Although it was just a throwaway backstage segment with Vince McMahon dressed as Santa Claus, WWE have just announced that we will finally be getting WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles, and while details are sparse at this point, it’s got everyone in the WWE Universe hyped. Seeing as though we are headed into the Road to WrestleMania, it’s likely that the Tag Champions will be crowned there, and with so much talent, WWE has to figure out which to use for their new division, and which to continue as singles stars, and that’s why we are here today.

So sit back and read along as we look into the future and analyze 10 tag teams that WWE should push heavily to promote their new Tag Team Division and 10 stars that, for the time being, should stay away from the shiny new belts.

20 Push: Nia Jax and Tamina

via wrestleyard.com

In terms of physicality, no team on this list match up to Tamina and Nia Jax, but in terms of work rate, these two are well behind, meaning they would serve as nothing but fodder for a bigger name team in a potential tournament. Down the line, if WWE wishes to go with a dominant heel team, these two would be perfect, but for now, they aren’t a serious contender. Anything can happen in WWE, and if they continue to harness the heel heat that Nia had from the Becky Lynch incident, they could become Champions very soon. However, we can’t see them being crowned as the first Champs.

19 Avoid: Io Shirai

via youtube.com

Io Shirai is a relative newcomer to NXT, but anyone who knows of her work outside of WWE knows that she’s the most talented performer they’ve ever signed, and all that work is as a solo star. Down in NXT, they need to build her as the next challenger to Shayna Baszler, and for that to happen, she can’t be distracted by the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Like the men, most of the women in WWE would love to hold every possible championship, but in NXT, the Women’s Title has become incredibly prestigious, and her focus is there right now, as it should be.

18 Push: Mickie James and Alexa Bliss

via diva-dirt.co

As WWE has only just introduced these Tag Team Titles, there are bound to be some makeshift teams early on, and while this one seems that way, it really isn’t. Alexa Bliss and Mickie James have history going back to Mickie’s return on SmackDown Live, and ever since that point, they’ve been friends, so this would be a great way for Bliss to return to competition. Alexa’s weaknesses as a solo performer in the ring began to show during her RAW Women’s Championship reigns, and a veteran like James would help her tremendously and would be a great use of both women.

17 Avoid: Nikki Cross

via WWE.com

Nikki Cross is one of the most unorthodox performers that WWE has ever seen, but at the head of the Sanity group, she shined brighter than anyone in NXT, and that should be her place right now, not the Tag Titles. Sure, playing a secondary role with SAnitY shouldn’t be a full-time thing, as she is a great performer and storyteller in her own right, but the Tag Titles just don’t make sense for her. Her debut on the main roster has been advertised for RAW, but switching it up and pairing her with Killian Dain, Alexander Wolfe, and Eric Young makes too much sense right now, and once they have their own titles, she needs to go straight after Asuka.

16 Push: Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke

Despite the fact that they had their first televised match on NXT not long ago, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir are both already big names, and with all their training at the PC, it looks like they’re improving quite rapidly. It seems very early to put these two in that picture, especially considering they are partners of Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey, meaning they’ll be big time on the main roster no matter what. They could be a surprise team, and while it’s very unlikely that they are given the Championships straight off the bat, they would put in a good showing and warn the division of the future.

15 Avoid: Asuka

via wwe.com

Although the idea of a group or faction holding multiple titles now that there are Tag Team Titles for WWE’s women is great, the idea of a solo woman holding both immediately isn’t great, and therefore Asuka won’t be that person. She’s had a long journey since her main roster debut, but overcame both Becky Lynch and Charlotte in a TLC match to claim gold, and that’s something she won’t let go of anytime soon. Asuka has many allies both on the main roster and down in NXT, and the thought of her teaming up with any of them is scary, so one day that will happen. But with gold draped across her shoulder, it won’t be now.

