8 Things WWE's Tag Division Could Learn From NXT

3. Simple, Clearly-Defined Characters

NXT gets the characterisation of its performers absolutely spot on. It focuses on simplicity, defining its characters clearly and maintaining that definition as much as possible throughout the storylines. Due to its enormous writers' room, WWE's main roster often fails to nail down the specific characters of its performers, who seem to alter their personality traits depending on who wrote their segment each week. This is especially true in the tag team division, where NXT deals in a combination of basic archetypes and more outlandish gimmicks. The beauty is in how clearly these various character types are defined. The Vaudevillains are gentlemanly caricatures ripped straight from a silent movie and Enzo & Big Cass are New Jersey loudmouths. On the more grounded side, Jordan and Gable are an alliance of technically sound powerhouses, whilst Dash and Dawson are old school southern brawlers who don't care about being liked. When they first won the tag titles, Blake and Murphy didn't have much in the way of character, but gained a genuinely slimy persona of being a pair of lecherous creeps when they began stalking Enzo & Cass' friend Carmella. It's this simplicity of character that elevates NXT's tag team division and allows just about anyone to scoop the titles without it feeling unwarranted. Over on the main roster, character motivation is often confusing and they are ill-defined, which makes it difficult for the audience to get invested in them. If they were to take notes from NXT, they'd have a lot less difficulty with getting their duos over.