Announcing icon and current WWE talent department employee Jim Ross has had a lot to say about tag teams lately. After Elimination Chamber, he stated on his blog that he hoped that Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater, the newly crowned WWE Tag Team Champions, would be able to bring the tag team division back to prominence.
I took this as an impossible gauntlet to the Corre crew, as if it was only on the talent to get the belts and division over and not the bookers at all. How was that sentiment rewarded? With the Corre losing their tag belts to the mongrel team of two guys lined up to feud for the WWE Championship. Yeah, because that’s never been done before and because that’s a great way to get the Champs and the division over.
Not only that, but people do like tag wrestling. Some of the biggest pops in the salad days came for tag teams. I mean, what more memorable matches were there in the early 2000s than the TLC tag series? Not a whole lot, lemme tell ya. Even certain former fans have lamented the lack of tag teams nowadays. I know he might not be the most objective source, but current St. Louis Rams linebacker James Laurinitis (son of Road Warrior Animal and nephew of current WWE VP John “Johnny Ace” Laurinitis) has said the reason he doesn’t watch wrestling anymore is because of the lack of tags.
The WWE is so obsessed with creating new stars, yet they’re ignoring the best ways to create them. Ross knows this. I mean, the guy has been around wrestling all his life, calling the action for several different feds and seeing several different guys and teams rise and fall through the ranks. He might know a thing or two about how important a healthy tag division would work. So, here’s a crazy idea, why not let him book one?
Yeah, he doesn’t have lead booking experience. However, he’s been a talent scout for almost as long as he’s been with the company. If he knows how to scout out talent, and he’s spent a career calling that talent in the ring, he might know a thing or two about how to put them in the right place to succeed. WWE seems like it’s so compartmentalized in its booking anyway, so why not hand over the keys to a tag team division to Ross?
Right now, he has a lot on his plate. Being a talent scout and development agent can be hard work involving a lot of travel. However, development doesn’t stop when the prospect leaves Tampa and FCW and leaves for the road in WWE. The current bookers and failed TV writers don’t seem to understand that. If you get over, you get over. If not, then forget about you. But having a guy who’s worked in the development side booking might work to the talent’s advantage for obvious reasons.
It’s clear that Jim Ross cares about tag team wrestling. Even if the current “sports entertainment”-minded administration doesn’t care about it, they need to focus on building it so that they can cultivate the stars of tomorrow. Ross would be a perfect fit building a tag division, booking it and making it relevant once again.
Tom Holzerman is a lifelong wrestling fan and connoisseur of all things Chikara Pro, among other feds. When he’s not writing for the Camel Clutch Blog, you can find him on his own blog, The Wrestling Blog.
Pre-order WWE Wrestlemania 27 DVD
Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps – Chris Jericho autobiography
WWE Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 80s
Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com