Heath Slater, Rhyno Need a Proper Run with WWE SmackDown Tag Titles
The unlikely pairing of Heath Slater and Rhyno has become one of the fumiest pairings WWE has had in years, but with the duo winning the tag gold, they now need a decent run as champions.
Two months ago, WWE held the draft which split up the rosters with half the roster on RAW and the other on Smackdown Live. The whole active roster was drafted that night with the exception of one man, Heath Slater.
Slater saw his Social Outcasts members, Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas both get drafted to RAW, while he sat in the locker room as the only one not selected. For the next month, Slater stated he was the hottest free agent and tried to land a job on both RAW and Smackdown Live.
The One Man Band then had to prove his worth on both shows, and tried to compete and win matches against tough opponents. Even after losing to opponents such as Rhyno and Jinder Mahal, Slater was able to gain a fan following.
Despite original intentions to make this storyline a running joke, Slater took the ball and ran with it gaining a following. The fact that Slater would do anything to earn a contract even taking a beating by Brock Lesnar earned a respect from the fans.
In late August, Smackdown Live announced their new Tag Team Championship would be decided in a tournament. Slater begged Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan to be in this, and they reluctantly agreed. However, they said Slater would only earn a contract if he and his partner won the whole thing.
After struggling to find a partner, Rhyno, who had cost Slater a contract a few weeks earlier after beating him a match, agreed to be his tag partner for the tournament. The two were instant comedic gold, as they portrayed a sort of odd couple.
The two along, with Renne Young, took part in a promo at Slater’s trailer depicting his wife, his seven children (That he knows about) and Rhyno eating cheese whiz on crackers. As crazy as it sounds, the segment was comedic gold and arguably the funniest thing WWE has had on TV this year.
The duo became comedic in the ring too, as Slater would take the beatings and then Rhyno would come in the ring Goring their opponent and bailing Slater out of trouble. They would beat The Headbangers and The Hype Bros in the first two rounds.
Along with their comedy, though, the Slater and Rhyno, got an emotional following with them. On an episode of Talking Smack, Rhyno stated that he had never won a Tag Team Championship in the United States while Slater said he wanted to be on Smackdown more than anything. So, along with the laughs, they brought a different side to their team.
Then at Backlash, Slater and Rhyno shocked the world when they defeated The Usos in the finals to win the Smackdown Tag Titles. A developing feud between The Usos and America Alpha could mean that Rhyno and Slater are going to lose their belts to The Usos at No Mercy.
However, WWE should let Rhyno and Slater hold the new belts for a decent amount of time. They are the most over tag team on the WWE main roster, and having them keep the tag belts is a great idea.
When Rhyno and Slater drop the belts, it should be to a team that deserves them. The Usos have had their time on top, so it’s another team should get an opportunity. The perfect team to take the belts from them would be The Revival (If they join the Smackdown Live roster).
The Revival are the perfect tag team to beat them, as they are that classic heel team that hates comedy acts and will do everything they can to defeat Slater and Rhyno. This could potentially lead to a fatal four-way match at WrestleMania between Slater and Rhyno, The Usos, The Revival and American Alpha.
While fans may want to see American Alpha as the champions, WWE should wait until a big event like WrestleMania. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan are young, and sometimes the journey is better than the conquest, and the duo winning their first championship at The Show of Shows would be a huge deal.
WWE has something very special with Rhyno and Heath Slater. They would be foolish to ruin this comedic paring by having them drop the tag belts so early on in their run. When you have a tag team as entertaining as them, the smart thing to do is keep their momentum going.
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