5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE SmackDown Live (Oct 25)
2. Winners: Heath Slater & Rhyno
![Heath Slater Rhyno Dolph Ziggler](https://cdn3.whatculture.com/images/2016/10/4052fbb54896f37a-600x338.jpg)
Last night proved that there’s plenty of life in Heath Slater and Rhyno’s story yet. While capturing the SmackDown Tag Team Championships completed Slater’s redemption arc, the duo retain a big crowd following, and they’ve become a very solid tag team. Slater has almost perfected the “face in peril” role, and after he’s spent most of their matches taking a beating, the crowd pop huge when Rhyno makes the hot tag and Gores the life out of his opponent.
They fought-off The Spirit Squad’s title challenge last night, and it took them just four minutes to seal the deal. Rhyno, again, took the victory for his team, and the audience’s response proves that suggestions their act is running out of steam were a little premature. With The Usos and American Alpha off television for a second consecutive week, Slater & Rhyno are the undisputed top dogs of SmackDown’s tag scene, and they hammered it home last night.
If somebody told you a few months ago that a complete unknown (James Ellsworth), an ageing ECW castoff (Rhyno), and a career jobber (Heath Slater) would be among WWE’s most popular stars in October, you’d think they were insane. Yet here we are, and in terms of career turnarounds, few have been more impressive than Slater’s.
WWE deserve full credit for reviving his fortunes, regardless of how long the team acts. Slater has proven his worth as a performer time and time again, and Rhyno is the ideal “straight man” to counter his goofiness.