A Missed Opportunity
The New Day faced Gallows and Anderson to kick off WWE Clash of Champions. The champions were on the defensive early, with Gallows and Anderson hitting multiple double team moves. The pace was fast and I really enjoyed getting some of their offense in from the very beginning. You can see how good they work together and how effective some of their offense can really be. Gallows hung up Kofi and then Karl Anderson followed with a nice kick to the head. A huge spinebuster and a two count from the opponents followed. After that, The New Day put everything in fast gear, with Big E taking out Gallows on the outside and Kofi hitting a side body drop. With The New Day in control, the heels got back their advantage only for Anderson to get hit with a Trombone from Xavier Woods and Kofi/Big E double team move from the top to pick up the win.
Illogical. Why would a face team of THREE men need all three and a foreign object to beat ONE guy? I really did not understand this booking decision. Maybe, WWE is trying for The New Day to break the record without having a clean loss on the hands of Gallows and Anderson? I really wanted to see the titles change hands and feel that WWE is missing a huge opportunity in keeping the titles around the waist of The New Day. There needs to be some sort of adversity for them to overcome. It has not happened yet. Also, why was this match less than ten minutes? Come on.
A Look to the Future
TJ Perkins and Brian Kendrick battled for the Cruiserweight Championship at Clash of Champions. Brian Kendrick focused on his neck, constant striking and submission holds. Kendrick took control as the heel usually does, but the innovative TJ Perkins was able to hit some really interesting moves. He connected and was smooth in his execution. The best move was a Hurricanranna from the top rope, sending himself and Kendrick to the outside. Soon after, Captain’s Hook was reversed into Perkins applying his submission hold for the win.
You can see a big future for these guys in a new division. I love the idea of changing the rope colors, the lighting in the crowd and keeping a focus on this being DIFFERENT. You felt like it was all about them, albeit for ten minutes. The end of the match had a hug, followed by a headbutt from Kendrick. Excellent decision making from the writers. This should not be a one off match for either guy. Kendrick can really help Perkins get acquainted and connect with the WWE Universe.
