10 Big Mistakes WWE Can't Afford To Make At TLC 2016
6. Heath Slater & Rhyno Retaining
Heath Slater and Rhyno have had a great little run. Slater’s “free agent” story was an early SmackDown highlight, and his coming together with the Man-Beast has resulted in a batch of fun matches and segments. They’re surprisingly great together, and while it looked like they were initially being thrown together for a quick break-up angle, they have proven their worth as a functional tag team.
That being said, it’s time to start taking the SmackDown Tag Team Championships seriously. As enjoyable as Slater & Rhyno are, they’re a set of career midcarders who do little to elevate the belts. Slater’s one of WWE’s most improved performers of 2016, and Rhyno has been a welcome return, but TLC is the perfect place to transition the belts to another team.
Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton’s collective star power would add an instant jolt of credibility to the division. Orton is a perennial main eventer and one of WWE’s biggest stars, while Wyatt has been bubbling just below that level for several years. They had a great match with American Alpha on this week’s SmackDown, and with the rest of the brand’s tag teams still finding their feet, Orton & Wyatt would make a great set of heel champions.