WWE Stomping Grounds 2019: Match Card, Preview, and Predictions
By Bryan Heaton
Big E & Xavier Woods vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
The history between The New Day and Kevin Owens goes back to earlier this year, way before WrestleMania, even. In Vince McMahon’s quest to deny Kofi Kingston a chance to become WWE Champion, The Chairman of the Board brought KO back into the fold to replace Kofi in a title match against then-champion Daniel Bryan at Fastlane.
Initially, Owens seemed despondent at taking the spot from Kofi, and following Fastlane he even sided with Kofi and The New Day. When Big E went down with an injury, Owens stepped in as “Big O” to fill the void in the trio.
But a leopard never changes his spots, and as has been his modus operandi his entire career, Owens turned on Kingston and Xavier Woods. KO failed to beat Kofi for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank, but he hasn’t been able to convince Big E of his innocence in an assault on the rehabbing powerhouse.
Enter KO’s long-time frenemy Sami Zayn – a “Wild Card Rule” addition from Raw – and we have ourselves a good old-fashioned tag team grudge match.
Although Owens and Zayn work much better as opponents and rivals than partners (at least in my opinion), they actually have the chemistry advantage over the five-time Tag Team champions. Yes, E and Woods have teamed together for roughly five years, but Owens and Zayn have a history that predates their WWE careers.
However, with the entire New Day a strong united front compared to Owens and Zayn being tenuous allies at best, I think E and Woods come out on top. Sami should return to Raw while the rest of the concerned parties move on to new feuds on SmackDown Live.