In 2011, the New Nexus angle limped to its conclusion, leaving young stars such as Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga without a direction. Struggling to come up with something for the Superstars to do, they were paired up for what was a tag team with potential. Both young and driven, there was an opportunity for them to form a tandem that could run with the belts and, perhaps, become centerpieces of the division for years to come. When they were put over Big Show and Kane, it looked as though the company had big plans in store for them. After all, the Big Red Monster and the World's Largest Athlete may have been trapped in the midcard but they were still two of the most respected, decorated and celebrated stars on the roster. Instead of serving as the genesis for a huge push in the tag team division, McGillicutty and Otunga disappeared from television. They made infrequent appearances on Raw, rarely defending the gold. In fact, it would not be a stretch of the imagination to suggest that the creative staff forgot that Otunga and McGillicutty even held the titles in the first place. After 91 days of uneven booking, infrequent appearances and lackluster performances against the depleted tag division, the former Nexus members dropped the titles to Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne, who made much better and more consistently booked champions than the previous titleholders. Otunga and McGillicutty are the worst traditional tag team champions in WWE history, though through no fault of their own. The talent and potential was there but WWE Creative did them a great disservice by forgetting about them and failing to put them in a position to succeed.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
