WWE has never been consistent at creating star acts for the tag team division. Each wrestler will see a handful of teams breaking out to become all-time greats for the company. However, there are many more flops for every one success story. Vince McMahon has a reputation for not being as inclined to push tag teams due to wanting bigger solo stars.
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The Ascension getting called up from NXT is just one story that made fans start to realize just how flawed tag team booking can be in WWE. Many other teams suffered the same fate of being unable to hit their potential on the biggest stage. WWE ruined the following talented tag teams that was ruined by bad booking.
Although things may now change with Triple H at the helm of WWE Creative, the regime under Vince McMahon was certainly tough for tag teams. McMahon failed to see tag team wrestling as a draw in his company, meaning that less care was given over the years to potentially strong teams. This led to some promising future stars or even teams that were championship material eventually getting ruined. Sometimes, this was before they were even given a chance to succeed, though on occasion this would even happen to multi-time champions and popular duos. Unfortunately, this happened far too often in WWE.
Throughout their time in NXT, the team of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce developed a great gimmick and package, which they then brought up to the main roster. Initially, they were given some attention, but allegedly Vince McMahon just didn't get their personalities and didn't find them funny.
Despite having a large fanbase, the IIconics received little TV time and would develop into a non factor in the women's tag team division following their loss of the titles, before being pointlessly broken up, with them each struggling to find momentum afterwards.
The Revival (currently FTR) are one of the best tag teams in the world, which they proved time and time again. However, on WWE's main roster, they didn't get much of a chance at showcasing that.
In WWE, they would lose quite often, they were made a joke out of in several segments - notably when they were mocked for shaving each other's backs, and were eventually pitched a gimmick idea which caused fans online (and even former wrestlers too) to be in complete shock at how bad it looked.
The team of Simon Gotch and Aiden English had brilliant presentation, and they put their all into their throwback classical gimmick, with their moveset representing this too. However, after just a month or so on the main roster, WWE decided to drop the ball with them.
After one brief challenge for the tag titles, The Vaudevillains were turned into glorified enhancement talents before Gotch eventually got released. In NXT, they were hugely popular, but on the main roster they were ruined. Aiden English at least was able to form the popular team with Rusev which resulted in the classic Rusev Day catchphrase.
Many fans and wrestling pundits believed The Ascension would be the next breakout tag team for WWE when called up. NXT pushed The Ascension as their first major tag team success dominating the NXT Tag Team Championship picture before getting called up.
WWE did them wrong with horrible booking from the start getting embarrassed by legends. The Ascension showing little respect to older names would see them coming back and destroying them. Nothing could fix the issues created there before they fell off the card and ultimately were released.
The duo of Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch featured two singles wrestlers getting paired together and forming chemistry in developmental. Both Murdoch and Cade hoped that this tag run would be their big break to remain on the main roster for good.
WWE did push them by having them win the World Tag Team Championship three times, but the entire tag division was booked poorly around this time. Cade and Murdoch didn't have many standout moments and were split up faster than expected.
WWE signing the Viking Raiders on the independent circuit led to a lot of hype for them joining NXT. The developmental stint went well and made them come off as arguably the best tag team waiting to get called up.
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Unfortunately, the main roster run has been a huge disappointment due to a lack of success. WWE placed the Viking Raiders in a few short-term programs, but there was no character development beyond pointless name changes. The Viking Raiders are still hoping to have that moment breaking out today.
WWE viewed the Basham Brothers as two of their best talents in developmental. Doug and Danny were not related in real life, but they played brothers in WWE due to having similar looks. Multiple stints featured them getting the wrong gimmicks to succeed.
The original act featured the Basham Brothers debuting with Shaniqua with a dominatrix gimmick. WWE fans had no idea what to make of them, and the gimmick ended after a few months. JBL led his Cabinet faction with the Bashams joining, but they didn't have any storylines or character traits beyond being his lackeys.
The Riott Squad seemed like the perfect set of wrestlers to help make the Women's Tag Team Championship picture a success when the belts were created. Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan always worked well together, but they weren't given any direction in the tag division.
Fans grew excited when Liv and Ruby Riott reunited in 2019 until the same story happened again. WWE did a nice job putting the group together, but they were booked horribly in their tag matches by having no chance to win big matches.
WWE had high hopes for the trio of David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd and Natalya as the Hart Dynasty. The concept was obviously promising since it played into their history as the new generation of the legendary Hart family.
Bret Hart even appeared with them on a few occasions when he returned to the company. WWE gave Smith and Kidd some big wins in the tag division, but they were never booked effectively once winning gold. The Hart Dynasty never had a chance to develop their own identities before splitting apart.
Many fans and even wrestlers felt that American Alpha could become the next legendary team after their NXT stint. Jason Jordan and Chad Gable worked perfectly together for outstanding matches and funny segments together.
The call-up featured a slower rise than expected, but they won the Smackdown Tag Team Championship in a great moment. WWE unfortunately booked them terribly afterwards with few matches to have any story. Vince McMahon even broke them up prematurely because he felt Jordan had more singles potential.
The Ruthless Aggression Era saw WWE adding a lot of young talent to the roster. Rene Dupree and Sylvan Grenier each had a lot of hype for their work together. Both young prospects looked good in the early stages of the Le Resistance tag team.
WWE going the anti-American route was lazy for the French team's gimmick, but it did help them get heat. La Resistance's momentum stalled when WWE refused to add any other layers to their character. Dupree getting replaced by Rob Conway in the team showed how little WWE cared about credibility.
WWE calling up the Authors of Pain tag team from NXT should have been an easy success story. The team worked perfectly in NXT with both wrestlers stepping up and the legendary manager Paul Ellering at their side.
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Things grew strange instantly when Ellering debuted with them but was removed from the act after one week. Drake Maverick became their manager, but WWE had no idea how to spotlight them. The fun matches and intimidating personas never existed on the main roster.
Another wild story of a recent team not even getting a fair chance after NXT was Heavy Machinery. Otis and Tucker had chemistry together as a fun face act in NXT. The main roster stint showed their potential, but they were always waiting for their big push.
Otis became more prominently featured due to a romance storyline with Mandy Rose. Unfortunately, this singles push caused the team to break up and Tucker to betray Otis. Neither man found as much success afterwards and the breakup came for nothing.