Miz and Morrison: Questioning the hype...

They won the World Tag Team championships. They were WWE Tag Team champions for 8 months. They have won 2 Slammy Awards, as presented by the WWE, for the best web show and for being the best tag team of 2008. They're the dirt sheet duo of John Morrison and The Miz. They are making the very comical and exorbitant claim of being the top tag team of the 21st Century, even though it's only 8 years old. You know what the problem is? I can't quite agree with them, even though I know it's a joke. Why do I say this? I say this because there are people who are such "marks" for certain people or for the business that they will agree with almost every word said, thinking that they know what they are talking about. I am not one of those people, but I can say that these claims made by the Miz and Morrison do raise a few points of analysis.

Now, don't get me wrong. I really support these two as a team and as singles wrestlers. Their wrestling technique is really showing quality. Their promo work is veritably amazing. Their chemistry does speak volumes, even though it might be the most conventional approach. And, for being just fans of the business and receiving the minimal training needed to make it in the business, their passion to do what they do is enormous. I can't help but say great things about these guys. But, tag team of 2008? Well, for WWE purposes, sure, but on the whole of the business, I don't think so.

Why wouldn't I agree with the best tag team of 2008 on the whole of the business, let alone as team of the 21st Century? Well, for starters, in the past 8 years, tag team wrestling in the WWE has diminished greatly. They went from having some of the most innovative and exciting tag matches in the world to the bottom of the barrel with makeshift teams only put together to put over major stars, or their own characters on a separate standpoint. The only tag matches that are showcased put two main eventers or two midcarders together to further their middling storylines with someone else. There's no chemistry, no art form, no innovation. It's just a match for the motions. Ridiculous. So, for the Miz and Morrison to be kings of the 2008 tag division isn't saying much. It's like giving them a crown to a make-believe kingdom. It's like getting a paper crown from some birthday party. As for the century, I'm sorry, but didn't we start off this century with the Hardys, Edge and Christian, and the Dudleys still remotely intact? Miz and Morrison better than them and their accolades? Not quite. Still, it is funny to hear them brag about it. It just adds to their growing egos and attitudes. What's not funny is hearing the marks agree with them, wholeheartedly. That's like calling John Cena an ECW original. What....the...heck??!

I think it is also sad for the Miz and Morrison to make this claim because, as a tag team, I don't think their potential has even been fully tapped yet. Sure, they appear on every brand's respective shows, put on a star performance at least twice, and make it a treat to watch these guys, win or lose. But, really, have they been tapped for their true tag potential? In a word, no. I mean, look at what they have to compete against. The Colons have just been put together to get Primo started and to keep Carlito from leaving, so they are pretty far from chemistry. Brian Kendrick and Ezekiel Jackson? No, the manager/wrestler team-up never works properly. Jesse and Festus have run out of novelty as watching Festus is getting ridiculously predictable to the point of boredom. Team Priceless? No, the team made by a faction never works properly either. Cryme Tyme has already lost whatever possibility of being a top team over Miz and Morrison, let alone anyone else. Hawkins and Ryder are in the same boat, which is very sad, since they have not even shown the world how great a tag team they were in the indies. So, then what? In truth, Miz and Morrison's true competition lies elsewhere, in the other organizations, where tag team wrestling is still an art form. With that said, I can come up with 3 teams that not only would make the Miz and Morrison really pull it together as a team, but also, with their track records, can make a more decent claim at being the team of 2008, for those wonderful marks.

First, there's Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin: The Motor city Machine Guns. They're currently in TNA and have reached cult status starting in Ring of Honor. Two X-Division stars from Detroit, Michigan with a finger on the pulse of the tag team scene. Alex is a well-versed European-style grappler with some agility and speed to balance out his ground-based assault. Chris is a high-speed, high-octane, high-flying star who cuts a clean and concise pace this side of his favorite wrestler, Bret Hart. His pinpoint accuracy is amazing. They also come off as a rather cocky and arrogant duo, praising their boyish good looks and charm. Sound like some guys you know? Miz and Morrison would really have a great set of matches with these guys. As for trading insults, even better. It would be hilarious to see these guys insult each other as well as try to outclass each other in a match. In fact, this could be a reality as the rumor around town is that these two have their contracts expiring soon and the WWE could be calling. This would make my dream of seeing Shelly and Sabin team with Bourne and Hurricane Helms in some faction of utter coolness. But, a man can dream..

