As we approach three months into 2025, WWE has noticeably enhanced their focus on the tag team division. The groundwork was laid down last year when the company split up the formerly unified Tag Team Championships. Once WWE unveiled the new WWE Tag Team Championship and World Tag Team Championships, it was a sign of things to come.
With the tag titles being split up between both Raw and SmackDown, it provides more teams with chances at tag team gold. For the past few years, it has felt like The Judgement Day and The Usos were holding the titles hostage. Now that both teams are completely out of the picture, it has paved the way for ample opportunities for WWE to create meaningful tag team feuds and matches.
SmackDown's Tag Division Is Rich With Title Contenders
The Tag Team Division Is Cooking On SmackDown
At last year's WrestleMania, A-Town Down Under became the SmackDown Tag Team Champions, courtesy of Grayson Waller. They held the WWE Tag Team titles for 90 days before losing them to DIY (Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano). Although DIY stands today as the tag champs, their journey hasn't been easy for them on SmackDown. Just 28 days after defeating A-Town Down Under for the titles, they lost to The Bloodline on the SmackDown leading up to SummerSlam last year.
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Solo Sikoa's Bloodline would reign supreme as the face of the tag division for 84 days before losing to the newly signed Motor City Machine Guns. Once DIY turned heel and took the titles back from the Motor City Machine Guns, it has elevated the tag team picture on SmackDown even more. It initiated a five-star banger Two Out of Three Falls Match at the Royal Rumble between DIY and MCMG. Since then, two more tag teams have been added to the fold. It has possibly commenced what could be a historic match at WrestleMania 41.
A Fatal-4 Way TLC Tag Team Title Match Is Perfect for WrestleMania 41
WWE Has A Chance To Create An All-Time Great Match At WrestleMania 41
WWE has a rich history of its tag team ladder matches at WrestleMania. It was a great moment to see R-Truth receive his flowers by winning the Raw tag titles with The Miz last year at WrestleMania. The match featured Awesome Truth, A-Town Down Under, The New Day, DIY, The Judgement Day, and New Catch Republic. Adding the stipulation that a team can grab one pair of belts instead of both added some much-needed excitement to the match.
The main one that comes to mind is WrestleMania 17, when the Hardy Boyz, Edge & Christian, and The Dudley Boyz went to war at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. It is widely considered the greatest tag team championship match of all-time. Much like this year, going into WrestleMania 17, it was backed by several months of tensions building up and feuds forming.
The birth of these matches came from The Hardy's, Dudleyz, and Edge & Christian with their respective weapons of choice during their feud in the early 2000's. It began at SummerSlam 2000, when three teams faced each other in the first-ever TLC tag team match.
The Dudley's widely known moniker, "Get the tables," became a staple for them in all of their matches. Jeff Hardy's willingness to sacrifice his body with a Swanton Bomb off the top of the ladder replays in our heads to this day. When it came to chairs, Edge & Christian loved planting their opponents' heads through a chair with Christian's Unprettier and Edge's Edgecution.
It also paved the way for another memorable TLC tag team match between The Shield versus Team Hell No and Ryback. This match was slightly different since there wasn't a belt hanging above the ring, but it was a great way to debut Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose as The Shield. Obviously, the rest was history with all three of them and where they are today.
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The history of TLC matches is so substantial, that WWE literally created an entire PLE out of it. First established in 2009, the last TLC PLE was in 2020. If you grew up in the Attitude Era or the Ruthless Aggression era, these matches will hold a special place in your heart and it would be brilliant for WWE to bring back this nostalgia at this year's WrestleMania since the tag division is in a much better state than in recent years.
Who Should Leave WrestleMania 41 As Champions?
Who Should Be Included In The Match, Who Should Walk Out As Champs
The way it is set up now, the SmackDown tag team title picture includes The Street Profits, DIY, Motor City Machine Guns, and Pretty Deadly. If there were to be a TLC Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania 41, it would also be a great way to introduce the current NXT Tag Team Champions Axiom to the main roster crowd as well. They've approached 180 days as the champions and are often associated with being the best tag team in the world right now. It is unlikely that happens though - more wishful thinking.
Considering the current landscape of the SmackDown tag team division, many teams have legitimate stories about why they should leave Las Vegas with the SmackDown Tag Team titles.
DIY is in their second main roster title run as the champs and right now are running the tag division on the main roster. The Motor City Machine Guns are three-time TNA Champions and are widely regarded as one of the best tag teams in the world today. From their tenure in TNA, they've participated in their fair share of ladder matches. Due to their experience, they'd be a favorite.
Pretty Deadly came from WWE NXT as one of the best tag teams the brand had ever seen. They put together two title reigns as the NXT Tag Team Champions and were champions for 50-plus days during their first reign and nearly 100 days during their final run. They'll be hungry for their first taste of main roster gold.
The obvious choice to leave WrestleMania 41 victorious is The Street Profits. Their heel turn at the Royal Rumble introduced us to a darker version of themselves that we've never seen before. For the majority of their career, they've been known as babyfaces. They've yet to receive a true run as a heel and with the combination Montez Ford's incredible promo/mic skills and Angelo Dawkins in-ring ability, "We Want The Smoke" could become even bigger in a long run as the top heel tag team in WWE.
