The tag team scene in WWE has been enjoying a resurgence for the better part of six months to a year. While there are a lot of great teams right now like The Usos, The Shield, and The Wyatt Family just to name a few, no one can deny the impact that The Brotherhood has had on the tag team landscape.
From the point that Cody Rhodes and Goldust won the tag titles back in October, fans knew they would eventually have to lose the championships. That eventuality became reality during the Royal Rumble kick-off show when The Brotherhood lost the belts to the recently returned New Age Outlaws. Then the questions started coming out. Would Cody and Goldust regain the tag titles? Would they part ways, returning to singles careers? Or would they have a messy split culminating in a feud and match at Wrestlemania XXX?
Up until recently, I was in favour of the split. I have always enjoyed a brother vs brother feud. Whether it was Bret vs Owen or Matt and Jeff Hardy, I’ve always found a great brother vs brother feud to be very riveting, and I expect the Rhodes brothers would be no different. Both are solid performers, Cody’s stock has been rising with every great match and Goldust has been having arguably the best run of his career. There’s no denying that the two could put on a stellar match and possibly steal the show at Wrestlemania.
However, the more I thought about it the more I started to sway. While the storyline could be great, and the match could be a show stealer, would it be worth it in the long run? Goldust is 44 years old and while he has been having a fantastic comeback, the hands of the clock only go one way. How many options would be available to him after Wrestlemania if they went this route? From what I could see, not many. So for Goldust, it could be more of a send off but for Cody, would it help his current rise or simply cause his wheels to spin?
Say they have the split, the feud and the match at Wrestlemania. Cody wins the match. Then what? He’s beaten his brother who, while talented, isn’t exactly in world title contention. So where does that put him? Cody’s in a weird spot where he’s not quite at world champion level, but a mid card title may seem like a step back. He brought life and a renewed respect back to the Intercontinental title, there’s no denying that. But going back to that or the US title still seems like the wrong direction. And that is what led me to change my tune, so to speak.
The direction I am leaning now is for The Brotherhood to remain a tag team. Splitting them up would, if nothing else, eliminate one of the best teams in the aforementioned tag team resurgence. They proved they could have great matches with anyone, from Harper & Rowan to Big Show & Rey Mysterio. Is that worth losing for a one off match? Especially when, if you keep them together, you could have them continue to pursue the tag team gold. Even though they lost their rematch, maybe that hunger is still there. Perhaps Cody and Goldust continue to be a thorn in the side of the New Age Outlaws until they finally get a rematch. Or maybe they cost other teams their shot at the titles in an attempt to secure their own spot. Keep the Usos in the mix and add in another team, maybe Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara, and you could have a great four way tag title match at Wrestlemania XXX. Turn it into a ladder match and it’s the makings of what would surely be an incredible match.
If The Brotherhood continue as a tag team and continue after the tag team championships then they are at least still on their current path. It’s not a step backwards for Cody, and would certainly continue to be a major step forward for the tag team scene in general. This seems like the best option of the two, and produces the most positive results. It allows a veteran like Goldust to continue doing some of the best work of his career and to work with a lot of younger up and coming talent. And for Cody it makes him a part of a tag team renaissance, much like the Hardyz, Dudleyz, and Edge & Christian were 15 years ago, and keeps him sharp until he can move up the ladder in the WWE. And who better to have by his side than his own brother?
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