Match Of The Week: 08.19.06.

August 25th, 2006.
WWE Friday Night Smack Down! on UPN
Paul London vs. K.C. James

While some could easily argue that there wasn't too much special about this match, I have to differ. Especially given the sea of crap floating around known as professional wrestling these days (on television that is), this was definitely the high spot of the week.

Not only is one of my favorite wrestlers of all-time, Paul London, going one on one with K.C. James (who is talented in his own right), but these two have also begun a feud for the WWE Tag Team Titles. The HooliganZ (Paul London and Brian Kendrick) currently hold the titles while the new team of K.C. James and Aaron "Idol" Stevens are gunning for them.

All too often with WWE these days it seems they follow a fairly steady pattern when it comes to the tag team division. They give the team the belts, they drop them to another team and then they break up.

On Smack Down! alone (We'll ignore RAW for today), the only team that are still together besides The HooliganZ are The Dudley Boyz who are in TNA!

Going back to October 20th, 2002- nearly four years ago- the title holder list looks like this:

Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit - Neither man is on WWE television right now.
Rey Mysterio & Edge - At one point they were both Main Title Holders of their brands, but they're still not on the same show.
Los Guerreros - Chavo is fighting in singles against Rey Rey while Eddie is fighting up in Heaven.
Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas - They're both on RAW, but Haas was last seen teaming with Big Vis.
Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri - Tajiri is in Japan not wrestling.
The Worlds Greatest Tag Team again.
Los Guerreros again.
The Bashams - They're kind of like a tag team in WWECW, but they don't fight and wear masks.
Scotty 2 Hotty & Rikishi - Rikishi was fired a while back, Scotty is doing who knows what still under WWE employ.
Charlie Haas & Rico - Rico was fired a while ago.
The Dudleys - In TNA, the only team still together.
Billy Kidman & Paul London - Billy Kidman was released and Paul London went on to a Cruiserweight Title reign.
Kenzo Suzuki & Rene Dupree - Suzuki went bye-bye, Dupree is on the WWECW brand.
RVD & Rey Mysterio - RVD is flyin' solo in the WWECW.
The Bashams again.
Rey Mysterio & Eddie Guerrero - Already explained.
MNM - Johnny Nitro and Melina are on RAW where Nitro holds the IC gold. Joey Mercury is M.I.A.
Heidenreich & Animal - Neither is currently under WWE contract.
MNM again.
Batista & Rey Mysterio - They held them for, like, a week as a joke.
MNM yet again.
The HooliganZ.

Now the point of all this is that rather than give the Tag Team Titles to James & Stevens, thus breaking up The HooliganZ, it seems like WWE is almost investing into some tag team action again. At the end of this match- which resulted in a no contest- The New Pitbulls (Jamie Noble and Kid Kash) made their return, attacking pretty much everyone until a massive brawl ensued.

Hopefully WWE can break their pattern now and actually have more than one team gunning for the gold. These three teams are all stellar and I hope that from here they only build upon them.

(Photo and title history information courtesy of WWE.com)