New Day Ready to Be the Face of SmackDown After WWE Battleground 2017 Win

After scratching and scrapping its way to the tag team titles at WWE Battleground 2017, The New Day is poised to be a cornerstone of the SmackDown brand.

The entertaining trio won't just sit atop the tag team division; Big E, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston will be among SmackDown's top stars. The new champs are too fun, too charismatic, too engrossing not to be featured heavily.

The New Day completed their rise to the top of the SmackDown tag team division on Sunday's Battleground pay-per-view with a dynamic, stirring performance in the opening bout.

Kingston and Woods clashed with The Usos in a match that was fluid, fast and had more adrenaline than anything else on the PPV. Superkicks knocked warriors out of the air. The Usos kept their claws in The New Day, but the challengers refused to fall.

Eventually, Woods dove clear across the ring with his elbow cocked, scoring the pin that crowned his crew.

Nothing on the card touched that performance. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin ended in a whimper. John Cena vs. Rusev dragged. Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton underwhelmed.

Miami Herald columnist Scott Fishman praised the tag title bout as it unfolded:

More of this kind of action is coming. 

The New Day delivered as Raw tag team titleholders, especially when given top-notch competition. The trio thrived against Cesaro and Sheamus, AJ Styles and Chris Jericho, and Cesaro and Tyson Kidd.

Woods, Kingston and Big E will now take on SmackDown's best pairings.

Should Luke Harper and Erick Rowan reunite, they would make ideal foes for The New Day. Those hard-hitting bruisers matched up against the speedier New Day would be mighty fun. The new champs may be able to get the best we've seen from The Colons to date. A rivalry with Breezango would be an electric showdown powered by exuberant goofiness.

And more battles with The Usos have to be on the menu.

Sean Rueter of Cageside Seats pointed out how good those two teams are together:

Beyond their work between the ropes, Woods, Kingston and Big E are a joy to watch as characters and entertainers in general. They revel in their ridiculousness. They spin comedy gold.

That will be the key to The New Day pushing its way to SmackDown's center stage.

Just as Breezango's Fashion Files skits have become the heart of the blue brand, The New Day's antics atop the tag team division will be key to the show. Whether they engage in more rap battles or time-travel adventures, their act promises to be high-profile and highly entertaining.

The New Day makes tag team wrestling a blast. Its energy and in-ring excellence is a special combination.

That's going to lead to more spotlight on the division moving forward.

Sunday's title win will invigorate this squad. SmackDown's roster offers them a whole new set of foils. With Mahal in the midst of a tepid WWE title reign, the chance for a championship scene outside of that one taking precedence is high.

SmackDown has shown itself to smartly roll with the hot hand, from AJ Styles to Breezango. The gyrating, plucky entertainers that comprise The New Day are next.