The Case for the AEW Women's World Tag Team Titles - Kaye Fabe
Well, Tony Khan has finally done it. Just a week shy of the sixth anniversary show of AEW Dynamite, he has introduced the AEW Women's World Tag Team Titles. The division has never been stronger and he commented something to that effect when he was asked why now was the correct time to launch them. The women's roster is deep. Very deep. It is too deep for just the TBS and Women's World Championships alone. There are far too many women with nothing to fight for, often being cycled through as a challenger to Mercedes Mone or--for a long time--Toni Storm.
While it hasn't been announced yet just how these titles will be handed out--a tournament seems likely, but a four-way could also work--the inaugural champions will be forever enshrined in AEW and wrestling history.
Who should be first champions? Here are ten possible choices and the rationale for each being the first AEW Women's World Tag Team Champions.
Honorable Mention: Taya Valkyrie & Deonna Purrazzo
Who knows if The Vendetta is still a faction? Taya has been chumming with Johnny TV and the MXM Collection on AEW and ROH as of recent, while I haven't seen Deonna anywhere near AEW TV in a long time. Additionally, these two haven't won many matches to consider their inclusion in the top ten. Still, they should be featured as a team the eventually champions go against, if they are still a team.
Honorable Mention: Mercedes Mone & Anyone She Chooses
You know Mercedes is going to mention those tag straps pretty quickly. Her only true alliance in AEW that she hasn't broken has been a loose affiliation with the enhancement talent the Renegade Twins, but I'm not sure either of them are true tag partners as much as lackeys for Mercedes. But if Mone wanted, I'm sure she could get a tag partner from somewhere. Emi Sakura? A returning heel Britt Baker? Someone new? Nyla Rose? Ruby Soho? Bueller? Anyone?
10: Riho & Hikaru Shida
A few of these are going to be fantasy booking, but AEW can't deny that they have a large number of Japanese women signed, including Riho, Shida, Emi Sakura, and Yuka Sakazaki to name a few. I chose the two most interesting to put together as a team. Riho as a total babyface and Shida as a total badass would be a fun team to create and maintain. Their interactions could be good also. If they don't want to use Riho, there is another certain Pittsburgh dentist who has a past history with Shida as well...
9: Marina Shafir & Serena Deeb
This one also doesn't exist, but with the increased presence of the women's division, the Death Riders could use a second female, and no one on the roster fits as logically as Serena Deeb. A ruthless submission specialist who is unmatched in terms of technical wrestling, the Woman of 1,000 Holds would fit in quite nice with her scowl. Her and Marina Shafir would have the babyfaces running scared.
8: Willow Nightingale & Queen Aminata
This isn't a regular tag team, though they have been in multi-women matches together recently. The appeal here would purely be that both are extremely over as babyfaces with the fans and project positivity, even if the Queen's sometimes comes with a violent streak. Still, this would be a great way to reward two of the ladies who have been workhorses over the last year.
7: Kris Statlander & Harley Cameron
Some might be surprised to see me rank this tandem so low on the rankings, but that's really a testament to how good and deep the division is. This is a very entertaining duo and appear to be entering a feud with the Death Riders. The only reason they are ranked so low is because Statlander is freshly the AEW Women's World Champion and Cameron is over no matter what she does, so she is fine staying with Kris for a while.
6: Toni Storm & Mina Shirakawa
Toni Storm remains the most over women in the ladies' division, but her and Mina Shirakawa are united in their "We both lost Mariah May" sweepstakes. Together they are all sorts of titillating, but both know how to work both in the ring and as an over character. We haven't gone through the plots these two could work out yet. There would be a lot of life for them in the tag division should they pivot as such.
5: Anna Jay & Tay Melo
I've seen many people comment that this would be their pick for new women's tag champions. I'm not opposed to it. Both are long-time AEW stars and are homegrown talent, for whatever that matters. However, Anna hasn't won many matches in the last two years and Tay was gone almost as long, so their credibility isn't at its peak at the moment. The true days of TayJay are long in the mirror, but perhaps they could rise again? The division is much deeper than before Tay Melo left to become a mom. They will have to prove themselves all over again.
4: Athena & Billie Starkz
If we're looking for long-term storytelling, it is hard to say any other duo on this list has done it as long and as consistently as the Forever Champion the Fallen Goddess and her minion, Billie Starkz. Endlessly entertaining, AEW was given a shot in the arm when the ROH duo pursued Toni Storm and her title this summer. Athena is one of the very few females in AEW who can actually measure up to Toni Storm on the microphone. These two could be called for day one contenders to whoever ends up being champion.
3: Alex Windsor & Jamie Hayter
If there is anyone who could use a little boost in terms of storylines, championships, and feuds, it's the Brit. Which one, you ask? Yes. Both Windsor and Hayter remain popular with the crowd, but this is a natural team we need to make yesterday. Two badass Brits who are known for being strong, heavy hitters. Please, Tony. At least let us hear them overemphasize each other's last names. But in all seriousness, this is a match made in heaven.
2. Skye Blue & Julia Hart
Besides Anna Jay and Tay Melo, this is the other duo I'm seeing the most online as the pick to be the first champions. I totally agree. The Sisters of Sin are young, talented, beautiful, and wholly evil. Julia is a day one performer, and we remember being in the audience in Chicago when Tony Khan offered Skye Blue an AEW contract. They are similar, but different, with Julia doing acrobatic moves from her cheerleading past, and Skye Blue preferring a harder hitting, death match style. These two do deserve the belts, but I would like to see them pick up a few wins first. Maybe if they are chickenshit heels it might work, but you can't be spooky and chickenshit.
1: Penelope Ford & Megan Bayne
The AEW Booking Committee hasn't called me yet, but if they did, my vote would go to the Olympic Warriors or whatever full-time name they come up with. Megan Bayne is one of three women in the division--and the only one not named Toni Storm or Mercedes Mone--that has been protected. She wins far more than she loses, and she remains a dominant goddess when she's in the ring. The look and the act serve both Bayne and her underling, Penelope Ford, well. Ford, a capable wrestler with a good look, but not so great personality has really shined as Bayne's admirer in their partnership. This would be a great heel team to begin as champions or be the first to take the straps off some babyfaces. Bayne is too much of a presence to not get some gold eventually.
So there we have it. 12 teams that could potentially enter the tag division, and that's not even including other ladies such as Thekla, Emi Sakura, Yuka Sakazaki, Nyla Rose, Ruby Soho, Leila Gray, Britt Baker, Rachel Ellering, Vertvixen, Trish Adora, or any number of Mexican or Japanese wrestlers that could come in from Stardom, CMLL, New Japan, and more.
The division's future is bright, and the tag belts help put a little more shine on the ladies.
