Thoughts on AEW and the dream of an elite tag division

All Elite Wrestling has solid momentum behind it. 

The promotion's greatest strength remains its Pay-Per-Views, as Tony Khan continues to ensure his audience gets the most bang for its buck. It's also the starkest difference between AEW and its competitor, World Wrestling Entertainment, especially in this TKO-controlled era. Khan strives to present his paying audience with the very best, while his competition offers the bare minimum to its Disney Adult-like audience. 

I'm also of the opinion that while his weekly television is vastly superior to WWE's, there's still plenty of room for improvement. I've recently advocated for Khan to shake up the status quo by abandoning the tired formula that has plagued American pro wrestling's weekly television for nearly 30 years and instead presenting AEW as more of a sports-based promotion than WWE. It's entirely possible to present professional wrestling weekly without the "benefit" of the "invisible camera." I promise.

Khan currently boasts a solid tag team division comprised of FTR, The Young Bucks, Cage & Cope, The Hurt Syndicate, The Hurt Syndicate, The Dogs, The Gates of Agony, The Gunns/Bang Bang Gang, The Rascalz, The Opps, The Outrunners, and any duo combination from factions such as the Don Callis Family, the Conglomeration, and Death Riders. AEW also employs Brodido, The Grizzled Young Vets, La Faccioń Ingobernable, Shane Taylor Promotions, Jurassic Express, Top Flight, and could reunite the Hounds of Hell. 

It's an impressive but underutilized division.

Fortunately for Khan, there has never been a better time to change the conversation. Austin Creed and Kofi, formerly known as Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston of the New Day, are presumably soon-to-be #AllElite after rejecting TKO's efforts to restructure their existing, high-priced contracts. Khan has an opportunity to present a genuine dream match between Creed & Kofi and The Young Bucks, a match long thought possible only inside a WWE ring. Still, Khan should ensure he gets more than just a five-star bout. 

It's an opportunity to present several compelling narratives: Creed & Kofi performing without constraint, an iconic team with nothing to prove, yet offering their very best with an understandable chip on their shoulders. It's an opportunity to tell the stories of two of the greatest tag teams of our generation, something WWE could never do even on its best day. 

There's still the potential for even more.

The Motor City Machine Guns, one of the greatest and underappreciated tag teams of my lifetime, are there for the taking after being discarded (and disrespected) by WWE. Sheamus, long believed to be a WWE lifer, is set to hit free agency, and a reunion with old partner Claudio Castagnoli outside the restrictive confines of WWE is enticing. 

There's an opportunity for Khan to establish AEW as a genuine tag team promotion, one where pay-per-views are routinely headlined by World Tag Team Championship matches. The tag team division should feel comparable to the Men's World Championship picture: one with many challengers, each with valid claims and different motivations to challenge for the tag titles.

The WWE tag team division is in dire shape. They are reportedly bringing back Enzo Amore & Big Cass, while featuring the makeshift team of Damien Priest and R-Truth. WWE has never cared for its tag division, and that's unlikely to change with Paul Levesque as its Chief Content Officer. 

This is more than an opportunity for Khan to further differentiate his promotion from WWE; it also gives Khan the chance to promote tag team wrestling as a reliable headlining act. Imagine AEW promoting a tag-team version of its Continental Classic, and all the phenomenal matches that would result. 

It would take significant commitment and the acceptance that injuries may derail programs, something Khan already deals with. The chance to revitalize an entire genre of pro wrestling is there for the taking. 

Please take it, Tony.