WWE SmackDown: Heavy Machinery would be perfect first challengers for Team Vegan

Heavy Machinery were teased as Daniel Bryan and Rowan’s first challengers to their SmackDown Live Tag Team Championships and that would be just perfect.

Last Tuesday on SmackDown Live, Daniel Bryan and Rowan were gifted the previously vacant SmackDown Tag Team Championships. That same night, they successfully defended their titles for the first time against the former faces of SmackDown Live’s tag team division, The Usos. Then, on their way through the back, the first team to congratulate The Planet’s Tag Team Champions on their win was none other than Heavy Machinery.

Neither Otis or Tucker said anything beyond that, but that and an encompassing staredown was enough to give the impression of who Rowan and Bryan’s first title defense feud will be against. Frankly, if this truly is the case, Bryan and Rowan could not have asked for a more perfect set of challengers.

There are several reasons why Otis and Tucker should make for perfect challengers. The first is an obvious one. Of course, a team comprised of vegans feuding with a team who takes pride in their “steaks and weights” has more than enough storyline potential. I can see the segments now. It’s not hard to imagine Daniel Bryan going on a tirade against meat eaters whilst advocating for veganism, only to be met by Tucker and Otis shamelessly handing him a tenderloin steak.

These could make for some fun comedy segments, but on a more serious note, this feud could go a long way to get Heavy Machinery over in the eyes of mainstream audiences. While the team haven’t planted themselves firmly into a storyline since getting called up from NXT, they consistently received strong ovations from crowds when they were brand hopping these last couple months. Audiences naturally enjoy seeing these characters. A feud against the former WWE Champion and his underling could do a lot to elevate them as credible Superstars.

Rather than just a first challenge for Team Vegan, this feud would do a lot to build the future of WWE’s tag team division. Particularly in regards to the SmackDown roster, which has a tag team division that could desperately use some new blood in its veins.

We’d be amiss if we didn’t address that Tucker and Otis practically got put in the title picture by default. The tag team division on the blue brand is admittedly thin with a noticeable shortage of babyface teams. With one-half of The Hardy Boyz on the injury shelf and The New Day firmly in the WWE Championship frame on behalf of Kofi Kingston, Heavy Machinery is the only babyface team on SmackDown Live. Even then, there are only two other teams on the blue show other than the champions and would-be challengers.

The new Wild Card Rule helps as it allows Team Vegan to tango with the red brand’s more credible tag teams – like The Usos, for example – but that shouldn’t be an excuse to stop trying to build SmackDown Live’s tag team division. While Heavy Machinery are in the title hunt because WWE just has no other choice, they earned their spot by being immensely over with the crowd.

Even though they’re still a new and relatively young team, Heavy Machinery will surely be able to carry their weight into a feud with a former Mania headliner. They’re no slouches and could really benefit from such a huge rub.

Last but not least, Heavy Machinery would make for excellent challengers not just for funny segments or as a means to build a fresh team, but simply because the dynamic is delightfully strange enough to make for some fun matches. It’s an odd pairing, but it could also make for some great chemistry.

Because Heavy Machinery are such silly characters and haven’t done much lately, it’s easy to forget that these guys can go in the ring. Despite both men holding just under five years of in-ring experience, Otis and Tucker had some stellar contests down in NXT against the likes of Street Profits, Authors of Pain and even seasoned veterans like War Raiders. Both men still have room to improve and by working with such a savvy in-ring general as Daniel Bryan, they will improve immensely in no time.

A feud between Heavy Machinery and Team Vegan wouldn’t just be about adding credibility to a new team or creating fun storylines. It would be about setting the stage for the future of WWE’s tag team division. A future that if such a few is booked well that Heavy Machinery could perhaps one day lead that tag team division themselves with ease.

That’s all the more reason why WWE need to follow through on their Tuesday night tease and book this ASAP.