Sting retired as AEW Tag Team Champion with Darby Allin, but what does it mean for the future of the tag team division? At AEW Dynasty, April 21, 2024, we will crown new AEW World Tag Team Champions. That is when the final for the vacant AEW World Tag Team titles will conclude.
The tournament started on AEW Collision with a huge upset and a huge mistake, if I may add. AEW Collision’s main event saw The Infantry (Carlie Bravo and Shawn Dean) defeat The House of Black (Brody King and Buddy Matthews).
This was a mistake by AEW, as The House of Black should have advanced. Before we examine why, let’s examine the bracket for the vacant AEW World Tag Team Titles.
AEW Mistake: House Of Black Should Have Advanced
Bracket 1
The #AEW World Tag Team Tournament Brackets have been released!
TOMORROW on #AEWCollision LIVE at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TNT, a Wild Card Match between House Of Black vs. The Infantry will go down!
Watch #AEWRampage on TNT!@BrodyXKing | @snm_buddy | @shawndean773 | @carliebravo pic.twitter.com/V045a1UlrZ
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 16, 2024
In Bracket 1, we have The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson) against Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen). The winner of that match will face the winner of Undisputed Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) and the first wild card team.
Wild Card 1 consists of Best Friends (Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta) versus The Don Callis Family (Kyle Fletcher & Powerhouse Hobbs). The winner of Wild Card 1 will face The Undisputed Kingdom.
Bracket 2
In Bracket 2, we have Ricky Starks and Big Bill against Top Flight (Darius Martin, Dante Martin, and Action Andretti). The winner of that match will face the winner of FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) and the second wild card team. The Second Wild card team ended up being The Infantry, which defeated House of Black.
Now that the teams are settled, let’s get back to the House of Black against the Infantry. The House of Black dominated the whole match. The only reason The Infantry won is because Mark Briscoe distracted Brody King and Buddy Matthews.
The House of Black is the more experienced team, as The Infantry is yet to be officially on the AEW Roster. They had maybe one or two matches in AEW, but the House of Black has been around longer in AEW.
Brief History of House of Black
The House of Black was formed in 2021 at the PWG promotion. It was continued in 2022 when King joined AEW alongside Buddy Matthews, Malakai Black, and Julia Hart. King, Black, and Matthews are just the fourth team in AEW to win the AEW World Trios Championship.
They held the titles for 175 days (second longest reign) before losing them to Billy Gunn & The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster). Julia Hart is also the AEW TBS Champion in the Women’s division. House of Blacks has been dominant since joining forces in AEW, which is one of the reasons they should have continued in the tournament. Here’s the next reason.
The Best of the Best
House of Black is one of the best tag teams in this tournament and in the AEW division. In this tournament, we, as fans, want to see the best teams compete against one another. Without House of Black in the tournament, fans would be less interested as they are one of the most popular factions in AEW.
Fans have been wanting this team to win the World Tag Team titles since they arrived. They dominate, but losing in the end makes the team look weaker, and that is not what you want to do to one of your top teams.
If they don’t have anything planned for the House of Black in the next year, the fans could turn on AEW. They need to pull the trigger already before it is too late. The other reason is that the tournament can now be predictable.
Predictable Outcomes
Without House Of Black in the mix, the tournament is getting more predictable. The finals look like it could be Young Bucks vs FTR. It would be a great matchup, but it could be more predictable.
The Young Bucks just lost to Sting & Darby, and they are the EVPs of AEW, so having them in the final is too predictable but appropriate. The only ones in Bracket 1 that may have a chance to beat the Young Bucks are either the Undisputed Kingdom or the Don Callis Family.
On Bracket 2, it could be Starks & Big Bill or FTR, but it is more likely FTR. House of Black was the only team that could have competed with FTR. Starks & Bill are an interesting pairing, but I just don’t see them defeating FTR. Don’t get me wrong; FTR and The Young Bucks are deserving of the final, but we have seen this matchup for the titles one too many times.
Without House of Black Undisputed Kingdom and The Don Callis Family, the tournament could be a tad bit less predictable. I’m interested in seeing the chemistry of Fletcher & Hobbs and the experience of Matt Taven & Mike Bennett, which will help them throughout the tournament.
One thing is for sure: AEW clearly messed up by not having one of the most dominating and interesting factions in AEW House of Black in the next round.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – AEW – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their YouTube.
