13 men. That’s the absolute maximum of people that could possibly end up, locked up together in the chamber at the same time during the Tag Team Titles match at Elimination Chamber next Sunday. Never in the history of the PPV have there been that many superstars inside the steel structure. It will be chaos, that’s guaranteed. The amount of people involved and the nature of the surroundings raise the likelihood of injury to a disturbing level. With the stakes running high, let’s look at each of the teams that will clash on May 31.
Los Matadores
None. That’s about exactly as much of a chances Los Matadores have of winning this match. This is a team of two faceless men, who even the commentators can’t tell apart, who don’t talk at all and who never win clean. There are only two ways Diego and Fernando ever pick up a victory – either by a surprise rollup, or by using El Torrito’s help. These two will never be champions while they have this gimmick.
The Ascension
Talking about bad gimmicks, the one that springs to mind is the Ascension. Konnor and Viktor ruled NXT as Tag Team Champions. They were merciless, vicious and blood-thirsty. They were almost inhuman in their relentless craving for inflicting pain and destruction. And from that they were reduced to a couple of cocky and delusional guys, who trash talk legends that are long gone, while pouting heavily in pre-recorded promos. It’s just sad to look at the Ascension, scrapping at the bottom of the main roster tag team division with this dead-end gimmick.
The way they are now, Konnor and Viktor don’t have nearly enough momentum or respect from the fans to get a run with the gold. However, I’d vote with two hands in favor of the Ascension winning in the Chamber if that would guarantee them a change of gimmick.
The Lucha Dragons
This is another NXT team that deserves attention. Kalisto and Sin Cara are an interesting duo. They are the only two superstars on the roster who exclusively use Lucha Libre style in their matches. They are an exotic luxury for the WWE audience. We’ve seen Sin Cara/Hunico in singles action before. He’s good but he never really stood out. Kalisto, on the other hand, is a different question. His style is absolutely spectacular. This man doesn’t need to say a word to get the crowd cheering. That’s how good his wrestling is.
However, the fact that neither man has shown a talent for cutting good promos is a serious handicap for The Lucha Dragons. Being a champion without working the audience on the mic is possible in NXT. It’s a wrestling show with only 45 minutes or so to work with. This is not the case with RAW/SmackDown. There, the E in WWE takes a large portion of the show. Although they are exciting in the ring, Sin Cara and Kalisto’s inability to produce an engaging speech lower their chances of taking the top spot in the division.
Prime Time Players
The Prime Time Players are the complete opposite of the Lucha Dragons. We hear Darren Young and Titus O’Neil talk every week, at least in two different promos. They cut jokes, throw catch phrases and even have a signature dance. PTP are full of personality and they don’t shy away from showing it.
However, we haven’t seen them wrestle at all. How many matches have they had since they got back together? I don’t remember seeing them in action on RAW/SmackDown in months. Even now, when we already know they’ll fight at Elimination Chamber, PTP weren’t in the 4 Corners match on SmackDown. They were at ringside. I suppose they’ll see some action next week but still, is this enough? Is one (still hypothetical) match a good enough reason to assume that Titus O’Neil and Darren Young will work well as defending champions in the ring?
Cesaro & Tyson Kidd
Cesaro and Kidd are the only contenders for the title, who have the full package. They are funny, they have character, the crowd loves them and they are incredible in the ring, both as single competitors and as a team. I expect the Fact Droppers to show the best examples of team work out of all duos involved.
The problem is that Cesaro and Kidd have already blown multiple opportunities to get their titles back from the New Day. Whether these losses were justified, or not is not the question at all. The 2 out of 3 Falls match at Payback should have been the definitive end of the Kidd & Cesaro vs. New Day rivalry. The inter-personal tension between these two teams has already dried out. A change of hands of the title, benefitting Cesaro and Kidd, would mean that this rivalry would keep going. I’d much rather see something new.
New Day
The New Day have grown immensely in the last couple of months. They, unlike all the other teams on the roster, are actually taking a turn for the positive in every aspect. The New Day took a gimmick that seemed to have been as bad as Los Matadores’ and turned it inside out so it will work in their favor. They pulled a Bo Dallas and started using their face promos as heel heat fuel.
They are sneaky, they are cheeky and the unexplainable incapability of the officials to differentiate between Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, makes the New Day a winning team. They get the job done in the ring and also draw a response from the crowd. That makes them worthy champions and will probably help them retain at Elimination Chamber.
Harper & Rowan
Harper and Rowan are not in the title match and this is a huge mistake. Who doesn’t want to see two psychotic monsters rip apart 11 other men inside the Elimination Chamber?! It would have been brutal and it would have guaranteed new champions.
Maybe the WWE decided against it because the division is not ready for Harper & Rowan. I don’t see a team that could stand up to them. The Tag Team Division lacks good characters. The current top teams – Kidd/Cesaro and The New Day, both rely on comedy in their gimmicks. How do you see them surviving against the Wyatt Family like that? The one other brutal force in the division – the Ascension is wasted on dwelling in the past. Harper and Rowan simply have no competition. And still, in the name of the show, I would have given them Los Matadores’ spot.
Who would you like to see leave Elimination Chamber with the Tag Team belts? Leave your comments below!