The WWE tag team division seems to be running wide open these days, which comes as no surprise as Triple H has been a big supporter of the two-on-two scene for years. Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano recently shocked the WWE Universe with a heel turn. DIY is now using a moment of silence, but with a twist, to taunt a veteran personality and a legendary tag team.
Blackheart and Johnny Wrestling pulled a heel turn ruse a few weeks ago to dethrone Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin of the WWE Tag Team Championship. This came 42 days after The Motor City Machine Guns had dethroned The Bloodline's Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. Friday's SmackDown saw Gargano defeat Shelley with a handful of trunks, after interference by Ciampa and Sabin.
DIY later spoke with Byron Saxton on SmackDown LowDown. The two-time WWE Tag Team Champions took shots at MCMG, and jokingly called for a 15-minute moment of silence to pay tribute to the three-time TNA World Tag Team Champions. Ciampa captioned the video with a moment of silence hashtag, and a hashtag to declare DIY as The Best Tag Team In The World.
"#momentofsilence #BTTITWDIY," Tommaso Ciampa wrote.
The Stamford-based company is expected to book Ciampa vs. Sabin in a singles match for next week, but that is not confirmed. He has never faced either member of MCMG in singles action. Friday's loaded taped SmackDown marked the sixth Gargano vs. Shelley singles bout, and the first-ever NXT Triple Crown Champion has won five of those.
Friday's post-SNME edition of SmackDown was a taped episode. However, the Stamford-based promotion will present the final edition of the blue brand of 2024 on December 27, live from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL.
Cody Rhodes is rumored to return to TV on this week's SmackDown after missing the last edition to sell the attack from Kevin Owens at Saturday Night's Main Event. To add to the speculation, a return by the Undisputed WWE Champion this coming Friday would allow him to build to an appearance during the RAW Netflix premiere on January 6, which he has been advertised for.
KO vs. Cody for the title is rumored for the next Saturday Night's Main Event on January 25, perhaps with a stipulation.
There's been chatter online about how the promotion did not announce anything for Friday's SmackDown. Superstars advertised include Rhodes, Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, Bianca Belair, LA Knight, Bayley, and Solo Sikoa with The Bloodline. RAW Superstars are also scheduled, likely for dark matches: Jey Uso, Pure Fusion Collective, Kairi Sane, and Dakota Kai.