AEW proves WWE consistently neglects tag team wrestling

WWE and their use of tag team wrestling has been a consistent target of criticism, and the company needs to address it sooner rather than later.

Coming out of WWE SummerSlam, neither of the tag team titles were defended on the card. There wasn’t even a hint of a brewing feud for either of them on either Raw or SmackDown in the weeks leading up to the event. Some would argue that was done to shorten the show, but it is also sort of par for the course.

WWE hasn’t been taking tag team wrestling seriously. If you need receipts, consider the outcome of the Raw Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania last year, where Braun Strowman and a random kid defeated one of the best teams. There are more examples, but that’s certainly the most glaring one.

With a new alternative for wrestling fans at All Elite Wrestling (AEW), that’s something that needs to change.

Judging by their first three pay-per-view shows, AEW is doing a great job building an impressive tag division. In fact, the slew of top-notch tag team matches they’ve presented so far probably stand out more than anything else they’ve done. Of course, that’s not a shot at the new promotion, but there’s clearly a focus on bringing great tag team wrestling to the forefront.

This initiative, spearheaded by The Young Bucks, further illuminates the lack of direction at WWE. What makes it worse is there are so many great teams on the roster. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to deliver compelling rivalries and tag team wrestling as good as—if not better than—AEW.

Instead, they’ve relegated a great team like the War Raiders, excuse me The Viking Experience, to uninspiring matches with jobbers. Surely, there’s a better way to utilize them. Moreover, if creative didn’t think their gimmick was suited for the main roster, why did they call them up in the first place?

That may seem minute, but little things like that are part of the larger issues with the way WWE treats tag teams. WWE clearly doesn’t show as much care when establishing or even protecting them.

There are currently two worthy sets of champions, but does it even matter if the company won’t take the time to build up worthwhile contenders? They have a habit of waiting until they want to book a championship match to push a team to the head of the pack.

Even more, teams often gain a title shot by proving themselves against the champions instead of facing other pairings. This isn’t a problem exclusive to the tag division, but it creates an environment where they only invest in one or two acts at a time. It’s shortsighted and counterproductive.

About four months ago, Daniel Bryan declared a plan to lead a tag team evolution because he believed tag team wrestling could headline WrestleMania. Remember, he’s supposed to be a heel. Meanwhile, The Young Bucks and The Brotherhood – Cody and Dustin Rhodes – competed in the main event of the last AEW show.

Furthermore, it’s not hard to imagine the Bucks and the Lucha Bros could headline a show. See, Bryan was absolutely on to something but AEW is already doing the work to prove his point.

On the other hand, WWE didn’t even bother to follow up on this storyline. The Planet’s Champions dropped the title before they could attempt to elevate the division. That sort of says it all, doesn’t it?

Their competitors continue to move the needle, while the largest wrestling promotion in the world has grown complacent. At this rate, they will continue to lag behind in this area but there is still plenty of time to change that.