Victory eluded the masked men of WWE on Monday night after Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara fell to Team Rhodes Scholars in the final of the Tag Team Tournament to determine the No. 1 contenders to the twin championships. That loss meant that the Rhodes Scholars themselves — that’d be Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow — would keep their newly formed tandem alive for at least another week while they challenged Team Hell No at Hell in a Cell, and the duo of Rey and Sin Cara would …
Well, we don’t really know.
That’s been the thing with the new-look tag team division all along, really: The idea that two Superstars with previously no connection could still become a powerhouse twosome and eventually claw their way to the Tag Titles. It happened with Kane & Daniel Bryan. Same for Kofi Kingston & R-Truth, and Rhodes & Sandow are one win away from doing the same. Even “Team Co-Bro” (Santino & Zack Ryder) has been riding the periphery of the division for months now. It does bear mentioning that Rey and Sin Cara are more of a natural fit as a tag team because of their luchador background. But with that said, it’s safe to say the WWE Universe probably assumed at some point they’d be standing toe-to-toe and not side by side. Just because we mentally associate one with the other, it does not necessarily mean their pairing was a guarantee.
In other words, despite their inherent similarities, Rey & Sin Cara were really just as random a tag team as any of the teams we just mentioned. And with their main reason for staying together — winning the tournament — now off the table (in a potential instance of foreshadowing, they stopped wearing matching ring gear for the final), what lies ahead for the high-flying duo from South of the Border?
No pun intended, but it’s all up in the air. Rey is still a top-caliber singles competitor, and had laid down a heated challenge for the Intercontinental Title mere weeks before joining up with Sin Cara. Lest we discount his partner, though, The International Sensation was also in the middle of a strong run since his return from injury this year, also competing for the Intercontinental Championship and racking up a series of impressive victories. He even garnered a statement win over Damien Sandow in a singles match during the time he spent teaming with Mysterio.
By the same token, the tag team division (and the race for the championships) doesn’t just screech to a halt after Hell in a Cell. Whether it’s Team Hell No or Team Rhodes Scholars who hoists the twin titles Sunday night, there will always be challengers looking to knock them off. Rey & Sin Cara went to the final as a tag team with limited experience together under their belts. Imagine what they could do with a second run, having had the time to gel as a tandem? And make no mistake, gel they have.
Sadly, we have no answers, and neither man is talking much about their future plans. We suppose that, like everything with these two masked daredevils, the WWE Universe will be waiting, with baited breath, to see what they do next.