WWE News: The Usos Are Frontrunners To Win SmackDown Tag Team Titles at WWE Backlash
Over the past six years, The Usos have been a top tag team for WWE through thick and thin. They’ve been able to produce in the ring on a consistent basis, have held the WWE Tag Team Championship twice during their run, and have been featured on Total Divas and several other WWE Network shows. Aside from a few injuries here and there, The Usos have been a consistently good and even great team for WWE.
However, there is always a point in time during a run as WWE Superstars when you have to adapt to the current shift that the WWE product is on and evolve into something new. In many cases, WWE will choose to break up the team and create two new singles stars. The decision was made instead to keep Jimmy and Jey Uso together but turn them heel to help rebuild SmackDown’s Tag Team Division.
Since the WWE Draft and brand extension, American Alpha has burst onto SmackDown’s scene and have been tearing through the brand’s tag team division just as they did in NXT. They defeated The Usos in less than thirty seconds, but that was the final straw that forced them to attack Chad Gable, injur him, and take American Alpha out of the finals of SmackDown’s Tag Team Tournament that was set for WWE Backlash on Sunday night. When The Uso were asked why they attacked Alpha, they responded with a strong statement.
The attack by Jimmy and Jey Uso on SmackDown earlier this week forced major changes to the finals of the SmackDown Tag Team Tournament that will still conclude on Sunday at WWE Backlash. The match that was originally set for WWE Backlash was supposed to be American Alpha vs. Heath Slater and Rhyno.
However, now The Hype Bros and The Usos will have a match at WWE Backlash to determine the team that will move on to the finals and later in the night will go on to face Rhyno and Heath Slater to determine the first SmackDown Tag Team Champions for the brand.
Overnight, the entire SmackDown Tag Team Division was turned on its head because American Alpha was expected to win the tournament, but WWE officials made the decision to run the injury angle because that would be giving away the payoff too early. They had other plans to build SmackDown’s Tag Team Division.
The idea behind the booking is The Usos began to establish themselves as top heels on SmackDown this week, and they’ll become the top team in the division after winning the SmackDown Tag Team Titles on Sunday. Afterward, SmackDown’s babyface teams will chase them and build the division around The Usos.
American Alpha will be back on WWE television within two to four weeks according to the storyline. Gable and Jordan are going to seek vengeance against The Usos for injuring them and robbing them of the chance to become SmackDown’s Tag Team Champions, which will lead to a huge feud on SmackDown. The injury will also build heat for The Usos and give Gable and Jordan sympathy from the WWE Universe for the feud.
The interesting part of The Usos’ heel turn will be their transition into heels because they have always been faces by design. The face paint, high-flying styles, and high energy catch phrases are going to be forgotten. The dynamic with the WWE Universe is going to be very interesting to watch develop.
As long as The Usos can stay healthy, which has been a problem over the past year, SmackDown’s Tag Team Division should be stronger than most people expected when The Usos were getting stale. WWE could pull a swerve and crown Slater and Rhyno the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions, but it seems like The Usos hitting the reset button on their tag team is the most logical and interesting play for WWE Backlash.
[Image via WWE]
