inaugural women’s Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber, Money in the Bank, and Royal Rumble matches, there have been enough “first evers” over the last couple of years to keep the heads of women’s wrestling fans spinning.
The progress of this movement has been coming at a rapid pace and now, for the first time in thirty years, hope is finally once again alive for the introduction of Women’s Tag Team titles.
In the same year we were treated to the retirement of the Divas Championship and crowning of the first ever Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champions. Those champions were Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, respectively, and they’re still carrying the division as possibly its two biggest stars aside from Ronda Rousey.
Since that time two years ago, we have seen the divisions on both Raw and SmackDown overflowing with valuable talent and the fact that there are only two titles to contend for means most of them will never reach the top of the mountain, or at least they may not do so in a timely fashion.
The time is ripe for tag titles to be added to the women’s division, and fuel has been added to the fire following a recent comment Stephanie McMahon made to Sky Sports regarding WWE’s awareness of the demand. With Women’s Tag Team titles practically a given at this point, now the discussion shifts to how to implement them in a practical sense. Let’s take a look at three ways this can be done in WWE’s current landscape.
Two Sets of Titles
Creating two sets of women’s tag titles – one for Raw, one for SmackDown – is probably the most immediately obvious way to go. As it stands each show has its own equivalent to whatever other championship the other has. That seems to work pretty well for now (though, as someone who values symmetry and balance, my gears are really ground by the lack of uniformity in the names of some of these titles), but the crowning of both Raw and SmackDown Women’s Tag Team Champions seems highly unlikely.
Despite the high number of female Superstars on Raw and SmackDown, the pool of talent is just not there for four additional title holders in the main roster women’s division, and there certainly aren’t currently enough tag teams on each show. For instance, there are the IIconics on SmackDown, but who would challenge them? Naomi and Asuka are a thing, but really, how long is that going to last? Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are pretty much history at this point, while Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch aren’t likely to see much of a future together as a tandem.
Still, if WWE really wants to make two sets of women’s tag team titles work, it could be done. They have an overwhelming number of worthy women that could be called up from NXT or NXT UK, and more are currently training at the Performance Center. That’s not even considering all the women who have competed in the first two Mae Young Classics and still haven’t been signed to contracts. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem likely the company will dig this deep and call on talent they see as green.
Credit: WWE.com
Co-Branded Titles
While one set of women’s tag team titles for Raw and SmackDown each seems like a long shot, a co-branded approach for the titles seems to be the most likely scenario.
By themselves, neither Raw nor SmackDown Live have the numbers to create two separate tag team divisions out of the current crop of female Superstars. Combined, however, Raw and SmackDown already have a potentially decent division and the Women’s Tag Team Champions could travel to both shows to defend their titles like Corey Graves defends his status as WWE’s top commentator.
Bayley and Sasha Banks stand out as potential megastars in a Women’s Tag Team Championship picture, with worthy and believable challengers in the IIconics, the Riott Squad and even the Bella Twins. WWE Hall of Famers Trish Stratus and Lita would also be welcomed back into the fold with open arms for a big WrestleMania dream match pitting Team Bestie against the Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection. I mean, personally, I could die happily after a showdown like that.
On a related note, ESPN’s Arash Markazi argues that SmackDown Live’s upcoming move to Fox could see WWE change directions on their relatively young brand extension by once again consolidating the rosters of both Raw and SmackDown. While the idea of ending the brand split is sure to divide the wrestling fandom down the middle, this would be ideal for a potential women’s tag team division. It would likely even see one of the current Women’s Championships done away with, which would give the tag titles a little extra wiggle room.
Credit: WWE.com
Raw-Exclusive Titles
Look, I’m going to be upfront. I’ve already mentioned that I’m a bit of a sucker for balance; the fact that the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Titles aren’t just called the Universal Women’s and WWE Women’s titles (to match the men’s Universal and WWE Championships) is maddening to me.
Naturally, Raw getting exclusive rights to a future set of Women’s Tag Team titles is not going to be my first choice, but maybe this is where I’m supposed to suck it up and accept that Raw and SmackDown will never be equals, despite what my inner teen self is telling me about keeping my hopes and dreams alive.
Raw is a three-hour show and has been for the better part of a decade, even though it’s a point of contention among fans that this is just far too long for a wrestling show. Even on my best and most devoted of days as a wrestling fan, I rarely make it through an episode of Raw without skipping the main event due to complete exhaustion unless the slot goes to the female Superstars.
With that said, the third hour of Raw isn’t going anywhere, so it might as well play host to the women’s tag team division. This, of course, would require women from both Raw and SmackDown competing on Mondays or even all female tag teams becoming official members of the Raw roster.
It would be like waving a giant flag declaring Raw as the dominant show, which is crippling to my desire for equality among the brands, but the fact that the excruciating extra screen time on Monday nights would be used for good instead of evil would make it all worth it.
Regardless of how they do it, WWE has gold on its hands when it introduces the modern day iteration of the Women’s Tag Team Championship. There are so many talented, larger-than-life stars in the women’s division that this will be a foolproof step toward providing the depth this roster of performers deserves. And maybe one day we’ll see the first ever Women’s Intercontinental Champion crowned.