10 Feuds That Must Happen Before WWE WrestleMania 33

10. Heath Slater Vs. Rhyno

Heath Slater and Rhyno are likely reaching the end of their lifespan as a team. Slater’s “free agent” story was an early highlight of SmackDown’s post-Draft shows, and in Rhyno, he found a brutally effective tag partner, and the perfect straight man for his goofy redneck stylings. That said, the redemption arc peaked when they became SmackDown Tag Team Champions. Slater’s got the contract, the above-ground pool, and the gold: it’s time to head elsewhere.

They’re perfectly positioned for a split, and it’ll likely happen sooner or later. Rhyno typically does the heavy lifting during their matches, and when they lose, it’s Slater getting pinned. Whether deliberate or not, WWE have established a team hierarchy in which Slater has subtly become the weak link, and if they lose the belts because of this, it’s a perfect motivation for Rhyno to turn on his partner.

SmackDown are thin on high-level teams, but WWE must pull the trigger on this one before interest levels wane. There’s only so far you can take their team’s underdog story, but they can start another one by positioning Slater as a sympathetic foil to Rhyno’s extreme tendencies. If they play it right, the split and subsequent feud should be the angle that sees Slater escape the lower card forever, and finally find his footing in the singles scene.