If somebody told you about a year ago that (Matt) Riddle would do an opening Raw promo on his friendship with Randy Orton that would have the crowd in the palm of his hand, that would sound bananas, right? Yet here we are, which is a testament to just how well Riddle, Orton and the creative team have taken the oddest of odd couples and turned them into one of the most over acts in WWE.
Indeed, after RK-Bro lost their titles to The Usos via Roman Reigns interference and suffered a beatdown afterwards, the bigger question -- which Riddle even worked into his promo -- was about the future of the partnership. Orton will likely get an extended holiday around Memorial Day and longer to sell the effects of his bad back and the Bloodline beating, but given the investment and popularity of this team, it's hard to see it going away, at least before SummerSlam.
If the rumors are true that Riddle and Randy are the next challengers to Roman's undisputed championship -- and the pieces are falling in place for that to make sense -- then we're setting up for some really good matches and stories. How much will the partners help each other and counteract The Usos if they get title shots? Neither is likely to win, but could a miscommunication lead to the long-expected Orton turn (which would be heartbreaking) or even a Riddle turn (which would be an interesting swerve).
In the interim, Riddle pairs up with Shinsuke Nakamura to take on The Usos next week. It feels like a side quest as he seeks blood from The Bloodline, and an opportunity for new "honorary Uso" Sami Zayn to show his value, but should be a great match.
Either way, it seems too soon to put the Cody Rhodes countdown clock on RK-Bro. Randy may be off TV, but Riddle's work continues to make them one of the most popular acts in WWE. Even if we won't consider RK-Bro an active team, they are alive in spirit.
In the meantime, it feels like a volatile time in the tag division, with half the teams on this week's list not ranked a week ago.
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 May 27:
1. The Bloodline (last week: 1)
Pro: They own all the main titles and tag-team gold on the main roster, which cements their top dog ranking.
Con: Despite all that, The Usos took a loss in a six-man tag to Riddle and The Street Profits, albeit when the brothers walked out on Bloodline wannabe Sami Zayn.
2. Toxic Attraction (4)
Pro: They continue to carry all the NXT women's gold. Mandy picked up a win over Indi Hartwell this week.
Con: Mandy also got knocked down by *checks notes* a bag of balls, and between Wendy Choo and Team Ninja, their next challengers are trying to get the upper hand.
3. Pretty Deadly (3)
Pro: Life is good for the British imports -- the NXT tag champs get to make entertaining promos, wear outlandish outfits and haven't needed to wrestle in quite a while.
Con: Seriously, wrestling more would establish them better.
4. Street Profits (not ranked)
Pro: Joined Riddle for a six-man win over The Usos and Sami Zayn that perhaps puts them into title contention at some point?
Con: As good as they are, WWE has had them continue to come up short with the titles on the line.
5. New Day (8)
Pro: Picked up Drew McIntyre as a mystery to finally get an empathic (and entertaining) win over Brawling Brutes in the SmackDown main event.
Con: Can this long-running feud be over already? Please?
6. The Judgment Day (10)
Pro: Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley scored a win (with Edge's help) over AJ Styles and Liv Morgan, then added a post match beatdown. And they keep teasing new members.
Con: They could stand to cut their promos about in half and still be effective.
7. Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser (not ranked)
Pro: Pairing on SmackDown for the first time, they defeated Ricochet and Drew Gulak, likely getting one of them into the Intercontinental title picture.
Con: They apparently aren't Imperium any more? That was such a great name.
8. Whatever we're calling the Tony D'Angelo, Troy "Two Dimes" Donovan and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo stable (not ranked)
Pro: Picked up a win over Edris Enofe and Malik Blade in advance of their future turf war with Legado del Fantasma.
Con: It's still not clear what these factions are actually fighting for, seeing as neither has any championships.
9. Los Lotharios (not ranked)
Pro: Finally picked up a win this week, defeating Jinder Mahal and Shanky on SmackDown. Their ongoing use shows somebody in management likes them.
Con: The match was much more about their opponents' story than the path of the winners.
10. Kayden Carter and Katana Chance (not ranked)
Pro: Setting themselves up nicely as the next NXT women's tag title challengers.
Con: Could stand to win some matches to back it up.
Best tag segment of the week: The Usos and RK-Bro still seem to be above everybody else, so the six-man tag with the brothers and Riddle felt like the biggest deal.
Grade: B
Plenty of tag action this week but the gaping hole that is the main-roster women's division is still something WWE needs to improve.
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