On 2017's last episode of WWE Raw, tag team champions The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) lost their titles to a pair of unlikely challengers. It's safe to say that heading into Monday's Raw, no fan would have predicted that Shield member Seth Rollins and former NXT standout Jason Jordan would not only find themselves teaming up to challenge Cesaro and Sheamus, but actually end up defeating them. Yet - as Vince McMahon used to be fond of saying on commentary - anything can happen in the WWE.
One assumes that the Christmas tag title switch was probably initially planned as a way to get the belts back on Shield members Rollins and Dean Ambrose, who have been feuding with The Bar for a while now. However, Ambrose recently suffered a legitimate arm injury, which looks to keep him out of action for up to nine months. With the Lunatic Fringe removed from the picture for now, WWE's creative staff took things in a more unique direction, uniting Rollins with relative upstart Jordan.
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Jordan seemed to have been working his way toward a heel turn, ever since being revealed as storyline son to Raw GM Kurt Angle. Jordan's spoiled child act has earned him lots of boos in recent weeks, as has his penchant for sticking his nose in the business of top stars like The Shield and Samoa Joe. That said, it was Jordan who got the pinfall on Cesaro on Raw, and the win earned quite the pop from the live crowd. While one title win is unlikely to instantly get Jordan over as a fan favorite, it could be the start down his road to redemption with the fans.
On the other hand, perhaps Jordan's tag team title victory with Rollins is simply another development on the way to a full heel turn for the accomplished amateur grappler. Considering how Rollins has treated Jordan as of late, it's not hard to imagine the former American Alpha member eventually turning on his new partner and suplexing him around the ring. From a character standpoint, Jordan is unlikely to have forgotten how much scorn he's received both from the fans and their idols, including The Architect.
Whichever direction WWE chooses to go in, the surprise title reign of Rollins and Jordan sets up several intriguing possibilities going forward. It'll be interesting to see if the unlikely duo is still holding the gold by the time January's Royal Rumble pay-per-view comes around.