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Tag Team Weekly Roundup and Power Ratings: Can Ava Rayne help clear the black clouds over The Schism?

WWE.com

If you had The Rock's daughter debuting in perhaps NXT's most unpopular faction on your 2022 bingo card ... well, you're probably a liar. Yet when Ava Rayne (nee Simone Johnson) revealed herself as the newest member of The Schism, the group that inspired more eye rolls than awe among many fans suddenly got more interesting.

Rayne handled her first sit-down promo well and then made the difference as faction (cult?) leader Joe Gacy defeated Cameron Grimes. If this is the start of some significant wins for Gacy and The Dyad (who were far more entertaining as Grizzled Young Veterans), then this group finally has a chance to get over.

Gacy has earned a lot of nicknames from the Cageside crowd -- "Wish.com Bray Wyatt" being a personal fave -- and like the Eater of Worlds, Gacy tended to talk a big game but didn't win enough to take too seriously. That he and The Dyad are all good inside the ropes couldn't outweigh dialogue that would make a C-movie scriptwriter embarrassed. That his nonsensical feud with Bron Breakker made both of them look worse seemed to consign him to the deep mid-card.

But Rayne literally changed the game. Because, well, The Game Triple H and the WWE brass still seem interested in getting The Rock for a WrestleMania, so they aren't going to saddle his little girl with anything that would give her the Rocky Maivia treatment. She's not likely to win the women's title any time soon, but we can expect her to win more than she loses while learning the ropes.

And that's a heck of a lot better than things have been for The Schism before Rayne revealed herself from behind the red hoodie and mask.

The following Tag Team Power Rankings take into account wins, power and placement of segments, recentness of appearances, creative direction and momentum for teams and factions.

WWE Tag Team Power Rankings through Nov.. 11:

1. The Bloodline (last week: 1)

Pro: The Usos defeated New Day to clinch the record for longest tag team reign. Speaking of reigns, Roman is working on his own epic title run. All three brothers picked up a six-man win on Raw as well.
Con: They quickly picked up new contenders in the Brawling Brutes and Drew McIntyre.

2. Damage CTRL (Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai) (2)

Pro: Kai and Sky continue to hold tag gold. The group seems to have added Nikki Cross just in time for a high-profile WarGames match. Given Io and Dakota's experience in this format, expect them to get a lot of time in that bout.
Con: They stay prominent despite their inability to capture Bianca Belair's gold.

3. The OC (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows)

Pro: Finally picked up an equalizer to Rhea Ripley in the form of Mia Yim, likely setting up a high-profile showdown for Survivor Series.
Con: As great as it is to see the Blasian Baddie back, no way she's going over Ripley.

4. Judgment Day (3)

Pro: They remain a very important part of Raw with likely a rare intergender Survivor Series match possibly on the way.
Con: For the first time in a while they're on the back foot, as Rhea Ripley has to figure out how to deal with Mia Yim.

5. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter (5)

Pro: Still the NXT women's tag champs thanks to superior teamwork to retain their titles.
Con: Despite that, they still seem like secondary players in somebody else's story (in this case, Zoey Stark and Nikkita Lyons)

6. Pretty Deadly (4)

Pro: Still the NXT men's tag champs and fabulous in many ways.
Con: Showed on Tuesday that an NXT show without Pretty Deadly is a little bit less joyful.

7. Brawling Brutes (not ranked)

Pro: Entering a Survivor Series program with Drew McIntyre against The Bloodline is a pretty good spot.
Con: As great as they are, hard to see any of them taking gold from the top stable in the business.

8. New Day (8)

Pro: Put on yet another classic match with The Usos -- after a fantastic Raw promo -- to remind everybody why these are perhaps the two best teams in WWE today.
Con: Couldn't pull out the win.

9. The Schism (10)

Pro: Thanks to Ava Raine, they picked up a victory with longtime nemesis Cameron Grimes.
Con: In terms of booking and popularity, it's essentially nowhere to go but up with the new configuration.

10. Alpha Academy (not ranked)

Pro: Actually won a match, with Otis beating Elias.
Con: That this outcome given Otis' size advantage seems so surprising.

Best tag segment of the week: The Usos-New Day match felt really important and all four men put in the kind of performance to live up to the hype. Fight forever indeed.

Grade: A

A couple of tag title matches plus some build toward Surviver Series elevated everything.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.