The WWE recently announced that there would be a tournament to determine the No. 1 contenders for the New Day’s tag team titles. The trio, which recently made a turn from heel to face, has held the titles for 237 days now, the fifth-longest reign since the belts were created in 2002.
The tournament started with eight teams and has been whittled down to four – The Usos, the Vaudevillains, Enzo and Cass and the Dudley Boyz. So which of these teams will come out on top and get the next crack at the New Day?
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Dudley Boyz
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The Dudley Boyz have won tag team gold in a variety of promotions across the world, most notably in ECW and the WWE. For that reason, no one should really count them out as a viable option to make another run at a pair of belts.
That said, expectations for the Dudley Boyz should be throttled a bit this time around. They’re facing Enzo and Cass, who have been fan-favorites. Further, the time to push the Dudleys during this run seemed to be late last year when they first returned instead of now that other teams have been brought into the picture.
Tournament odds: Medium
Enzo and Cass
Few teams in all of pro wrestling have connected with fans the way Enzo Amore and Colin “Big Cass” Cassady have in the NXT ranks and in the opening weeks of their main roster run. Their in-ring style is exciting, and their promo work is as engaging as anyone’s has been in recent years.
Because of that, the odds of Enzo and Cass making a run through this tournament seem pretty good, and moving through the Dudley Boyz would be a great way to establish these young superstars as a force to reckon with.
Tournament odds: High
The Vaudevillains
Aiden English and Simon Gotch, known together as The Vaudevillains, were a unique and successful team at the NXT level, and they’ve ridden that success to the main roster. Further, they picked up a win over Goldust and Fandango in the first round of the tag team tournament.
Here’s the catch, though. The same gimmick that made them interesting in NXT seems like one that won’t carry long-term on the main roster. Add in that they’re set to face the Usos, barring a surprise, and then probably Enzo and Cass, and it doesn’t seem like The Vaudevillains are destined for a title shot.
Tournament odds: Low
The Usos
The Usos have been a major part of the WWE tag team scene for the last couple years, holding the belts twice for a total of 255 days. It seems hard to believe that they wouldn’t factor in the picture this time around, and for that reason, they can’t be ruled out.
That said, the Samoan brothers were taken out by the debuting Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson last week on Raw after The Usos beat the Social Outcasts in the first round of the tournament. That has to play into the story going forward in some way, keeping The Usos from winning.
Tournament odds: Medium
Doc Gallows/Karl Anderson
No, Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson aren’t in the tournament bracket. But it just seems unlikely that they’d come in for no reason and beat down a team that most would consider favorites to get at least to the final round. That has to be going somewhere.
This feels like some sort of “invasion” angle, and it honestly wouldn't be too surprising to see the former Bullet Club members, likely as part of some WWE iteration of that stable, win the belts almost right away. It’s unclear how they’ll get in the tournament, whether simply as replacements for the Usos or as some sort of play-in, but don’t be shocked if it happens.
Tournament odds: Medium
