Mr. Nerfect
10-02-2016, 08:28 AM
ROH have commissioned a tournament to crown their first-ever ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship, and while this will be a good vehicle to bring in lots of talent from CMLL and New Japan, most of the teams in contention do feel really thrown together. Conversely, in the WWE, you actually have access to some potentially effective three-man units. Since The Shield kicked down the door in 2012, the WWE has gravitated towards that format for its factions, and it's worked out quite well.
The Shield: This would be the most noteworthy three-man unit in the WWE, and if you hypothetically created a Six-Man Tag Team Championship, they would be one of the best choices to hold it. If there was a championship of this order when The Shield was around, they probably would have held it forever, maybe traded it with John Cena & The Usos a few times in 2013, and then ultimately dropped it to...
The Wyatt Family: The original three-man force of Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper & Erick Rowan was something magical. Harper is one of the best workers in the world; Bray Wyatt can talk his ass off and knows his way around a match; while Erick Rowan is impressionable enough to rise to the level an exciting six-man tag needs. It would be very easy to put this gang back together to, say, face The Shield at WrestleMania in a tournament final to create new champions.
The New Day: That these three seemed to have captured the imagination of Vince McMahon may have saved their careers. This vehicle, especially as heels, helped these three men find their footing as personalities. Their endearing nature has made them a top merchandise mover for the company. With standard Tag Titles, their run is getting a little long in the tooth for some people, and it's hard to keep the babyface dynamic when you are using the Freebird formula. Xavier Woods can mix it up with his buddies a lot more if there was a Six-Man Tag Team Championship for them to contend for.
The Balor Club: When he returns from injury, Finn Balor is likely to be inserted right back into the Universal Title picture -- he is owed a rematch after all. But maybe it would be more beneficial to have Balor work off the ring rust with his good friends -- a unit he put together in New Japan -- Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows? The Good Brothers have failed to capture the WWE Tag Team Championship, but with Finn Balor adding some speed, savvy and natural ability to their ranks, they could easily be as formidable as any other team the WWE could throw together. In fact, matches with The Shield, The New Day and even The Wyatt Family could be considered modern dream matches.
Enzo Amore, Big Cass and...John Cena?: The Franchise Player in WWE has gone on record saying that he sees a lot in Enzo Amore and really wanted to work with him. Cena got that chance at Battleground and the end results were the last great victory Enzo & Cass have had in WWE. Cena's full-time career is winding down -- well, you could say his "full-time" career is now officially over, but he has grown into one of the best babyface performers the WWE has. Cynicism aside, Cena has a lot of knowledge he can impart onto Big Cass and Enzo Amore, and help polish them up for long-term success in the WWE. Some worry about Enzo's size being a factor in the WWE, but him buddying up with John Cena and holding his own in their scraps is a good way to condition fans to expect big things from Enzo.
Sanity: This new faction has been sending teases via video to NXT General Manager, William Regal, for weeks. But remember when The Shield showed up at Survivor Series and made an immediate impact by putting Ryback through an announce table? This is the sort of impact the mysterious figures that make up Sanity could have on the main roster in WWE. All the personalities that could compose this hypothetical division are pre-existing personalities within the WWE Universe. This would be the first case of three new faces crashing the party and setting their sights on three-man glory.
In addition to these warring factions, you could very easily put teams together and give them interim runs.
The Major Hype Bros: Zack Ryder's two best friends sync up with him and head into battle alongside a man they have had mixed successes with. Curt Hawkins brings a more technical and cunning style, while Mojo Rawley brings explosiveness and power to the forefront.
Shinsuke Nakamura, Hideo Itami & Kota Ibushi: The Japanese dream team would no doubt have others goals -- especially a spirit as free as Nakamura -- but The Living Legends of Strong Style would make fantastic challengers, or even champions, of a Six-Man Tag Team Division.
Lucha Dragons: Kalisto and Sin Cara may have been separated via the brand split, but if it were to end and they were able to form a union with Gran Metalik, who wowed most people who watched the CWC, their lucha style could be used to overwhelm even many of their larger opponents. Their individual goals would probably crop up and keep them from long-term success in the division, but a seasonal run in the division, maybe even with the belts, if they were instituted, could be refreshing if the battles between the others begin to tire.
