War Raiders Push Back Against Vince McMahon’s Outdated Tag Team Wrestling Views

Ivar and Erik of the War Raiders have been a solid tag team in WWE for years, and they’re proud of everything they have achieved as a team, which is why they have pushed back against Vince McMahon’s outdated views on tag team wrestling.

While speaking to Gorilla Position, the War Raiders were asked whether they believed many talents in WWE hadn’t fully committed to tag teams because of the long-standing view that Vince McMahon didn’t prioritize them. It was noted to them that there have always been stories that Vince didn’t give tag teams as much attention or TV time as singles wrestlers.

Erik said part of the reason might be due to the economic aspect of wrestling. He noted that people back in the day would think in a singles match, you only have to pay two wrestlers. But in a tag team match, you’re paying four. So, some people in the past saw tag teams as something like an attraction, not a mainstay all the time. Erik said he and Ivar don’t agree with that old-school thinking.

Erik said maybe some wrestlers didn’t want to be in a team because of pride or wanting to stand out on their own. But for Erik and Ivar, tag team wrestling is something they truly love. For years they focused on themselves as solo wrestlers, but when they finally teamed up, it just worked and felt right.

“I mean, there is a dynamic in just the economics of wrestling, yeah. Especially in that kind of old-school mentality of, if you’re paying for a singles match, you’re only paying two salaries. For a tag match, you’re paying four. So there’s that kind of — you know — whatever. We’re more expensive as a commodity than one person. We’re two people doing one match, you know what I mean? So there’s that kind of old school mentality where tag teams were, like, an attraction — not a mainstay and we don’t agree with it.

I think — I don’t know — maybe it’s an ego thing, maybe it’s whatever, but it’s something that he and I committed to in a way that says, ‘Hey, this is an art form.’ And this is a way into the art form that we’ve both fallen in love with, right? Where we spent 10 or 11 years like, ‘Hey, I’m going to be me instead of us,’ right? And then we kind of came together and it just clicked. It just… it worked.”

Then they were asked if WWE should only have one set of tag team titles instead of two, especially if that would make the division feel more important, or reduce opportunities. Ivar said having just one set of titles would take away chances from other teams. If there’s only one championship, the same teams would keep getting those matches. But with two sets of titles, more teams get their shot, and that’s better for everyone.

“I think it would reduce opportunities. Because then you’d just end up having the same tag teams wrestling for the title on each show. As opposed to two sets of champions and more guys wrestling for titles. The more opportunities for everybody to shine, the better.”

Vince McMahon’s dislike for tag team wrestling is very well documented and many people felt he believed tag teams were just disposable. Therefore, the War Raiders don’t agree with what Vince McMahon thinks and they truly believe tag team wrestling is better than ever before and that’s all that matters to them in the end.

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