The tag team division is currently taking up the lion's share of NXT airtime. With the rest of the card in flux following recent main roster call-ups, the tag division is picking up a lot of the slack and shining as a result. During the Dusty Classic tournament, it was common for there to be a single one-on-one match per episode of NXT, with tag matches the norm rather than the exception. The crucial thing, however, is not the volume of tag team matches on a show, but the time those competitors are given to tell a story in the ring. For instance, the aforementioned match involving Jordan and Gable vs. Gargano and Ciampa ran for just under 12 minutes from bell to bell. It's almost unheard of for a main roster tag match, outside of a pay-per-view, to cover that amount of time, unless it involves a major main event star. Given that WWE's main roster has five hours of television time across Raw and SmackDown, it's bizarre that they cannot offer their tag teams the same amount of time between the ropes that the NXT talent is offered. Television time helps the tag team division in NXT to really mean something, which is a major issue on the main roster. In order to win a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championships, a team has to build momentum with a series of victories against major competition within the division. On the main roster, one quick televised roll-up is often enough to score a title match at the next pay-per-view. With a bit more breathing room for the segments to develop, this could be remedied.
Freelance film journalist and fan of professional wrestling. Usually found in a darkened screening room looking for an aisle seat and telling people to put away their mobile phones. Also known to do a bit of stand-up comedy, so I'm used to the occasional heckle.
