Two New Tag Team Challengers Shake Up WWE SmackDown’s Road to WrestleMania
SmackDown Crowns Two New Number One Contenders
Two new number one contender teams were crowned on WWE SmackDown, setting up fresh challenges for both the WWE tag team titles and the Women’s Tag Team Championship in a segment that mixed surprise alliances, returning stars, and big-picture WrestleMania implications.
SmackDown has quietly become WWE’s most consistent “story engine,” and this week’s show leaned into that reputation by reshuffling both the men’s and women’s tag divisions. Between unexpected pairings, a returning star presence, and some pointed mic work, WWE signaled that tag team wrestling is back on the front burner.
Why These New Contenders Matter Right Now
The timing here is everything. With WWE’s premium live event calendar packed and WrestleMania season constantly looming in the background, SmackDown needed new dance partners for both sets of tag champions. Rather than dip back into the usual pool of established tandems, creative leaned on:
- Fresh alliances built around familiar faces like Giulia, Kiana James, Alexa Bliss, and Charlotte Flair.
- A renewed emphasis on the Women’s Tag Team Championship, a set of belts that’s historically struggled for consistent focus.
- Tag title scenes that tie into broader brand stories instead of existing in their own silo.
In other words, the contenders crowned on this SmackDown are less about “who’s hot this week” and more about which acts WWE wants to spotlight going into the spring stretch.
Giulia & Kiana James vs. Alexa Bliss & Charlotte: Women’s Tag Division Reboot
The more headline-grabbing development came in the women’s tag division. After Giulia & Kiana James and Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair both came out to confront the current champions, SmackDown pivoted straight into a mini-tournament feel: winner becomes the new number one contenders.
On paper, both teams scratch very different itches:
- Giulia & Kiana James bring the “workrate and aura” tag team template: a crossover star aura from Giulia paired with Kiana’s increasingly confident in-ring game.
- Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair are pure WWE star power: multiple-time champions, proven talkers, and familiar faces to the mainstream audience.
“If you want fans to care about the Women’s Tag Team Championship, you have to let actual stars chase it — not just treat it like a consolation prize.”
Slotting these duos directly into a contenders match instantly does more for the titles than months of cold defenses. The belts suddenly feel like a legitimate prize again.
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Women’s Tag Booking
From a booking perspective, the direction hits several key positives but also exposes some long-term issues in WWE’s women’s tag philosophy.
What’s Working
- Immediate stakes: No long qualifiers, no overcomplicated brackets — just “win and you’re in.” It’s easy to follow and TV-friendly.
- Star elevation: If Giulia & Kiana earn the shot, it’s a fast track to making them feel like a top-tier act.
- Character contrast: The dynamic between a more methodical, grounded Kiana and a flashier international presence in Giulia plays well opposite the polished WWE TV veterans Bliss and Charlotte.
Where It Falters
- Short-term pairings: WWE has a habit of throwing big names together for a belt chase, then breaking them up with little explanation.
- Division depth: The fact that two essentially new or re-formed teams can immediately jump the line underlines how shallow the women’s tag roster still is.
- Follow-through risk: The success of this move depends on what happens after the title match — do these teams stick, or vanish into singles purgatory?
New WWE Tag Team Title Contenders on SmackDown
The men’s tag division also got a reset with a new number one contender team crowned for the WWE Tag Team titles. While the women’s scene stole most of the discourse, the men’s match quietly did the heavy lifting in terms of in-ring action and long-term story setup.
Structurally, WWE leaned on a familiar but effective formula:
- Open confrontation to frame the tag champions as hunted.
- Multi-team match or eliminator to create a sense of unpredictability.
- A clean finish that gives the new challengers a clear narrative hook heading into their title shot.
This is the kind of simple, functional tag storytelling that carried SmackDown through the late 2010s with teams like The Usos, The New Day, and The Bar constantly rotating through title programs.
Industry Context: The Quiet Value of Tag Team Wrestling
Beyond the wins and losses, this episode of SmackDown speaks to how WWE currently values tag team wrestling as a business and storytelling tool.
- Merch and branding: Tag teams are walking merch concepts. New pairings mean new logos, new T-shirts, and new social media branding opportunities.
- Roster management: Pairing stars in tags allows WWE to keep them on TV without overexposing them in singles feuds.
- International optics: Featuring Giulia prominently helps bridge WWE’s ongoing interest in global markets and cross-promotional buzz.
“Tag wrestling is where you can hide your flaws and show your strengths. It’s where you learn TV timing, crowd psychology, and how to get over without doing too much.”
By spotlighting multiple tag programs on the same episode, SmackDown is quietly reasserting the tag belts as more than just undercard time-fillers — they’re a core part of how WWE structures its weekly TV.
Fan Reaction, Social Buzz, and Critical Response
Online reaction to the new contenders skewed positive, especially around the women’s tag developments. The novelty of Giulia teaming with Kiana James and the nostalgia/curiosity factor of Alexa Bliss & Charlotte as a unit created a solid split in fan allegiances.
- Positives cited by fans: fresh matchups, the sense that the tag titles “matter again,” and the spotlight on women who can both talk and wrestle.
- Concerns raised: fear that WWE will abandon the new teams after a single pay-per-view cycle, and skepticism about long-term attention to the women’s tag belts.
“Don’t just give us shiny new contenders. Give us a division. Give us a reason these teams stay together when the cameras stop rolling.”
Watch More: SmackDown Highlights and Tag Team Moments
For viewers who missed the broadcast, WWE typically uploads condensed highlight packages and key segments from SmackDown on its official YouTube channel within hours of the show airing.
You can catch the contenders’ confrontations and the decisive matches in the WWE YouTube SmackDown highlights playlist.
Final Verdict: A Smart, If Not Perfect, Tag Team Reset
This SmackDown won’t go down as an all-time classic, but as a structural episode — the kind that quietly sets up the next month of TV — it largely does its job. Crowning new number one contenders for both the WWE Tag Team titles and the Women’s Tag Team Championship gives the show clear pillars to build around.
- Pros: fresh matchups, renewed focus on tag belts, strong use of star power, and straightforward storytelling.
- Cons: lingering doubts about long-term commitment to the women’s tag division and the stability of newly formed teams.
Reviewer: AI Entertainment Analyst
Rating: 7.5 / 10
The real test will come in how WWE follows up: Will Giulia & Kiana James or Alexa Bliss & Charlotte become an actual fixture of the women’s tag scene? Will the new men’s contenders transition into a multi-episode rivalry rather than a one-and-done special? If SmackDown keeps treating tag wrestling as a central story driver, this episode may be remembered as the moment the division quietly leveled up.
