Braun's tag team partner

Braun battling other tag teams
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Based on the actions of Monday night's Raw, Braun Strowman has secured a match against the tag team champions, the Bar. It's an interesting twist in the WWE tag team situation. It's lead to plenty of speculation on who Braun will choose as a partner.

The Bar
Courtesy: WWE

WWE has done an amazing job building Braun into a monster. Probably too amazing actually. Despite the loss to Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber, Strowman has been unbeatable. Even in a handicap tag team match against Sheamus and Cesaro, I have a hard time believing he's at a disadvantage. I don't ever recall one man holding the WWE (WWF) tag team championships, but I'll admit I find the idea intriguing. Some will argue that's disrespectful to the lineage of the championships. But again, it's a predetermined activity. It's hard to apply logic to an illogical situation.

So, should WWE book a partner for Braun? I do think a title switch is needed. I had hoped a team, not on the current roster would have stepped up to the challenge, (not the Young Bucks) but this scenario works for me too. There have been a few names floated as possible partners for Braun. But from everything I've read (take that with a grain of salt) there is no definitive plan yet for this situation.

Elias plays some music
Courtesy: WWE

Elias: I'm not sure how I feel about this one. The two have been battling it out for weeks. Applying logic (I know what I said earlier) this makes little sense. But Elias is over big. The two would definitely shake things up in a match at Mania. 

Neville
Courtesy: WWE

Neville: For obvious reasons, I like this idea. Neville has been MIA since the fall. There's been speculation that he's working with WWE management on a possible return. I loved him as King of the Cruiserweights. I could almost see he and Braun like a more destructive version of Enzo and Big Cass.

Big Cass
Courtesy: WWE

Big Cass: Speaking of the big guy, he should be coming off the injured list soon. I'm just throwing that name out there because obviously now that Enzo is gone from WWE, Cass really has nothing to come back to at this point. Pairing him up with a monster like Braun could establish an amazingly dangerous duo.

So who do you think Braun should team with? Or should he go it alone? Weigh in here or on the My 1-2-3 Cents Facebook page.

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The Jester confronts the King

The Jester confronts the King
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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At SummerSlam, Neville proved to the world why he's the King of the Cruiserweights by beating Akira Tozawa to reclaim the Cruiserweight Championship. He had lost the belt six nights earlier, ending the longest reign to date of that title. Neville got another decisive win over Tozawa on 205 Live. 

While cutting a promo, that familiar music from Monday Night Raw hit and Enzo Amore came dancing to the ring in a Bill Cosby style sweater. He proceeded to cut a promo on the champ, much to the support of the crowd. Enzo dropped the mic after a few words to which Neville responded by doing the same thing, but then leaving the ring. Enzo and the crowd spelled out the fact that the champ is S-A-W-F-T and the Certified G did his chicken dance around the ring.

Enzo is pumped
Courtesy: WWE

I'm not surprised to see Enzo on 205 Live. In my 1-2-3 cents, the show could use some personality. I guess I am a bit taken aback that he instantly came out and confronted Neville. But let's face it, he's been through just about everyone on the roster so setting up a feud with Enzo will freshen up the product and add a new character to a show many fans are apparently tuning out.

It'll be interesting to see how he's booked on 205 Live. Enzo and Big Cass worked well as a tag team, but I could see him getting lost in the shuffle since the feud against his former partner has settled down (especially because Cass is now hurt). With the rumors of heat on Enzo in the back, which are just that, rumors I wonder what the plans are for the long term. It seems debuting him on a new show in the main event isn't a bad thing.

You all know I'm a Neville loyalist. I can't wait to see the King stretch the Jester that just showed up in the 205 Live kingdom. I don't call Enzo a jester as an insult, but the reality is his character is pretty goofy.

Enzo's big task

Enzo vs. Big Cass
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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The last few months have been anything but good for Enzo Amore. The WWE Superstar was the victim of two separate attacks backstage before the world found out it was his best friend and tag team partner Big Cass. I'll admit the duo's act was starting to wear thin, but I would have rather seen them take a small break from TV than having them break up. Their split comes on the heels of DYI's implosion on NXT and now the dividing of American Alpha too. It's too many tag team breaking up for my liking.

However, it's happened and there's no sense looking back. When Big Cass laid out Enzo a few weeks ago on Raw it was apparent who was going to be the dominant one in this feud. The two had their first match at Great Balls of Fire, Cass destroyed his former partner. A rematch this past Monday on Raw and it was another ass kicking for Enzo. 

Big Cass wins
Courtesy: WWE

I feel bad for the guy. He's not the biggest dog in the fight and yeah, he's kind of annoying, but I never expected him to be crushed so convincingly. Enzo is clearly getting the Jannetty treatment here. It'll be interesting to see what's next for each man. Presumably, Cass will go on to SummerSlam in a few weeks and beat the Big Show as he continues to climb the ranks of the Raw roster. 

He's got personality
Courtesy: WWE

In my 1-2-3 cents, Enzo should be paired up with another big man, but to fill the role as a mouth piece. He's got the gift of gab and could recruit help in getting revenge against Cass. It just has to be someone other than the Big Show. Or better yet, he could continue his in ring career and head to 205 Live. The show could use a shot of personality and Enzo would no doubt provide that. Besides, Cruiserweight Champion Neville needs someone else to whip in the ring. 

