Thanks to an unforeseen turn of events on Raw, the strange-but-true duo of Kane & Daniel Bryan has supplanted The Prime Time Players as No. 1 contenders to WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & R-Truth. WWE’s most explosive “odd couple” will test out their tenuous pairing against the reigning champions this Sunday at Night of Champions. Kane and Bryan scored the all-important opportunity by overcoming Titus O’Neil & Darren Young on Raw Monday night. Prior to the contest, Raw General Manager AJ Lee had announced that The Prime Time Players, who were awarded No. 1 contender status days earlier on SmackDown (WATCH), still had one team to beat before they could move on to the champions. Unfortunately for the swaggering Players, the remaining obstacle was the unlikely but effective tandem of The Big Red Monster and WWE’s premier submission specialist. Originally conceptualized by Dr. Shelby, the team of Kane and Bryan showed barely a glimpse of continuity in their win over O'Neil & Young. In fact, the winning pinfall came after Kane — upset that Bryan had tagged himself in — Chokeslammed Bryan onto Young. (PHOTOS) Unthinkable as it may seem, the former nemeses will now have to rely on each other if they plan to leave Boston with championship gold this Sunday. Will the unusual team prove to be the toughest challenge yet to Kingston and Truth’s championship reign, which is now in its fifth month? On one hand, the uneasy alliance seems like a perfect recipe for success. Former World Champions Kane and Bryan are considered two of WWE’s best singles competitors, and history strongly suggests that many singles competitors have transitioned successfully into WWE’s tag team division. Yet, there is no denying that Kane and Bryan still appear less-than-comfortable — and more-than-combustible — working as a unit. Though their shared experience in an anger management course brought the two Superstars closer together than ever before, their RAWActive “Hug It Out” Match on the Sept. 3 Raw did not end cordially. With the WWE Tag Team Titles hanging in the balance, can Kane and Bryan put their differences aside, or is this pairing simply too flammable to succeed? Even if Kane and Bryan are able to get on the same page, their team may still be fatally hindered by each Superstar’s individual hostility. Dr. Shelby’s efforts to curb their anger problems have shown signs of moderate progress, but the WWE Universe would be hard-pressed to describe either Kane or Bryan as “rage-free.” (In fact, Bryan’s anger toward the “Yes!”-chanting crowd in Milwaukee, Wis., on Raw three weeks ago caused him to lose his temper and lose via count-out to R-Truth.) That could spell trouble for the challengers, as standing across the ring from them this Sunday will be the well-oiled machine known as the WWE Tag Team Champions. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth have stood atop WWE’s crowded tag team division for nearly half a year, and over the course of their reign, they’ve turned back one team after another. Cohesive and fun-loving, Kingston and Truth are polar opposites of Kane and Bryan, and there seems to be little reason to think they will change their strategy at Night of Champions. Who will leave Night of Champions with the WWE Tag Team Titles? Will Truth & Kingston add yet another high-profile victory to their already long list of beaten challengers? Or will Kane and Bryan shock the WWE Universe — and maybe even each other — by forging a successful unit? Find out this Sunday at Night of Champions.