Then, there's the team of Homicide and Hernandez, the LAX (Latin American X-change). It started out as a faction headed by Konnan, with Homicide and former TNA star Apolo. When things went sour with Apolo, many possibilities were coming in and out to try and match up Homicide with a decent partner as Konnan could no longer wrestle to a full capacity. So, TNA decided to give him a teammate in the form of Hernandez, a TNA hopeful with a huge frame, freakish strength, and a scary amount of agility. Together, this rough-and-tumble tandem earned them the respect of TNA fans, even if they were heels. They've had some amazing matches, great teamwork, and a few tag team title runs under their belts, in and out of TNA. Against the duo of Miz and Morrison, these two would be in interesting matches. I say this not only because of their tag work, but also their gimmicks. LAX is a street-tough tag team that, for the most part, can be as gritty as the next thug. This could prove to be very threatening to the likes of Miz and Morrison since, well, they couldn't hope to get their faces rearranged by these fellas. Don't believe me? Homicide used to carry a fork around in his hardcore matches. If the LAX were to war with Miz and Morrison, it would put their fights with Cryme Tyme to complete shame.

Lastly, there are the Briscoes of Ring of Honor. These guys are the embodiment of tag team greatness. Sure, Mark lost his front teeth and they both have a very heavy southern mentality to them, but those problems are quite forgotten once you get to see their wrestling expertise. Jay is strong with some agility and speed while Mark is very agile and quick with his delivery. Together, they are tag team specialists. They can manipulate the 5-count to the point where they pull off some of the best tag moves I've ever seen. They're all effective and very innovative. I could see these guys outclassing, outmaneuvering, and literally outwrestling Miz and Morrson. It would be a sight to see, believe me. Two southern boys making fools of the citified Miz and Morrison. Jesse and Festus should take notes, and then staple them to their heads.

So, there are three teams that can go up against the Miz and Morrison for the best in 2008. Once again, it's a sad state of affairs when the best teams the Miz and Morrison can face are not even in the WWE. Are their potential teams in the WWE? Yes, but their utilization hampers their abilities and their support. truth be told, Hawkins and Ryder make for a great tag team. Just look up anything on Brian Myers and Brett Matthews and you'll see what I mean. As for Carlito and Primo, it's only a matter of time before the novelty on this brotherly duo runs out because of the knuckleheads backstage. It would truly be a disappointment since both of them are probably the most talented few up-and-comers to come through the WWE in recent memory.

Also, when the division you represent is virtually non-existent, what good is being the best of 2008 when there really is no one to compare to? That would technically make Miz and Morrison the kings of virtually a make-believe division. When did tag team wrestling become some dead novelty? We're seeing women wrestle on the WWE with the worst amount of quality as compared to yesteryear between the 80s and the Trish Stratus years. Tag wrestling seems as dead as cruiserweight wrestling. It's not something worth forgetting, people. I don't think Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Davey Boy Smith, The Dynamite Kid, The Rougeau Brothers, The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, The Brain Busters, Demolition, or even the Legion of Doom gave their hearts and souls in the ring every night to have their histories waxed over for more "compelling" storylines. If they made a historical 3-disc DVD set about tag team titles, I'm sure everyone and their mom would buy it.

So, to you marks reading this and being overly serious about Miz and Morrison's claims, here's a tip: lighten up, wise up, or shut up. There's a big difference between what tag wrestling was then, and what it is now. Yes, they're a great team, and great wrestlers, but seriously, what does that mean in an organization that takes tag wrestling as seriously as they take commentary? The best in 2008 at doing their jobs? Without a doubt, but mostly on a WWE standpoint, where quality tag wrestling is very much non-existent. That's something I don't really want to be jealous over..