3 Tag team breakups I hated to see

Big Cass kicks Enzo
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Earlier this week, one of WWE's most popular tag teams came to an end. Big Cass put the big boot to Enzo and in an instant, the longtime partners were through. The action reminds me of when three of my favorite tag teams came to an end.

Sweet chin music
Courtesy: WWE

Perhaps the most famous tag team breakup is the Rockers. In 1992 it was clear Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty were not feeling it anymore. A split had been teased for months, and finally, Shawn had enough and threw Marty through the window on the Barbershop segment. I enjoyed the Rockers as a tag team, but allowing Shawn to launch a singles career is one of the best moves WWE ever made. Adopting the HBK persona and attitude has put Shawn Michaels near the top of many fans' lists of favorites.

Mega Powers explode!
Courtesy: WWE

The Mega Powers were destined to split up. The one time enemies became quick allies when "Macho Man" Randy Savage was being abused by The Honky Tonk Man and the Hart Foundation. Suddenly, with the urging of Elizabeth, Hulk Hogan made the save. The WWF's top two guys became fast friends and tag team partners. The relationship lasted roughly 18 months before the Mega Powers exploded. The buildup and breakup of these two will go down as one of the best angles devised by WWE.

Bulldogs end!
Stampede Wrestling 

Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid are still my favorite tag team of all time. The British Bulldogs teamed for a few years in WWF before heading back to the Stampede area. It was there that Kid turned his back on Davey Boy ending that duo. I never saw this play out on TV but read about it in the Apter mags as a teenager. In the long run, this too worked out well, at least for Davey Boy Smith. He would come back to the WWE a few times, winning the European, Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships. 

I love tag team wrestling. But I know there are times when it's necessary to split up teams and let the singles go on to bigger and better things. It's expected that Big Cass will be the big star of the most recently torn up tandem. Hopefully, Enzo finds success too, I really think he'd make a great manager/mouthpiece for someone.

I'm more than OK with KO

KO is the champ
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Kevin Owens is the new WWE Universal Champion. With some help from Triple H, KO pinned Seth Rollins to win the red and gold belt. The victory is exactly what I've been hoping for since Owens was called up to the main roster last year. His series of matches with John Cena proved he was ready for the big time, although I've been a fan for years.

Pedigree
Courtesy: WWE

The interesting tie-in is Triple H. Were his actions to support Owens or more to get at Rollins? I'm curious to see what's next and don't want to speculate too much. I don't think Triple H and KO are going to be allies, at least I don't think there's going to be a rebirth of the Authority. I hope not anyway. Although I did entertain the idea of Triple H serving as a manager, but from a storyline standpoint it doesn't really make sense at this time. Plus Triple H has at least a few more WrestleMania matches in him.

Courtesy: WWE

What I do hope is that Owens holds on to the belt and takes it into WrestleMania while the company grooms the next big contender. Depending on the healing process, Finn Balor could very well be ready by Mania in Orlando. Imagine two former NXT champions battling it out for the Universal Championship on the grandest stage of all. The story writes itself. 

But I said I wouldn't speculate. I'm going to enjoy the ride. I want to hear from you. We'll discuss the matter in greater detail during 3-Count on Facebook Live Thursday at noon CST.

Let them eat squash

Nia Jax in action
Courtesy: WWE

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter
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Monday Night RAW ushered in the new era of the brand separation with something wrestling fans haven’t seen in awhile. No, I’m not talking about a show that was pretty much entertaining the entire time. RAW saw the return of squash matches. 

Braun Strowman taking care of business
Courtesy: WWE

Nia Jax made her main roster debut squashing Britt Baker in the first hour of the show. Later in the show, Braun Strowman, making his first appearance separated from the Wyatt Family, demolished the pretty fly for a white guy jobber, James Ellsworth. Both matches combined were 11 minutes shorter than the shortest match on the show. 

I’ve seen some comments online about how the squash matches exposed there’s not enough talent to have two separate brands.  Now, I don’t know the wrestling history of the people making these comments. If they are fans that became fans during the Attitude Era or later, I can understand not understanding the purpose of a squash match. For wrestling fans that remember life before the Monday Night War, squash matches were the majority of matches on television. 

Big Cass & Enzo vs. The Shining Stars
Courtesy: WWE

I think bringing back squash matches is an idea that is way past due. Using the matches from Monday night, new talent got to look impressive without sacrificing the credibility of any other wrester on the roster.  For example, later in the show Enzo and Big Cass fought the Shining Stars. It’s probably safe to say given the way the Colons were presented before and after they make Los Matadors, fans don’t see the Shining Stars as credible threats to any other tag team on the WWE roster. If WWE wants to push the Shining Stars as potential tag-team champions, they’ve got a lot of damage control to do before fans will accept them as anything other than a jobber tag team. 

Obviously WWE can’t have every match on the show be a squash, however utilizing two or three matches per show is not only a solid way to establish talent, it will also help stretch out feuds. Instead of seeing Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn fight each other week after week, KO can squash some unknown local talent then run down Sami in a post match promo.  

The brand split is still fresh so who knows if the current changes will last more than a month. Right now though, I am on board with the changes I’ve seen so far. If WWE would get rid of the opening 15-minute in-ring promo, I think they’ve got all the tools to make me interested in their shows again. If they revert back to their old ways, well, I’ll be hoping at some point “Broken” Matt Hardy will show up and delete them all.