Catch Point: A group led by TJ Perkins in EVOLVE. Right now, Perkins is on top of the world, smiling, waxing philosophical with the WWE Universe -- but if things get sour for the Cruiserweight Champion, is it too hard to imagine him making a phone call to former UFC fighter, Matt Riddle? Is it impossible to imagine Drew Gulak throwing down his aspirations for singles glory in order to aide his former parnter, TJP? Fred Yehi and Tracy Williams are also both gaining experience in the independent scene, and could be a twisted arm's length away should Catch Point need to replenish or shift around its ranks. CP could be one of the more permanent fixtures of a Six-Man Tag Team Division, constantly evolving and giving exposure to a bunch of different emerging stars who fit the group's philosophy.
The Dirty Heels: Bobby Roode is a man that fashions himself on the greats. He's watched the tapes, and he has become a glorious competitor. He reminds lots of critics of legends like Triple H and Ric Flair. Both of those men notoriously surrounded themselves with talented and ambitious men who saw the value in supporting one man's quest for the gold. Triple H did it with D-Generation X and Evolution; Ric Flair with the Four Horsemen. Bobby Roode just needs the ears of two or three men that are hungry to make it to the WWE, and are happy with The It Factor's off-cuts from his own personal glory. Roode has had successful partnerships in the past with James Storm and Austin Aries -- one of whom is already training in the WWE Performance Center; and the other is a free agent ready to go at a moment's notice. Strongly rumored to be signed to a WWE contract is "The Messiah of the Backbreaker," Roderick Strong. In the past, Strong has been a great partner (and rival) to Austin Aries, but times have changed -- it is now or never for men like Storm, Aries & Strong, who have stepped on a lot of drowning heads in order to even get a sniff in the WWE, so their familiarity with one another in whatever context they can find it might be their best chance at surviving.
Too Cool: Just kidding, we don't really need to see them back.
If the rosters were brought back to together, I would not be opposed to seeing a brand new championship crowned in its wake. The WWE Freebird Championship would pay homage to the great factions of past, but allow new ones to step up and seize the moment within the realm of sanctioned competition. Given the quality of the match-ups between many of these factions in the past, it is not impossible to imagine a Freebird Championship match headlining a PPV -- with the blood, sweat and tears of six men, as opposed to just two, carrying the load of the promotional duties. Maybe not every PPV, but it is definitely possible to envision it being treated as a legitimate World Championship in the WWE.
The Shield: This would be the most noteworthy three-man unit in the WWE, and if you hypothetically created a Six-Man Tag Team Championship, they would be one of the best choices to hold it. If there was a championship of this order when The Shield was around, they probably would have held it forever, maybe traded it with John Cena & The Usos a few times in 2013, and then ultimately dropped it to...
The Wyatt Family: The original three-man force of Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper & Erick Rowan was something magical. Harper is one of the best workers in the world; Bray Wyatt can talk his ass off and knows his way around a match; while Erick Rowan is impressionable enough to rise to the level an exciting six-man tag needs. It would be very easy to put this gang back together to, say, face The Shield at WrestleMania in a tournament final to create new champions.
The New Day: That these three seemed to have captured the imagination of Vince McMahon may have saved their careers. This vehicle, especially as heels, helped these three men find their footing as personalities. Their endearing nature has made them a top merchandise mover for the company. With standard Tag Titles, their run is getting a little long in the tooth for some people, and it's hard to keep the babyface dynamic when you are using the Freebird formula. Xavier Woods can mix it up with his buddies a lot more if there was a Six-Man Tag Team Championship for them to contend for.
The Balor Club: When he returns from injury, Finn Balor is likely to be inserted right back into the Universal Title picture -- he is owed a rematch after all. But maybe it would be more beneficial to have Balor work off the ring rust with his good friends -- a unit he put together in New Japan -- Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows? The Good Brothers have failed to capture the WWE Tag Team Championship, but with Finn Balor adding some speed, savvy and natural ability to their ranks, they could easily be as formidable as any other team the WWE could throw together. In fact, matches with The Shield, The New Day and even The Wyatt Family could be considered modern dream matches.
