The idea behind the WWE Draft and the subsequent brand split was to shake things up in the company as a whole. The arrival of Shane McMahon provided the catalyst for change, and one that will go into effect this week, regardless how long the company plans to keep him in a position of power on TV. The brand split will give opportunities to singles competitors who may have been lacking them, but it will also most certainly shake up the tag team division as a whole.
Whether or not the tag team division needed shaking up is debatable, but you certainly can’t argue that they’ve had a renewed interest in it over the last few years. The WWE Tag Team Champions, The New Day, have been one of the hottest acts on the roster for a year now, leading the entire division both as heels and faces.
The WWE revealed several rules to Tuesday’s draft, including how RAWwill have three draft picks for every two that Smackdownselects based on the idea that the flagship show is three hours, and the blue brand runs two hours long. RAWwill also have the first pick. The other noteworthy stipulation, as it pertains to the importance of this article, is that tag teams may count as one pick, but the General Managers will have the right to select only one member of a team, potentially splitting up a former pairing.
WWE.com listed all the eligible draftees, separating them into three different categories: Male Superstars, Female Superstars, and Tag Teams. All the current tag teams were grouped together with the exception of one (two if you count the Wyatt Family, but they’re more of a faction). Kalisto and Sin Cara are both categorized as singles male superstars, creating speculation that the Lucha Dragons would no longer be a tag team once the brand extension goes into effect. The speculation didn’t have to last long as the Lucha stars confirmed the split on the WWE’s Facebook page, as reported by Wrestling Inc .
https://www.facebook.com/wwe/videos/10153904325366443/
It’s an interesting split considering how long the two have been a tag team on the WWE’s main roster. Kalisto was forced into singles competition when Sin Cara went down with an injury earlier this year, but despite having a run as United States Champion, his feuds with Alberto Del Rio and Ryback were largely forgettable.
The WWE has been looking for a Mexican babyface star ever since Rey Mysterio left the company. Del Rio was originally thought to be the top candidate, but he’s been booked as a heel for the majority of his WWE career, so Kalisto appears to be the next logical choice. Where this leaves Sin Cara remains to be seen, but with Kalisto’s ceiling clearly being much higher, he’ll have to work extremely hard to separate himself from a crowded mid-card.
Last week, the Inquisitrreported that WWE officials were planning on splitting upmultiple tag teams for the draft but positioning them together in terms of eligibility might indicate that they’ve altered their plans a bit. Splitting up the Lucha Dragons enables them both to move forward as babyfaces instead of a scripted breakup down the line where one might be forced into turning heel just for the sake of establishing a feud between the two.
This second iteration of Sin Cara hasn’t nearly been as clumsy in the ring as his predecessor, but injuries have hampered any potential push for the tag team. Kalisto’s shining moment came during a triple threat match for the WWE Tag Team Championships at last year’s TLC pay-per-view when he executed a brilliant Salida Del Sol off the top of the ladder. It appears that WWE officials hope there’s more where that came from when he’s drafted as a singles star on Tuesday.
[Image via WWE]