10 REALLY Long WWE Title Reigns That Didn’t Work
6. Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes - World Tag Team Champions (202 Days)
Originally paired due to the mutual respect they'd gained fighting each other, the veteran/apprentice chemistry between Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes didn't ultimately produce the desired outcome for the team - getting the future 'American Nightmare' over.
Holly noted in his autobiography how house show crowds would still cheer him over the upstart, and whilst that didn't particularly seem reflective of their television matches, Rhodes wasn't remotely thriving alongside big bad Bob.
A predictable heel turn for Rhodes alongside fellow second generation star Ted DiBiase gave their run a logical end even if the beginning and middle ensured that few had even invested in the story.
It spoke to Vince McMahon's perpetual disdain for the doubles division (and perhaps Rhodes and Holly as a unit) that the pair held the straps through both the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania yet didn't defend them or even appear in a featured match as a tag team. Their pairing - like the title belts themselves - remained little more than an inconvenience.