The Tremendous Potential of Impact Wrestling’s Tag Team Division

Good Brothers, Machine Guns & then some!

Good Brothers
Source: WWE

With the recent reveal at Slammiversary 2020 of both the Good Brothers (Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) and the Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) having joined Impact Wrestling’s Tag Team division, a statement of intent has been made by the company. With an already respectable Knockouts division and a roster filled with multiple potential main eventers, Impact is looking to continue their growth of a division that has been in transition since losing LAX and The Lucha Brothers last year. Considering the interest both teams can generate since Slammiversary, it makes sense for the focus to be on them.

You have the recently signed Good Brothers who featured on mainstream television and still have a huge following from their time in New Japan as members of the Bullet Club. On the other side, you have the Motor City Machine Guns, who featured from 2007-2012 in several classic feuds, including against Beer Money in a Best-Of-Five Series. Those fans who loved Impact during that period who may have fallen out of love with the company may return to see their favourites again. And while these two teams would likely have excellent matches against one another, there are several good teams who could come to attention over the next few months.

 

The Rascalz (Wentz, Dez & Trey)

A trio team who joined Impact in 2018, all three members of The Rascalz featured at the recent Slammiversary event, with Trey challenging for the vacant Impact World Heavyweight Championship. Meanwhile, Wentz and Dez actually opened the show in a match against the returning Motor City Machine Guns, where the similarities between the two teams were mentioned by commentary. The Rascalz based their style on the veteran team, and the match itself suggested the two teams could have interesting rematches, especially with the inclusion of Trey.

The Rascalz are relatively lithe wrestlers who utilise their agility and speed to offset their opponents, as well as demonstrating tremendous likability and charisma. As fan favourites for the Impact audience, they would also offer a good contrast to the more physically dominating Good Brothers. With the size difference and selling ability The Rascalz possess, they could help put over Anderson and Gallows as well. The team has a potential to become Impact’s version of The New Day, especially with the reliability they demonstrated for Impact during the pandemic.

 

XXXL (Larry D & Acey Romero)

Acey Romero came to prominence in a five-man Ladder match for the X-Division Championship at Bound For Glory 2019 and weighs 398lbs. Larry D was signed by Scott D’Amore last year after an impressive showing against Michael Elgin at No Surrender 2019, and weighs 332lbs. At a combined 730lbs, the moniker of XXXL is very apt for this supersize team, but they are both actually surprisingly agile, Romero especially often hitting dives and crossbodies galore.

As a tag team, these two are unique in comparison to the rest of the roster and could easily mix with both of the two debuting teams. Whether utilising their power and size against the much smaller Shelley and Sabin or demonstrating their agility and deceptive speed against Anderson and Gallows, these two giants have the potential to grow as an intimidating tag team.

 

The Deaners (Cody Deaner & Cousin Jake)

Deaner originally debuted in TNA in 2009 for 10 months, serving as ODB’s new manager. He returned in 2018 however, teaming alongside his Cousin Jake, eventually signing a full-time contract in 2019. Even though the two men are portrayed as the sort of All-American good old boys from the South, Deaner has actually been a motivational speaker since 2014 in Canada. Cousin Jake, meanwhile, is a massive beast who looks like he would rip his opponents in half.

They’ve grown as a tag team in the last year and gained a solid following, which makes them an interesting option against the new teams. The differences in sizes make them more akin to the Good Brothers, which could lead to a fascinating match between the two. Seeing Deaner and Cousin Jake standing across from Anderson and Gallows would equal an interesting contrast and could offer a physically impressive contest. If Impact decided to put over The Deaners as a more intimidating team, they could easily overpower the smaller Motor City Machine Guns. It also helps that some of the Machine Guns’ best matches were against the similarly sized Beer Money.

 

Reno SCUM (Adam Thornstowe & Luster The Legend)

Real life best friends who began teaming in Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling in 2015, Reno SCUM have featured for Ring of Honor and TNA previously. As working class/punk rock personas, the two men previously battled for the Tag Team Championships over the last year, to no avail. However, they have previously won tag team titles in Future Stars Of Wrestling and All Pro Wrestling, showing their capability to win championships.

With Luster’s size and power (he could quite easily cosplay as a human troll, he’s that intimidating) and the passionate energy displayed by Thornstowe, this is a vastly underrated team with potential waiting to be tapped. This team offers a slightly more hardcore style to the division, helping to demonstrate the variety on display in Impact Wrestling, and already set their sights on the Good Brothers on the most recent episode of Impact. This could in fact go on to become the introductory feud for Anderson and Gallows, an opportunity for SCUM to impress against one of hottest tag teams in Impact.

 

Desi Hit Squad

Gama Singh, a former top heel in Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling, has worked internationally and has championship pedigree in his family, as his nephew is former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. Signing with Impact in 2018 as a manager, he quickly grew his own stable of talents. The stable features the technical striker in Rohit Raju, Gama’s son and powerhouse Raj Singh, and their gamechanger in Shera, a monster of a man.

Despite being relatively unsuccessful so far, the range of ability in their stable means they could easily challenge either the Machine Guns or the Good Brothers. This is especially likely considering Raju tried attacking Heath at Slammiversary, citing how Singh has been with the company too long to be ignored. There’s a possibility this is the precursor to a change in luck for Gama’s men.

 

The North (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander)

The former and longest reigning Impact Tag Team Champions, having held the titles for 383 days, these two men have proven themselves a dominating force in the Tag Team division. Having originally formed in 2011 as Monster Mafia, they renamed themselves The North when they teamed together in April 2019 in Impact, quickly earning a title shot by beating RVD and Sabu. After successfully defeating Ortiz and Santana of LAX, they would create a stranglehold on the division, culminating in their recent title defence against Sami Callihan and Ken Shamrock at Slammiversary.

With Alexander combining strength with an amateur wrestling background, gaining him the nickname of the ‘Walking Weapon’, and the charismatic intelligence of the ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page, these two complement each other’s style. With over twenty successful title defences over the last year, they believed themselves to be the best tag team in Impact history. Unsurprisingly, Impact quickly responded by setting up a tag team match between themselves and the returning Motor City Machine Guns, culminating in a shocking loss for the arrogant North.

With the Good Brothers also looking to make a statement, and the possible future partnership of free agent Heath with his good friend Rhino, not to mention burgeoning teams like TJP & Fallah Bahh, or Rich Swann and Willie Mack, there is no question that The North are facing dangerous odds. But despite their recent loss of the championships to the MCMG, in a division brimming with talent and potential, The North are no strangers to adversity. Considering their desire to take back the titles they cherish so much, they will most likely gladly welcome the opportunity to put their rivals back in their place.

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