5 Biggest Winners & Losers From WWE Battleground 2016

8. Losers - The New Day

Wyatt Xavier
WWE.com

Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Big E will remain one of WWE’s most popular acts for the foreseeable future.

Their rivalry with The Wyatt Family has been a refreshing change of pace for the tag division, and while it has had its missteps (the compound brawl, for one), it has largely succeeded in reestablishing the Wyatts and given The New Day something different to do outside of the usual Tag Title feuds.

That said, losing to The Wyatt Family does them no favours. The Wyatts look to be going their separate ways after Braun Strowman was split from Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan in the Draft, so they have no need for the victory.

Strowman will be alone with The New Day on Raw, meaning there’s no real way to continue the feud either, but the most beguiling thing of all is Xavier Woods’ direction.

Often intimidated and visibly shaken by the Wyatts throughout the feud, Woods looked to finally snap out of his trance during last night’s match, only to fall right back into it when Wyatt spider-walked across the ring.

WWE gave Woods his big “man-up” moment, then pulled it all away, and this is only going to cause further friction between Xavier and his two partners going forward. Troubling times for one of the company’s hottest tickets.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.