By late 2002, the Raw brand was home to some seriously talented tag teams. Goldust and Booker T were the most popular, easily, but the Dudley Boyz, Chris Jericho and Christian, and even the oddball team of Rob Van Dam and Kane had helped complete a loaded roster of teams. There was one that reigned above them all as the end of the year arrived and that was the technically sound partnership between William Regal and Lance Storm. Old school, despicable heels that had earned the attention and admiration of villainous general manager Eric Bischoff, the team was peaking at the right time. They were no nonsense and cheated whenever it was called for. Unfortunately, a serious health condition left Regal out of action and his career, not to mention his life, in jeopardy. With Regal sidelined and creative not ready to take the titles off of Storm, the decision was made for heel authority figure Chief Morley to announce himself one-half of the champions. It was a great bit of booking for the heel but the champions never really had the opportunity to run with the gold. Just a week after putting himself into the role of champion, Morley watched his reign come to an end at the hands of Kane and Rob Van Dam. While it is highly unlikely that the team of Morley and Storm could have replicated the vibe that the latter and Regal enjoyed as partners, it would have been interesting to see what the former Val Venis could have achieved with one last championship run in WWE. As it stands now, the questionable nature of putting the title on the assistant GM only to beat him and Storm a week later makes the duo one of the worst to hold the gold.
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.
