WWE's tag team division has often been relegated to afterthought storylines for many years. Despite this, several tag teams made a significant impact, and some wrestlers remained in the division for most of their careers.
Former WWE Superstar Paul London recently reflected on his tag team run with Billy Kidman. They were a team from January to September 2004 on SmackDown, during which time the duo held the WWE Tag Team Championship. Although they were not friends who hung out in the same circle off-screen, Paul recounted his experience and how much he learned from the 50-year-old veteran.
Speaking to Fightful, Paul London admitted to being a fan of Billy Kidman but revealed that he did not even have the latter's phone number. Kidman was married to WWE Hall of Famer Torrie Wilson at the time, and so they did not get to travel together either:
"Where as much as Kidman and I, we weren't like friends. I don't even know that I had his phone number when we were teaming, to be honest with you. We never rode together, ‘cause he's married. He's married to Torrie [Wilson] and we just weren't in the same circle really, which was a shame because I was a fan of his growing up," Paul London recalled.
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He added that Billy Kidman taught him a valuable lesson, which is to slow down. In his own words, what Kidman effectively made him understand is "getting the most juice at everything":
"But he helped me tremendously because I think he has one of the most underrated drop kicks. BAM! So he taught me a lot about not throwing things away so much and slowing down and really getting the most juice at everything. Because when I watch back and I'm throwing out dropsaults like they’re clotheslines and a comeback. What was I doing? No wonder my neck hurts." [H/T: Fightful]
Paul London was released by WWE in 2008. Prior to departing, London had some noteworthy performances in the tag team division, having later teamed up with Brian Kendrick and claiming gold.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross believes Paul London should have achieved more
Legendary commentator, Jim Ross spoke highly of Paul London recently on his podcast Grilling JR. While discussing London with host Conrad Thompson, Ross noted how "talented" the tag team specialist was, but he never got the ball rolling beyond what he managed to achieve.
"He was a talented kid. Talented kid. High spots, offense, et cetera. That was kinda his calling card. But, yeah, he never realized his total potential. I don't know what the reason for that is," he said.
Jim Ross added that one can perhaps say it is simply because Paul London did not find the "magic space" that many other wrestlers did to propel to the next level.