SummerSlam had a lot of matches, but some things were missing as well. Such as high-profile slots for the likes of Becky Lynch, Rhea Ripley and Trish Stratus. But also? Not a single tag match.
Not that factions weren't represented. Judgment Day continues to be the biggest thing going on Monday nights, but that translated to nothing but losses. Of course, that is the story, the relationship between Finn Balor and Damian Priest, and makes Monday's Raw that much more compelling.
An injury to Kevin Owens kept him and Sami Zayn, and their titles, off the Biggest Party of the Summer. Much as we love Sami and KO, having unified titles means one less opportunity for teams to shine.
And sure, Gunther and his Imperium mates got time in The Ring General's defending of the Intercontinental title, and the latter perhaps kick-starting a program with Alpha Academy in the Slim Jim Battle Royal, but for the most part being in a tag team meant you were organizational depth in that battle royal.
We did get a heckuva conclusion in Jimmy Uso betraying Jey and seemingly breaking up one of the greatest tag teams of their generation, and Roman retaining to keep leading The Bloodline. But all these people are now pretty much singles stars.
There's so much talent in the division, and it would be great to see it spotlighted better.
The following Tag Team Power Rankings take into account wins, power and placement of segments, recentness of appearances, creative direction and momentum for teams and factions.
WWE Tag Team Power Rankings through Aug. 5:
1. The Bloodline (last week: 2)
Pro: Roman is still The Tribal Chief and top dog in the company after winning a hellacious match over Jey Uso.
Con: Did so because Jimmy betrayed his brother and broke so many hearts.
2. Judgment Day (1)
Pro: They continue to dominate Monday nights with a big presence on Tuesdays as well. Rhea Ripley is still women's champ, Dom's still the guy with the North American title and Damian Priest remains Senor Money in the Bank.
Con: Finn Balor's inability to get on the same page as Damian cost The Prince a championship at Backlash. Also resulted in a main event tag loss on Raw, in part because Finn wasn't in a huge hurry to help Damian cash in his MitB briefcase.
3. Damage CTRL (not ranked)
Pro: SummerSlam is very good to the faction, as Iyo Sky won a women's championship at the same event where they debuted last year. And we saw Dakota Kai (which, frankly, made me almost as happy as Iyo's win).
Con: Shotzi is still stalking Bayley, and we have to wonder if the Role Model will be jealous of Iyo's gold at some point.
4. The D'Angelo Family (7)
Pro: Still the new NXT men's tag champs and had a fun six-man tag with old frenemy Santos Escobar helping the babyfaces.
Con: Can this mean they're done with Gallus, please?
5. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (6)
Pro: Still the Raw and SmackDown tag champs. Sami picked up a win tagging with Seth Rollins.
Con: Get well soon, KO. We miss your always entertaining presence.
6. Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville (5)
Pro: Still women's tag champs.
Con: And pretty much in limbo given the value of that title.
7. Imperium (not ranked)
Pro: Gunther's still Intercontinental Champion, beating back Drew McIntyre after defeating Chad Gable in a mighty fine Raw match. And Ludwig Kaiser even won a singles match, besting upper mid-carder Matt Riddle.
Con: Gunther thinking he could beat Chad in five minutes was definitely overconfidence, and technically a rare loss for the Ring General.
8. LWO (5)
Pro: Santos Escobar is the #1 contender to the US title, and even journeyed down to NXT to win a main event six-man tag match.
Con: WWE seems to love Austin Theory as champ, so does Santos have a chance?
9. Alpha Academy (not ranked)
Pro: Maxxine won her first-ever singles match in defeating Valhalla, while Chad Gable technically won a five-minute challenge to Gunther before taking the IC champ to the limit in a fine showcase.
Con: Not the cleanest match given Maxxine's lack of ring experience, but she did have the crowd behind her.
10. Meta-Four (10)
Pro: Noam Dar and Oro Mensah picked up a big win over Carmelo Hayes and Wes Lee.
Con: They really needed a win, but will this lead anywhere for the four?
Best tag segment of the week: Usos betraying Usos is a heartbreaking concept, and it also means the end (for now) of one of the best teams to ever lace up a pair of boots. But it's compelling TV!
Grade: B
The lack of team action on the big stage and not giving enough (or any) time to the women's champs keeps this down somewhat. Nonetheless, that we had enough action to keep the new-look Street Profits and first-time winners Elektra Lopez and Lola Vice off the rankings speaks to good depth.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.
"crowded" - Google News
August 06, 2023 at 08:57PM
https://ift.tt/LIJltgs
Tag Team Weekly Roundup and Power Ratings: Tag action got crowded out of SummerSlam - Cageside Seats
"crowded" - Google News
https://ift.tt/SPiUMN3
https://ift.tt/P5O8DKj
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Tag Team Weekly Roundup and Power Ratings: Tag action got crowded out of SummerSlam - Cageside Seats"
Post a Comment