Friday night’s SmackDown saw the continuing feud between The New Day and the newly named team of Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch, The Brawling Brutes.The two factions have been feuding for most of 2022, in a rivalry that has seen it go from the worrying scenes of Big E’s neck injury to the ridiculousness of the search for Butch and his extreme tantrums. This week the two team will square off in six-man tag team action, with Xavier Woods promising a mystery partner to aid himself and Kofi Kingston as an honouree member of The New Day.The question is Who? Who Who? GiveMeSport runs down five possible candidates…Â
Drew McIntyreÂ
Drew is the most obvious and likely candidate to stand alongside Xavier and Kofi on Friday. With WWE delaying his eventual meeting with Roman Reigns until Clash at the Castle in September, they need to find a place for the Scottish Warrior in the meantime.
A good start then would be thrown into this feud, where he’d be a big-name partner for The New Day and oppose an old friend in Sheamus on the other side of the ring. Would this alliance then evolve into another McIntyre/Sheamus feud? Possibly, as it’s one that always delivers and would offer a nice dynamic with Butch and Holland and their homage to Peaky Blinders. If not, it’s still an exciting reveal for the match and gets Drew back on TV, but temporarily away from The Bloodline until the build to Cardiff.
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Shinsuke NakamuraÂ
A name to throw into the mix because Nakamura doesn’t seem to have much direction since losing the Intercontinental Championship and then tag team partner Rick Boogs to injury. Despite not being given much to chew on over on SmackDown, Nakamura remains a pretty popular Superstar, especially when you throw in his theme tune – who wouldn’t see Xavier Woods getting down to a song that’s still way over with the crowd, too.
We’ve seen Nakamura show off his fun side alongside Boogs and that persona seems like the right kid of mix to make the trio work as a one-off team.
Riddick MossÂ
While Moss has nothing to do with any of the five men involved, and he’s still currently in a feud with old pal Happy Corbin, this could still be a nice way of intertwining the rivalries. With reports suggesting Moss is undergoing a repackaging, after parting ways from his madcap days, his re-entry to the SmackDown could be as back-up to two of the biggest faces on the blue brand. Cementing his new look and role on Friday nights.
That’s not to say he’s done with Corbin. In fact, his comeback could provoke an appearance from Happy to interfere in the match and see all parties involved in the same segment.Â
Tyler BreezeÂ
A favourite among the fans on social media, Tyler Breeze is the wildcard name for the mystery partner spot. Breeze was released by WWE in 2021 following a final stint in NXT with former tag team partner Fandango, but he remains a close friend of Xavier Woods. Breeze recently made a return to Woods’ UpUpDownDown YouTube channel, sparking rumours we could be set to see an appearance alongside Xavier on WWE TV, too. It’s unlikely Tyler would be given a full-time WWE return, but a one-off type of deal that we’ve seen the company do with Heath Slater and others, would be ideal for all in this mystery partner situation.
Tyler BateÂ
Want to really get under the skin of the Brawling Brutes? Why not bring in another fellow UK and Ireland star in Tyler Bate. WWE were very high on Tyler for quite a while, hence the reason he was made the inaugural winner of the NXT UK Championship. That stock may not be as high as it once was, but there’s so much talent in Bate and he remains at such a young age, that there’s still time for him to make a mark in WWE. Throw in his history with Pete ‘Butch’ Dunne in as well, then you’ve got a big surprise with some nice layers for a this tag team affair.