The tag team roster may not be very deep on "SmackDown Live," but four teams remain in the hunt to crown new champions.
The Blue Brand will award its first tag champions since the brand extension at Backlash, which emanates live from the Richmond Coliseum in Virginia on Sept. 11.
Some of these teams seem more primed to win the tag gold than others, but with the WWE's odd booking at times, anything can happen on the road to the first "SmackDown Live" exclusive event since the brand extension.
Here is our rankings from worst to first of the teams looking for some gold.
4) The Hype Bros
Nothing against Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley, but it seems like they are the least likely team to get the honor of being the first "SmackDown Live" Tag Team Champions. They do have a nice following and Ryder was once a Cinderella story with the Intercontinental Championship, but it's hard to see the WWE pulling the trigger on a run for them. Though the duo is fun, it is probably a good idea to go with another team when it comes to crowning the inaugural champions.
3) The Usos
Jimmy and Jey are solid in the ring, but perhaps it's the stigma of being related to Roman Reigns that has kept them from truly breaking out. Okay, that's probably a little too hard on the leader of the Roman Empire. While the twins are a fun tag team, their act has also grown a little stale. It's likely the WWE will showcase some of its newer talent rather than putting the titles on The Usos come Sept. 11, which would be the right call.
2) Rhyno & Heath Slater
This may be a surprisingly high ranking. The former 3MB member and hottest free agent in Slater has actually been a lot of fun lately. His gimmick of trying to get signed by "RAW" or "SmackDown Live" has been enjoyable from week to week as he floats between both shows. Pairing him with Rhyno forms a goofy "opposites attract" duo which could provide entertainment down the line. It actually wouldn't be surprising to see the WWE put the straps on them and try to mine some gold out of them as a comedy act with the belts. While that's likely not the preferred route for most people, it's definitely feasible that they at least get as far as the finals to keep their hype alive.
1) American Alpha
Ever since their debut on "SmackDown Live," the WWE has been all-in on a mega push for Chad Gable and Jason Jordan. It's hard to blame the WWE for getting behind these two as their athletic prowess is highly impressive and the two haven't missed a beat in their transition from NXT. American Alpha was a fun team to watch on the lower tier of WWE programming and they have continued to step their game up on the main roster. The babyface duo is the perfect choice to usher in a new generation of "SmackDown Live" tag team wrestling -- now the WWE just has to find other solid teams to surround them with.
