The New Day became your new SmackDown Tag Team Champions in the first match of WWE Battleground, kicking things off from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and adding the blue brand’s tag belts to their tenure as the longest reigning Tag Team Champions in WWE history.
Tonight was the New Day’s second attempt in a month to capture the championships from rivals the Usos. The Usos decided to walk out of their previous encounter at Money in the Bank, cowardly retaining the titles in a loss by DQ. But tonight The New Day earned their place at the top of the tag division, a goal they’ve been set on since their arrival on SmackDown Live.
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Both teams brought their A-Game in a lenghty bout full of high spots and almost too many kick-outs to count!
Late in the match, Jimmy Uso caught Xavier Woods in a Tequila Sunrise in the middle of the ring that looked like the curtain call for The New Day. Wrenching back, a tortured Woods screamed as he and clawed and scraped for the bottom rope until he managed to get the save.
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Woods tagged back to Kofi, who applied the backbreaker double-stomp combo, but it wasn’t enough to oust the Usos. Kofi next took to the top with a dive, but Jimmy Uso made the tag to his brother Jey, who returned with his own diving splash. Miraculously, Kofi managed to kick out again!
As Jimmy tagged back in the Usos climbed to opposite turnbuckles, but Xavier took Jey out, allowing Kingston the opportunity to roll away and come back strong, connecting with the Trouble in Paradise.
Xavier then took to the ropes once more, and sealed the match with a effectively deployed ropewalk elbow drop on Jimmy Uso, winning the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship for the former RAW tag champs.
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It’s a rivalry that has only intensified as both teams have faced off repeatedly in singles matches over the past months. WWE would like us to remember the 4th of July rap battle between the teams as the culmination of their feud, while conveniently forgetting certain parts from that unremarkable segment that later had to be removed from the broadcast.
But tonight’s rematch was the real culmination of all that these both teams have been building toward have been building toward, and a reminder that though all possess the gift of gab and can work a crowd like few others, their real talents lie in physical feats and in-ring ability.
We look forward to seeing what The New Day bring to the table as new and once again champions of their division on SmackDown Live!
