When will the Viking Raiders get a shot at the WWE Raw tag titles?

The Viking Raiders deserve a title shot, so when will they get it?

Prior to joining WWE, the Viking Raiders earned championships in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling, plus independent promotions across the United States and United Kingdom as the tag team called War Machine, then changed to War Raiders when signed by WWE in 2018. The tag team is made up of Ivar and Erik (f/k/a Rowe and Hanson), and were brought up to the Raw brand this past April.

Since joining WWE, the Viking Raiders have largely faced no-name tag teams local to the venue where Raw is being filmed. They have faced only a couple of WWE tag teams, but they’ve been effective in all of their matches. So why haven’t they been granted a title shot?

Part of the reason has to do with which team has the titles. When it was Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder or The Revival who held them, it’s possible the Raiders would have made quick work of either team. And at that point, they hadn’t really done much to earn a title shot, so it didn’t make sense. But it’s clear that WWE wants them to be active on Raw since they have a match nearly every week.

Now is the opportune time for the Viking Raiders to get their shot at the title. Gallows and Anderson, combined with United States Champion AJ Styles, make up The O.C. and are one of the few tag teams who might give Erik and Ivar a run for their money. They match up well in size, although the power and strength edge goes to the Raiders.

Even if WWE doesn’t want to give them a title opportunity, the least they could do is pit the Viking Raiders against a team that could make them work hard. Authors of Pain would be nice, or even Heavy Machinery. Bring back Big Show and team him with Braun Strowman to go against the former NXT champions. They need to face someone besides these pint-sized locals who clearly have no shot against a duo as powerful as Erik and Ivar.

If WWE really wants the Viking Raiders to perform every Monday night, then they need to start giving them matches that matter. Otherwise they just come off as a heel team that no one likes and no one cares to watch beat up on teams a quarter their size.

The WWE brought them in for a reason. They are talented. They are powerful. They are every bit as mean as the vikings they portray. It’s time to kick up their game and tap into that potential. It’s time to revitalize the tag team division as a whole. And the Viking Raiders can bring it back to life.