From Hardy Boys and Young Bucks to Barbershop Windows! ?

By Ryan Joy
Updated: May 25, 2022
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Newsletter #87 – From Hardy Boys and Young Bucks to Barbershop Windows! ?

May 25, 2022

If you would like this pro wrestling letter sent directly to you each week, you can subscribe by clicking here.

If you missed last week’s newsletter, I re-published it as a Twitter Thread. Here it is.

While a letter inspired by a 60 year old ban on tag team wrestling hopefully captured your attention a couple of weeks ago, I strive to bring you a much more current story in this week’s Body Slam Brigade newsletter.

Tag Team Wrestling is Strong Right Now.

WWE stripped Sasha Banks and Naomi of the Women’s Tag Team Championships last Friday on the same night that Jimmy and Jey Uso won a Raw and Smackdown Tag Team Title unification match.

Those two major WWE news stories got me thinking about the state of tag team wrestling, so I turned my attention to AEW – a company known for putting extra focus on their tag division.

This weekend’s Double or Nothing show features a set of exciting tag team bouts with various characters, formats, and rule sets.

Tag Team Wrestling is Strong Right Now.

The triple threat AEW Tag Title match includes a cast of young lightweight stars like Jungle Boy, Ricky Starks, and Swerve Strickland along with their respective heavyweight partners Luchasaurus, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Keith Lee.

The size variety among the teams sparks my curiosity regarding what exciting sequences the participants might string together to get fans up and out of their seats.

The presence of tag team luminary Christian Cage serving as mentor to Jurassic Express adds to the grandeur of the match, but like many situations in tag team wrestling – we find ourselves waiting for Cage to double-cross Jungle Boy (just as Christian betrayed Edge 21 years ago).

While the Young Bucks and Hardy Boys wrestled before, their encounter at Double or Nothing marks the first time the “tag team dream match” has reached a national marquee.

Occurring on the 28 year anniversary of the week Matt and Jeff made their WWF debuts, this dream match showcases how a significant focus on tag team wrestling can contribute to the longevity of a performer’s career.

Tag Team Wrestling is Strong Right Now.

AEW Double or Nothing also includes a 10 man tag Anarchy in the Arena (whatever that is) bout featuring three of wrestling’s biggest stars in Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson.

The list continues with a long anticipated six man tag match between House of Black and Death Triangle and a lighthearted comedic match featuring Hookhausen (Hook and Danhausen) battling Tony Nese and Mark Sterling.

Given WWE’s newsiness and AEW’s tremendous lineup of multi-person matches, tag team wrestling seems hotter than ever right now!

All this said, I’m stricken by the irony that on a night where WWE seemingly put more emphasis on tag team wrestling than ever before, they also went from having six tag team champions down to just Jimmy and Jey Uso.

The reduction in champions didn’t happen without reason as you can’t deny the extenuating circumstances surrounding the controversy of Sasha Banks and Naomi.

Meanwhile RK Bro seems poised to continue their main event feud with the Bloodline as the title unification set Riddle and Orton up for major PPV battles with Roman Reigns.

Tag Team Wrestling is strong right now.

I didn’t even mention that FTR defends the ROH Tag Titles against an old New Japan team in Roppongi Vice this week.

Even where I live in South Florida, regional promotion Coastal Championship Wrestling (I run a podcast with them) has built some of the hottest storylines in territory-based wrestling utilizing the break up of the fan-favorite South American Alliance duo.

Tag Team Wrestling is strong right now. As a fan, I love a great tag team match. I also love a great barbershop window situation.

But you simply can’t have one without the other.

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter. In addition to the abeove letter, read on for some great wrestling resources.

Thanks,

Ryan

P.S. – I spoke to Jonny Nova on this week’s episode of CCW Insider. He’s a brand new Tag Team Champion himself having recently won the tag titles (along with his partner E.R.A.) from the South American Alliance. You can get that episode using the links below.