Enzo Amore, Big Cass and...John Cena?: The Franchise Player in WWE has gone on record saying that he sees a lot in Enzo Amore and really wanted to work with him. Cena got that chance at Battleground and the end results were the last great victory Enzo & Cass have had in WWE. Cena's full-time career is winding down -- well, you could say his "full-time" career is now officially over, but he has grown into one of the best babyface performers the WWE has. Cynicism aside, Cena has a lot of knowledge he can impart onto Big Cass and Enzo Amore, and help polish them up for long-term success in the WWE. Some worry about Enzo's size being a factor in the WWE, but him buddying up with John Cena and holding his own in their scraps is a good way to condition fans to expect big things from Enzo.
Sanity: This new faction has been sending teases via video to NXT General Manager, William Regal, for weeks. But remember when The Shield showed up at Survivor Series and made an immediate impact by putting Ryback through an announce table? This is the sort of impact the mysterious figures that make up Sanity could have on the main roster in WWE. All the personalities that could compose this hypothetical division are pre-existing personalities within the WWE Universe. This would be the first case of three new faces crashing the party and setting their sights on three-man glory.
In addition to these warring factions, you could very easily put teams together and give them interim runs.
The Major Hype Bros: Zack Ryder's two best friends sync up with him and head into battle alongside a man they have had mixed successes with. Curt Hawkins brings a more technical and cunning style, while Mojo Rawley brings explosiveness and power to the forefront.
Shinsuke Nakamura, Hideo Itami & Kota Ibushi: The Japanese dream team would no doubt have others goals -- especially a spirit as free as Nakamura -- but The Living Legends of Strong Style would make fantastic challengers, or even champions, of a Six-Man Tag Team Division.
Lucha Dragons: Kalisto and Sin Cara may have been separated via the brand split, but if it were to end and they were able to form a union with Gran Metalik, who wowed most people who watched the CWC, their lucha style could be used to overwhelm even many of their larger opponents. Their individual goals would probably crop up and keep them from long-term success in the division, but a seasonal run in the division, maybe even with the belts, if they were instituted, could be refreshing if the battles between the others begin to tire.
Catch Point: A group led by TJ Perkins in EVOLVE. Right now, Perkins is on top of the world, smiling, waxing philosophical with the WWE Universe -- but if things get sour for the Cruiserweight Champion, is it too hard to imagine him making a phone call to former UFC fighter, Matt Riddle? Is it impossible to imagine Drew Gulak throwing down his aspirations for singles glory in order to aide his former parnter, TJP? Fred Yehi and Tracy Williams are also both gaining experience in the independent scene, and could be a twisted arm's length away should Catch Point need to replenish or shift around its ranks. CP could be one of the more permanent fixtures of a Six-Man Tag Team Division, constantly evolving and giving exposure to a bunch of different emerging stars who fit the group's philosophy.
The Dirty Heels: Bobby Roode is a man that fashions himself on the greats. He's watched the tapes, and he has become a glorious competitor. He reminds lots of critics of legends like Triple H and Ric Flair. Both of those men notoriously surrounded themselves with talented and ambitious men who saw the value in supporting one man's quest for the gold. Triple H did it with D-Generation X and Evolution; Ric Flair with the Four Horsemen. Bobby Roode just needs the ears of two or three men that are hungry to make it to the WWE, and are happy with The It Factor's off-cuts from his own personal glory. Roode has had successful partnerships in the past with James Storm and Austin Aries -- one of whom is already training in the WWE Performance Center; and the other is a free agent ready to go at a moment's notice. Strongly rumored to be signed to a WWE contract is "The Messiah of the Backbreaker," Roderick Strong. In the past, Strong has been a great partner (and rival) to Austin Aries, but times have changed -- it is now or never for men like Storm, Aries & Strong, who have stepped on a lot of drowning heads in order to even get a sniff in the WWE, so their familiarity with one another in whatever context they can find it might be their best chance at surviving.
Too Cool: Just kidding, we don't really need to see them back.
If the rosters were brought back to together, I would not be opposed to seeing a brand new championship crowned in its wake. The WWE Freebird Championship would pay homage to the great factions of past, but allow new ones to step up and seize the moment within the realm of sanctioned competition. Given the quality of the match-ups between many of these factions in the past, it is not impossible to imagine a Freebird Championship match headlining a PPV -- with the blood, sweat and tears of six men, as opposed to just two, carrying the load of the promotional duties. Maybe not every PPV, but it is definitely possible to envision it being treated as a legitimate World Championship in the WWE.