Cesaro and Tyson Kidd: What Could Have Been
It has been more than eighteen months since Tyson Kidd has been out of professional wrestling. Earlier this month, it was reported that he was never going to be in active competition again. It is legitimately quite the shame.
Throughout his WWE tenure, Kidd was a tag team specialist, winning the WWE Tag Team championships with close friend David Hart Smith and teaming with Justin Gabriel throughout the 2010s. After tearing his meniscus in early 2013, Kidd sat until November, lost in the shuffle. Thankfully, working with his wife Natalya, co-starring on E!’s Total Divas, and discovering an arrogant side to himself in NXT, 2014 was an evolution of Kidd as a performer and character on WWE programming.
On December 1, 2014, history was made, as a new tag team and close friendship was formed. Kidd was paired up with “the Swiss Superman” Cesaro for the first time as a tag team.
Cesaro was, is, and will continue to be a vastly under-utilized talent in WWE. In incredible shape and pound-for-pound the strongest man in wrestling today, Cesaro continues to innovate every single time inside of a wrestling ring. Best known on the independents as a member of the Kings of Wrestling with Chris Hero, Cesaro has never found his place fully in the #1 wrestling promotion in the world. Going from Aksana’s boyfriend and a yodeler, to a “Real American” and a Paul Heyman Guy, the Switzerland native has never truly fit in within WWE.
However, on 12/1/14, Cesaro and Kidd entered a tag team gauntlet together for their first official match as a team, trying to become the #1 contender’s to the WWE Tag Team Titles. Sadly, although they did not win, the chemistry was instant.
In less than 3 months, Cesaro and Kidd won the WWE Tag Team championships from the Usos at Fastlane 2015 on February 22, 2015. The quickness of Kidd and strength of Cesaro meshed extremely well and it culminated in Tag Team gold. After two months, the Swiss and Canadian Connection dropped the titles to the New Day, but had long-term plans of tag team dominance.
However, on June 1, 2015, Kidd’s career was seemingly cut short. After taking a Muscle Buster from Samoa Joe during a match before Raw, Kidd severely injured his neck. Unbelievably, 5% of people with KIdd’s type of injury survive it. Even if people do survive, they end up paralyzed. In what could be called a modern miracle, Kidd had a massive surgery and had a full recovery. It is a true blessing that he survived. Life obviously means more than wrestling, and Tyson Kidd is living proof of that.
I just feel selfish, from a wrestling perspective, on what could have been. Seeing the resurgence of tag team wrestling, I could only imagine what Kidd and Cesaro could have done going forward. Both men helped pushed one another to be better instantly, and it would have led to so much more down the line, especially with teams like American Alpha, the Revival, and Gargano & Ciampa on the horizon.
Look what they accomplished within the six months they were together! 2-out-of-3 falls matches, the first ever Tag Team Elimination Chamber, and a win at WrestleMania. There could have been so much more to transpire for the tag team technicians.
Here are my three favorite moments involving Cesaro and Tyson Kidd being an unit in WWE.
THEIR FIRST PROMO ON THE WWE APP: 12/1/14 - The WWE app and it’s second screen experience really enhanced WWE performers to try different ideas and develop organic character traits while Raw and SmackDown were on the air. Eden was able to interview Cesaro and Kidd together before their first match together in the tag team gauntlet. Both men took the time to state their strengths and then unite over comments from a very naive Natalya. It was a fun interview segment and definitely something to grow from. Needless to say, their chemistry was apparent with one another.
FATAL FOUR-WAY FOR CESARO AND KIDD’S TITLES: 3/29/15 - During the WrestleMania 31 pre-show on the WWE Network, Cesaro and Kidd defended their championships against the Usos, Los Matadores, and the New Day in San Francisco, CA in Levi’s Stadium. The match was very reminiscent of a demolition derby. 8 men practically left it all in the ring, all for the right to be the WWE Tag Team champions. After an injury to Jey Uso and other broken bodies along the way, Cesaro tossed Jimmy Uso out of the ring after a Superfly splash off the top rope and pinned Big E to retain their championships. This was a fun encounter to kick off WrestleMania and Cesaro and Kidd had a WrestleMania win under their belts as a team.
DANIEL BRYAN’S LAST MATCH: BRYAN AND CENA AGAINST CESARO AND KIDD ON 4/16/15 - I marvel at this match. Knowing now that Daniel Bryan had a concussion and was literally in his last match on an United Kingdom tour, you marvel at how well Cesaro and Kidd protected him in the ring. Bryan never left his feet and got away with the bare minimum, while the crowd didn’t know the difference. Combine the atmosphere of England and the magnitude of the four men in this match, I love this match for the old school simplicity of it all. Pro wrestlers need to watch this match and realize how much can be done by doing so little. This, to me, is my favorite match of Cesaro and Kidd.
Right now, Cesaro is part of a tag team with Sheamus, but it just isn’t the same. Kidd has largely remained off camera since his freak accident. However, the memories will remain on the short time this team was together. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd had something special. There is nothing more fun when an organic rise in wrestling takes place. “The Masters of the WWE Universe” were a lot of fun to watch. I was blessed to see it.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is FACT.
Jon Harder
