This is a post I left awhile back on my other blog at http://rtdwnthemiddle.livejournal.com.
Original Post Date: May 16th, 2008 @ 2:07 pm
Before I start, I must say that this isn't a battle between the two companies, but more so my humble opinion and observation of what made each of these tag teams good, and what makes them both suck horribly out loud. If you have the same thoughts and opinions, please feel free to add or dissent from my unpopular stance.
LAX - HOMICIDE Y HERNANDEZ
What made this Latin American team incredible in my eyes is the fact that when they had Konnan as a mouthpiece, they were no nonsense heels - they interrupted segments, they attacked people backstage, they brutalized their opponents, and occasionally used Konnan to gain the upper hand in matches where they were most certainly going to lose. Homicide was the fiesty small one of the duo - the one that looked like he couldn't pack much of a punch but would get you with his speed, quickness, and devastatingly high-risk maneuvers that involved some attack to your head or neck. Homicide does most of the gestering, the taunts, and attacks quickly and seemingly out of nowhere. Hernandez, on the other hand, was the big powerhouse of the group - he didn't need to talk much or be flashy, because his strength did the talking for him. His blows to your body would be sure to crack a rib or two, and if you tried to leave the ring for a brief moment to catch your breath and bearings, he'd surprise you with his agility by flying over a top rope or from the turnbuckles. With Konnan as their manager and mouth piece, the LAX didn't have to grab the stick to inform the crowd of their intentions; hell bent on making their Latino heritage known and felt in TNA, Konnan gave fans reason after reason to continuously disrespect the team, but at the same time give them kudos for their atheleticism and ability to dessimate their opponents.
CRYME TYME - JTG & SHAD
The African American duo burst onto WWE screens after several weeks of vignettes designed to highlight their in-ring skills in a comedic fashion. Each week, fans laughed as we were shown Cryme Tyme's agility, strength, cunning, speed, etc. as the two hijacked a man's car, outran police officers,and even interrupted a bad stand-up routine. When they finally debuted on television, fans saw that their hijinks in the outside world payed off tremendously. JTG was the small flashy one - he does most of the flamboyant gesturing and flashing the "bling-bling," and often strikes quickly and in a cunning matter...avoiding big moves and choosing to whittle away at his opponents health and stamina with strikes and relatively basic takedowns (suplexes, bodyslams, etc.). Shad is the big boy - his sheer size playing into his intimidation factor along with his dashing smile that is quickly replaced with a sneer of pure determination as soon as he hits the ring. He's not only powerful, but quick, opting to take down his opponent with a big boot to the face that is never expected, or a clothesline that is sure to take a foe out of his wrestling boots. JTG and Shad both play the role of mouth piece for the group, usually boasting about the fact that they're both all about the money.
HOW THEY BOTH SUCK
With Konnan now out of the picture, out of TNA, and perhaps out of the country, LAX lost direction, purpose, the tag belts, and their killer edge and reputation. Without a proper mouth piece and without the controversy that surrounded their actions, motives and desires, they flip-flopped around like a mackeral out of water. Once they lost that edge and tv time, fans weren't given a reason to hate them or love them...they were just around. Then they were stuck with Salinas...and then they were stuck with Hector Guerrero for a 2nd time...and now they have the tag belts. The problem is, the fans still aren't given a reason to give a care about them or their title reign this time around. For LAX to be more effective now, in my opinion, they need that same intensity that gave us a reason to hate them, except we now love them for that same intensity. They should be established as THE tag team to beat - not simply because they have the tag belts, but because they earned them after decimating team after team with their abilities as tag team wrestlers. But unfortunately, if the company doesn't think the belts are worth two red nickels, then Jesus Christ couldn't make us sit through a tag match, let alone one with tag champs who won the belts through a series of confusing matches and stipulations, not to mention the random pairings of wrestlers they had to face in the tournament.
Cryme Tyme was never meant to be taken seriously. Their antics were more funny than intimidating, and even their backstage promos make us laugh moreso than make us believe they're serious contenders for the tag team titles on RAW. Let's not forget that they won a match or something that guaranteed them a tag team title shot against Cade and Murdoch...which was never granted. In keeping in line with the name of their team, JTG and Shad "stole" most of their victories - often winning by some small window of opportunity they took advantage of. Their matches are fairly short, and again, fans don't have a reason to invest in their push simply because they haven't shown an interest in dominating the tag team division, obtaining the tag team belts, or anything outside of "Money, Money, yeah yeah!"
WINNERS: LAX
In this instance, LAX has the edge over Cryme Tyme, simply because they have a chance of being a dominant force in sports entertainment, as opposed to Cryme Tyme who's doing exactly what they were meant to do from the get-go...be comic relief. The sad part is, I like both teams, but they've got some hurdles to jump over creatively if they want to be the "it" factor in tag team wrestling.
TNA:1 - WWE:0