14 Push; Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose

via fanpop.com

Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose didn’t look very important down in NXT but were promoted to the main roster alongside Paige as Absolution, and although that didn’t work out, they’ve shown themselves to be very capable workers. WWE is obviously high on both of them for different reasons, and if they stay together, the Tag Team Titles have to be in their future. With much bigger names and stories chasing the first Championship run, it’s unlikely that these two will come close immediately, but with hard work and continued improvement, they’ll no doubt be in the hunt quite early on.

13 Avoid: Rhea Ripley

via wwe.com

Rhea Ripley was brought into WWE from Australia as a very raw prospect, but through hard work over the last two years, she’s become a top-flight heel, and we just can’t see her putting that aside right now. Sure, she tags with Reina Gonzales on NXT house shows, but there’s just too many tag teams out there as it is, and with her first reign as NXT UK Women’s Champ well underway, that’s her priority. Ripley doesn’t play nice with anyone, and it’s good to see someone keeping kayfabe away from our screens as Rhea does, and there’s just no point changing that right now.

12 Push: Chelsea Green and Britt Baker

via twitter.com

The majority of WWE audience would be familiar with everyone on this list, except for Britt Baker and Chelsea Green. However, they have the potential to be as big as every other tag team on this list. The duo has teamed up quite a lot on the independent scene, and with Chelsea signed and Britt likely in the near future, this would be a surprise team to throw in the mix, as they both have the talent to hang with any female in the world. This would be a shock to us all if it actually happened, but sending up an NXT team to represent for the chance at this championship would make it known that anyone can have a shot at the belts, and it would help give WWE some sense of unpredictability.

11 Avoid: Toni Storm

via wwe.com

Despite her young age, Toni Storm has been around the world perfecting her craft for years, and after winning the second Mae Young Classic, it’s clear that there’s no limit on how good she can be. An elite performer in the ring, and she has a genuine connection with the crowd that will carry her to the top of WWE one day, but for now, she has other goals in mind. With a match against Rhea Ripley up at NXT UK’s first TakeOver, Storm will be chasing the UK Women’s Championship, but one day when she makes the main roster, it wouldn’t surprise us if Storm took these titles, as well as every other one available.

10 Push: Trish Stratus and Lita

via Big Gold Belt Group

When it comes to star power, Trish Stratus and Lita are two of, if not the biggest names in women’s wrestling history (in WWE), and given that these titles have been unveiled on the road to WrestleMania, it’s hard to see them not being involved. It’s hard to see these two working a full-time or even TV schedule for WWE. That said, their chances of winning aren’t great, but a classic bout with Sasha Banks & Bayley could be a way to put them over big time. It’s great whenever these two legends return, but now that something’s on the line, we may see the Trish and Lita of old, and that’s exciting.

9 Avoid: Shayna Baszler

via biggoldbeltgroup.com

Many people assumed that Shayna Baszler only got her start in WWE due to her connections to Ronda Rousey, but her run in NXT has proven that she is a believable top star after putting on so many great matches. With these two factors combined, it looks like The Queen of Spades is set up for a long and successful career in WWE, and before it’s all said and done, we can imagine her capturing every available championship. With three partners to choose from, Baszler will take the Tag Team Championships whenever she wants, but with plenty of work down in NXT left to do, the time isn’t right now for the former MMA star.

8 Push: The Bellas

via wwe.com

Although The Bellas aren’t as influential to the current Women’s Evolution as they believe, they played a big part in bringing a mainstream audience to WWE, so who better to promote new Championships in the women’s division? Sure, they aren’t the best wrestlers in the division, and the hardcore audiences don’t react well to them, but this is an easy way to establish the division as one that will have meaning going forward. I don’t believe this is the direction that WWE would take, but after everything that has happened with the part-time Brock Lesnar in the last few years, this wouldn’t shock too many.

