RAW: 5 Reasons why The Street Profits challenged The Viking Raiders this week

This week on RAW, The Viking Raiders once again came out to the middle to feature in a tag team match. Fans braced for more local competitors to walk out and feel the wrath of the dominant RAW Tag Team Champions, but they received something far better instead.

Erik & Ivar issued an open challenge to the Red brand’s roster and The Street Profits answered. This was a breath of fresh air for fans, as they’d seen repeat squash matches involving the dominant RAW Tag Team Champions as of late.

In this article, we will look at the 5 reasons why The Street Profits challenged The Viking Raiders on RAW this week.

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#5 To make the Open Challenge seem real

Fans wouldn't have been happy to see some more unfamiliar faces come out

After The Viking Raiders offered an open challenge to anyone that wanted a shot at the RAW Tag Team Championships, The Street Profits answered. This was a relief for fans who have been watching The Viking Raiders run through jobbers and enhancement talent over the past few months.

What if Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins answered the challenge instead? Even worse, what if more local talent would have come out for a one-way ticket to the hospital?

This would have further tarnished the image of the RAW Tag Team Champions and made their open challenge more befitting for a heel tandem that desire to have to have some fun at the expense of fresh faces.

Now that we know that the open challenge is legitimate, the next time The Viking Raiders issue such a challenge fans can expect some of the best teams in the RAW Tag Team Division. That will only help build The Viking Raiders' image and increase the value of the RAW Tag Team Championships.

#4 To give the Champions a good fight

The challengers almost shocked the Champions

For weeks we’ve been watching The Viking Raiders compete in squash matches. The reason for that is that Erik and Ivar have largely been booked against local competition. The most threatening men they’ve faced on RAW are Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, which is a step down from the competition they received at Survivor Series from the other two brands’ top teams.

With that in mind, the company needed to give The Viking Raiders some real competition for the sake of legitimacy. It’s interesting to see how the RAW Tag Team Championships have traveled from the B-Team, who were stealing matches and living on the edge, to two men who can’t be beaten.

The Street Profits have faced the two men in NXT and given both men some great competition. Keeping that in mind, this match gave fans something to look forward to, and a rivalry that can unfold months down the road.

For once, Erik and Ivar seemed to not be completely in control of a match on RAW and that was definitely a good sign for the rest of the Tag Team Division.

#3 To give themselves a top match on RAW

A top team deserves a top match!

The Street Profits had their first match on RAW on October 21st. The two men faced Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson of The O.C. and defeated the duo to pick up a huge debut victory. Since then, we’ve watched Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins pair up with Humberto Carrillo to battle The O.C., as well as with Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens to take on Imperium.

Their match against Imperium was nearly a month ago and the duo hadn’t battled on RAW since. Their absence was unexpected for a team of this caliber, and therefore they decided to make their way into a match this week.

Just like they stood up to The O.C. during their debut, they did the same to the dominant RAW Tag Team Champions this week to show that they are ready to fight anyone and everyone.

WWE made the right decision in bringing The Street Profits back in the ring against RAW's premiere tag team.

#2 To keep The Viking Raiders rolling until they get into a rivalry

These big men can roll like dice!

The Viking Raiders have been on a roll since winning the RAW Tag Team Championships. Even though they have the titles around their waists, it’s a shame to watch them indulge in the same types of squash matches they were a part of when they debuted on RAW.

The Red brand needed to build the reputation of the duo and increase the value of the titles, and therefore they added The Street Profits into the mix. Even though Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins are playing babyface characters, it was good to see the two teams battle and then shake hands at the end of the bout.

While the match was good, it may just have been put in place to delay a possible rivalry for the Red brand's top team. The Viking Raiders have already had a rivalry with The O.C., and the next top team who can stand up to them may be the Authors of Pain. Since AOP already seem to be in a storyline with Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens, that rivalry will have to wait just a while longer.

The other option the brand can look at is the return of The Usos as heels. That would be a great way to add to the RAW Tag Team Division and the Championship storyline, as RAW is in dire need of a team that can keep The Viking Raiders engaged for some time.

#1 To give The Street Profits a televised loss

It was necessary to watch The Street Profits take a fall

One thing we should note is that The Street Profits hadn’t been pinned before last night’s RAW. The only time the team lost on television was when they teamed up with Humberto Carrillo to take on The O.C. In that bout, AJ Styles pinned Carrillo, but only after using the ropes to his advantage.

Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins did not feature in the Best in the World Tag Team Match at Crown Jewel, as the company probably tried to protect the duo from a loss.

While it’s always good to watch top Superstars go on an unbeaten spree, at times it becomes a headache for WWE Creative in the long run. Fans then have to sit through matches that lead to disqualification wins and count outs and those never really get over well.

This week, The Street Profits suffered their first televised loss after going through "The Viking Experience." It was a good decision by WWE Creative, as losing to the dominating RAW Tag Team Champions does not affect The Street Profits’ value. The handshake at the end confirmed that even Erik and Ivar believe that the duo gave them some tough competition.

Now that Ford and Dawkins have already experienced a loss on television, it will be easier for WWE Creative to handle them in the coming months.