Growing Frustration With SmackDown Tag Division Has WWE Eyeing New Teams — Here’s What’s Already Taking Shape

There’s reportedly growing frustration within WWE over the lack of variety in the SmackDown tag team division, and the company has been exploring ways to shake things up — including potential free-agent signings and new pairings built from existing roster members. Several on-screen developments suggest that process may already be underway.

On the June 12 edition of SmackDown, Chelsea Green and Tiffany Stratton teamed together, though the pairing came up short against Michin and B-Fab. Green has spent recent weeks trying to build a friendship with Stratton, a move that appears tied to the release of Alba Fyre, Green’s former running partner. Despite the loss, the two popular women continue to orbit each other on SmackDown, keeping the door open for a more formal alliance.

Over on NXT, the June 16 episode saw Nattie defeat Jaida Parker in singles action — and afterward, Nikkita Lyons and Karmen Petrovic emerged to celebrate alongside her. The moment stood out given that Lyons and Petrovic have spent much of their NXT tenure as rivals, making their unified appearance worth watching going forward.

Meanwhile, Ethan Page and Rusev have already taken tangible steps toward a tag partnership on Raw, coming together with the shared goal of pursuing the WWE Intercontinental Championship. The combination of Page’s cunning and Rusev’s power gives the duo a natural dynamic.

At the AAA Noche de Los Grandes Week 2 event, Bayley, Lola Vice, and La Catalina teamed up to defeat Los Toxicas — a partnership born from mutual opposition to Flammer’s group. With Bayley having been betrayed by Lyra Valkyria on the June 22 episode of Raw, a closer alliance between Bayley and Vice on the main roster becomes an increasingly logical next step.

With WWE’s tag landscape clearly in flux across all three brands, the coming weeks should reveal which of these budding partnerships stick — and whether any of them are built to chase gold.