RybAxel def. Cody Rhodes & Goldust

CHICAGO - Blood is thicker than water. Usually.

That old axiom was buried, however, under a wet blanket of aggravation and self-pity when The Rhodes Brothers lost to the team of Curtis Axel & Ryback at Payback. Their descent began at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view when the team lost their WWE Tag Team Championships to The New Age Outlaws. Ever since, the brothers’ union has been steadily unraveling thanks, in large part, to the recent slump of Cody. Ever supportive, though, Goldust had tweeted earlier in the day, “Together we rise, together we fall.”

See photos from the match

At Payback, that rise appeared imminent. The brothers looked strong and worked well together. Their effort lost steam, though, when RybAxel began targeting Goldust. The two men appeared determined not to allow The Bizarre One to tag in his brother. Once he finally did, Cody’s offense looked relentless. That is, until he was caught mid-air by Ryback and leveled with Shell Shocked. After the bout, a clearly distraught Cody took to the mic and told Goldust before walking away, “Brother to brother, you need a better tag team partner than me.”