After a shift in management, WWE has announced a tournament to crown new Women's Tag Team Champions on the latest episode of Monday Night Raw. The Women's Tag Team Championships have been inactive after they were vacated in May of this year. Since their vacation, the championships have not made a televised appearance following then tag team champions Sasha Banks and Naomi, exiting a scheduled appearance on Raw.
A new era in WWE has begun following the retirement of Vince McMahon. McMahon began serving as chairman and CEO of the wrestling promotion in 1982. After an investigation into alleged hush-money payments, McMahon stepped down as CEO and chairman and was replaced by his daughter Stephanie. After McMahon announced his official retirement, Paul Levesque (Triple H) has taken over as the Head of Creative.
On the latest episode of Monday Night Raw, a tournament was announced to crown new Women's Tag Team Champions. The bracket includes the teams of Tamina and Dana Brooke, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai, Alexa Bliss and Asuka, Nikki A.S.H. and Doudrop, Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah, Xia Li and Shotzi, Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark, and Natayla and Sonya Deville. On Raw, Sky and Kai defeated Tamina and Brooke to move on to the second round of the tournament. Next week, Bliss and Asuka will take on A.S.H. and Doudrop to determine who will face Sky and Kai for a chance to move on to the finals.
Sky and Kai made their WWE main roster debuts at SummerSlam alongside a returning Bayley. Sky and Kai's returns were a surprise following rumors of Sky's WWE future and Kai's release in April. The trio has quickly shaken up the WWE Women's Division, capturing the attention of Raw Women's Champion Bianca Belair. As it was also made official on Raw, Belair, Bliss, and Asuka are scheduled to face Bayley, Sky, and Kai at WWE's Clash of the Castle in September.
Since Triple H took over as the Head of Creative for WWE, there has been a noticeable shift in the product. In his short time in charge, he has brought Sky to the main roster and re-signed Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, and Dexter Lumis. These five were all members of the NXT brand of which Triple H was once an executive producer. In September 2021, NXT was rebranded as NXT 2.0, and he was not involved. Now in charge of main roster storylines for Raw and SmackDown, Triple H has begun to promote many of the superstars that had been overshadowed or released by the company.
With the teams involved in the tournament, it's difficult to know what to expect. Many of the teams have not routinely joined with one another, meaning they are unlikely to make it very far in the tournament. Given the run Sky and Kai have been on since making their main roster debuts, it's likely their momentum will carry them through the finals and crown them the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions.
Source: WWE