10 WWE Matches That Changed Your Mind About Wrestlers You Hated
9. THE NEW DAY Vs. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd - Extreme Rules 2015
The New Day debuted under drastically bad circumstances, as happy-clapping gospel preachers promoting the so-called “power of positivity” - this, despite the fact that do-gooding wrestling heroes died a definitive death in 1993. Big E et al. were either a misjudged and belated response to #BLM sentiment, or simply a further regression of WWE's babyface formula. It wasn't clear.
Big E et al. were met with a chorus of boos as JoJo introduced us to the contest. Xavier Woods loudly and obnoxiously led his own cheers with a smarmy, sh*t-eating grin plastered all over his face. Slowly, as the New Day settled into a new slimy dynamic, the fans reoriented their own reaction accordingly.
The work inside the ring was the sort of smooth, exciting stuff you’d expect of the calibre of all four men. Cesaro plucked the powerhouse Big E from thin air, who sold it with a look of abject astonishment, while Kofi Kingston sold Tyson Kidd’s stunning between-ropes somersault plancha as if he’d just confronted a rocket. Meanwhile, on the outside, Woods continued to hone his love-to-hate comedic chops in response to a crowd gratefully lapping up the new punchline.
“What did we do? We’re winning!”
A rare acknowledgement of creative defeat, this furious all-action clinic solidified the new New Day context perfectly. It was little wonder they turned face almost as quickly.