When it comes to the greatest tag team breakups in WWE history, the best ones are usually explosive.
Brother turning on brother, friend attacking friend. Tag team break-ups bring violence, pain and heart break, and when done right there is nothing in wresting like it.
Yet, the best tag team break up saw none of these things. There was no backstabbing, cheating, or stealing. The greatest tag team break up saw two friends amicably deciding to go their separate ways, reminiscing over old times.
Those two men were Ryback and Curtis Axel, who formed the legendary (well…) tag team, also known as Rybaxel.
Rybaxel Break Up
Rybaxel were a tag team that wrestled in the WWE in 2014. It saw Ryback team up with Curtis Axel team up together for a number of months, both on Raw and Smackdown.
The duo were an entertaining but often unsuccessful tag team who amplified their personalities while getting beat every week, mostly by Goldust and Stardust.
While they were considered jobbers (which was strange, considering how both had been “Paul Heyman guys” the year prior), but still put on entertaining matches each week.
However, their run together was short.
Ryback underwent surgery in August 2014, effectively ending the team. Upon his return, he turned face and reverted to his “feed me more” gimmick, eith little mention of Rybaxel.
There was no mention of the break-up, not until the 6th November, 2014 episode of WWE Superstars. This was the B-show in the WWE, and not the best place for such an emotional break-up, but there we go.
Backstage during the show, the two met up in the locke room. They reminisced about their time in Mexico, before going their seperate ways.
They also promised to reunite one day, like all of the great tag teams of the post. They both began to tear upon, in what was one of the best tag team break-ups in WWE history.
Ryback: Hey Axe Man, big guy, you know it! I thought I lost you in Mexico, man. Where have you been? The tequila, the chicas bonitas?
Curtis Axel: I thought you were gone for good. I missed my flight, big guy. I just got back this week. Well, I hope you’re not too angry. While you were gone, I kind of took it upon myself to get hungry again and go on the single screw.
Ryback: What I was wondering, where you went? I was out injured for a little bit two before our trip to Mexico, but I read a few books on politics, you know?
Curtis Axel: Oh yeah, maybe I’ll let you borrow sometime. That’s okay? Yeah, yeah, maybe not here.
Ryback: All right, what’s going on? What happened tonight? Did you see, did you not see?
Curtis Axel: I don’t really watch much. I lost that unmanly freak with his rose buds and stupid bunny, Adam Rose. You kidding me, man? I’m sure he’s a joke. Dude, I’m sure he cheated, right? He probably used the bunny, and that he did the rosebud express deal, probably one of the girls over there.
Ryback: The big deal, yeah, beat Adam Rose or with Curtis Axel, right? He can’t beat you clean.
Curtis Axel: Look, it’s okay, you win some, you lose some, right? I’m happy for you.
Ryback: Thank you. Whatever you’ve been doing, that’s great. Now it’s time for the Axe Man to get on a roll here. So, I’ve been giving it some thought. We’ll be talking. Maybe it is best that we go our own separate ways, okay?
Curtis Axel: That’s what you think, yeah, man. So, I’m gonna tell you something cool.
Ryback: All right. See you down the road, okay?
Curtis Axel: Sounds good. Wait! All the great tag teams get back together: The Barbarians, Legion of Doom, The New Age Outlaws, Oh, you didn’t know? DX, NWO, Barry Horowitz and Maven, Yes. Fashion, Booger, and Earthquake, Yes. They all get back together, and so will we. So will we. You know we’re going to get back together as RybAxel.
[Ryback and Curtis Axel laugh]
Curtis Axel: And loose!
[Ryback and Curtis Axel laugh again]
Ryback: Okay, right, Axle. Right, Axle. Right, Axle, for life.
Curtis Axel: Perfect. Better than perfect.