7 Avoid: Ember Moon

via Miami Herald

Despite constantly being overshadowed by the bigger names like Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Becky Lynch, and Ronda Rousey, Ember Moon has quietly become one of the best female workers in the world, and she has a big 2019 in store for us all. With Ronda, Becky and Charlotte seemingly all destined to be battling for the RAW Women’s title, that leaves Asuka all alone on Smackdown, so reigniting an old NXT rivalry would be a great way to start 2019. The introduction of these titles allows WWE to keep the women’s divisions much fresher, and allowing Moon to join Smackdown would also help this cause, but for the time being, chasing that blue belt should be her only priority.

6 Push: The IIconics

via youtube.com

Outside of the aforementioned Bellas, who do not compete in WWE on a regular basis, The IIconics are the only true female tag team in WWE, and while they haven’t been presented perfectly, this is the perfect spot for them. Both Billie Kay and Peyton Royce are very talented in the ring, and while they haven’t been able to fully show that yet, this is the time for them to step up. If it does indeed come down to a final match to crown the Champions (my prediction would be The IIconics vs. Sasha and Bayley), you have to think that WWE would love to reward the two Aussies for their tremendous work over the last year.

5 Avoid: Charlotte Flair

via wwe.com

Charlotte is arguably already the greatest female performer in wrestling history (Western wrestling anyway), and although becoming one-half of the first Women’s Tag Champs would be a great feather in her cap, she doesn’t need it. A lot of people have a problem with the way that she is shoehorned into every historic women’s moment in WWE, so this would work to give other women the spotlight they deserve while allowing Flair to seek revenge on Ronda Rousey. The ‘Mania 35 main event should be Lynch vs. Rousey, but WWE will likely throw her into the mix, and with no clear partner for her, it could be a while before this is in her future.

4 Push: The Riott Squad

via heraldsun.com

The Riott Squad made their debut on Smackdown Live shortly after The Absolution, and it looked like their stories would be connected, but after Paige’s injury, that changed, and they haven’t had much to do since. The trio of Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan are best friends behind the scenes, and it really shines through in whatever they are doing on TV, so it makes sense for them to be in this spot. All 3 are incredibly talented, so no matter which two challenge for the titles, they should be considered for the spot of inaugural Champions.

3 Avoid: Ronda Rousey

via f4wonline.com

With her three friends waiting down in NXT, there is going to come a time in the future where The Rowdy One will indeed challenge for these titles, but with several opponents awaiting a shot at the RAW Women’s title, that’s no time soon. Ronda is improving with every performance inside of a WWE ring, and one day, she’ll be just as smooth as the elite performers in WWE, but for now, she is still a big attraction, meaning a singles run is still her best bet. We don’t know what the future holds for these new Championships, but it’s safe to say that if any of the Four Horsewomen from MMA are getting a shot, it’s Duke and Shafir.

2 Push: Sasha Banks and Bayley

via wwe.com

Before these Tag Titles were announced, Sasha and Bayley were promoting them quite hard on social media and even on RAW, so when it comes to the match to crown the inaugural Champs, these two have to be involved. Sure, we all know that WWE is eventually going to break these two up and have them feud (hopefully culminating in a WrestleMania bout), but that would be all the better if they won these first. We don’t know how or when these champions will be crowned, but either way, it’s a safe bet that two of NXT’s greatest ever performers will be involved.

1 Avoid: Becky Lynch

via wrestleyard.com

The Man has been the hottest thing in WWE over the past six months, and with a red-hot feud with Ronda Rousey leading her into 2019, there is no need for Becky Lynch to be involved in any tag teams right now. At some point in the future, Becky is going to have to team up with Charlotte, Sasha, and Bayley to take on MMA’s Four Horsewomen, as this is a feud WWE has been building for a while, but she needs to stay away from the Tag Team Titles. It’s likely that Rousey vs. Lynch will be the main event of WrestleMania 35, so keeping her away from the Tag Titles is just a no-brainer, but we just hope WWE follow through on this mega push for Becky.