What are the best New Day matches to watch?
It has been seven years since we first got vignettes for what would end up being the greatest faction in WWE history. Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, & Big E first hit our screens. Their gimmick then is a lot different than the gimmick we know and love today.
Since then the group has racked up team and individual success. One of the most prolific teams in terms of tag team gold, there is an abundance of great matches to choose from. Here are some of the matches you should go and check out to rediscover the power of positivity.
New Day vs Cesaro & Kidd, WWE Tag Team Championships – Extreme Rules 2015
The first tag team championship win for the New Day was against the underrated team of Cesaro & Tyson Kidd. It feels so far away now, but when they were first successful they were heels. The match is a good back and forth affair, but Kingston wins it with a handful of tights after a Woods distraction. It was their first, but not their longest, tag title reign.
New Day vs Lucha Dragons vs The Usos, WWE Tag Team Championships Ladder Match – TLC 2015
The New Day were in the midst of their record-breaking 483-day reign as Tag Team Champions. Two teams stepped up to face them – their soon-to-be greatest rivals The Usos, and Kalisto & Sin Cara, the Lucha Dragons. It is a ladder match full of spots, but Kalisto takes the cake in this one. A Salida Del Sol to Jey Uso off a ladder through another ladder was one of the best spots of the year. This match simply rules.
New Day vs The Bar, Raw Tag Team Championships – Roadblock 2016
All good things must come to an end, and that includes legendary title reigns. New Day had started heel, turned face, and beaten every team WWE had to offer. Cesaro and Sheamus had brutally beaten each other in a best of seven series but had become uneasy allies after tying the series. The Bar is one of the best “thrown together” teams that WWE has had in years, and this match with New Day is a battle. They were a worthy team to dethrone the champs.
New Day vs The Usos, SmackDown Tag Team Championships Hell in a Cell Match – Hell in a Cell 2017
Another match with The Usos, another classic. This was the first Hell in a Cell match fought for the tag team championships, and these teams brought their A-game. Woods & Big E stepped into the cell to defend their titles against Jimmy & Jey, and everyone was brutalized inside the cell. It is the peak of the matches between The Usos & New Day, two of the best tag teams of the 2010s.
New Day Runs the Gauntlet – SmackDown, March 26, 2019
In order for Kingston to get his WWE Championship shot at Wrestlemania 35, his New Day brethren needed to run a gauntlet for him. Kingston had earned his shot through his performance in a gauntlet match. Big E & Woods managed to secure his spot with their own gauntlet run. New Day beat Gallows & Anderson, Rusev & Nakamura, The Bar, and Daniel Bryan & Rowan to win the match. The best part: The Usos, New Day’s greatest rival, forfeiting their spot in the gauntlet out of respect to Kofi and New Day.
Kofi Kingston vs Daniel Bryan, WWE Championship – Wrestlemania 35
You may be wondering why singles matches are included on a New Day list. Well, if you ask them when one of them succeeds they all succeed. This was the culmination of a decade-long journey for Kofi Kingston. It is an emotional roller coaster of a match where we thought WWE would pull the rug out from under us at any moment. The emotions of the final Trouble in Paradise and Kingston celebrating with his New Day family and his sons is one of the best moments in Wrestlemania history.
New Day vs The Revival, SmackDown Tag Team Championship Ladder Match – TLC 2019
After Kingston lost the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar (in a match we would all like to forget) he returned to the tag scene. New Day had taken the titles from The Revival in a street fight at the beginning of November. The Revival had a great counterpoint to New Day with their technical skills. It’s a ladder match that doesn’t feel like a spotfest, but does have some really memorable moments. I could watch the Big Ending to Dash Wilder off the ladder all day.
Big E Wins Money In The Bank – Money in the Bank 2021
WWE decided to split the New Day onto two brands in the 2020 Draft, and Big E received a singles push on SmackDown. He won the Intercontinental Championship on Christmas and received tons of spotlight. That culminated in a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match where he captured the briefcase over stars like Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, & Drew McIntyre. This showed how much WWE had faith in Big E to be a main event star.
Big E Cashes In – Raw, Sept. 20, 2021
Once someone gets the briefcase, it is only a matter of time before they cash in. Big E called his shot, announcing that he would cash in on the September 20th Raw against WWE Champion Bobby Lashley. He was a man of his word, beating Lashley with a Big Ending to win his first world title. Of course, Kofi & Woods were on hand to celebrate with their brother during one of the biggest moments of his career.
Xavier Woods vs Finn Balor, King of the Ring Finals – Crown Jewel 2021
Big E & Kofi Kingston had their world championship wins as their standout singles moments in their New Day run. All Xavier Woods has wanted was to be King of the Ring. WWE brought back the tournament, and Woods proceeded to the finals after beating Ricochet and Jinder Mahal. His match against Balor at Crown Jewel was the culmination of a dream for Woods, who now rules over SmackDown as king. It is a bigger moment than an amazing match, but the action is still great. Woods is criminally overlooked as an in-ring performer, and this was a great stage for him.
What great New Day matches did I miss? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter at @FPC_Wrestling.
