In The Arena: Our Kickoff panel of Renee Young, Booker T, Jerry Lawler & Lita rundown what we’ve seen so far tonight, then take a look at what’s yet to come still.

Match #5 for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Brian Kendrick vs. WWE Cruiserweight Champion TJ Perkins
Kendrick avoids the opening lock-up and goes to a waistlock, Perkins counters out with a wristlock, the challenger reverses back with a hammerlock, ducks an enzuigiri and gets a quick 2. They lock knuckles and Kendrick takes TJ down to the mat, The Fil-Am Flash uses a monkey flip, Kendrick tries to utilize one of his own, but the champion cartwheels to counter it. Kendrick quickly looks for a whip to the corner, TJP reverses, charges in, The Wizard Of Odd hops up for a sunset flip, gaining a 1 count. He rushes in and gets tossed by an arm drag, TJ sweeps the legs for a quick cover, Kendrick slips out, sweeps the legs for a cover of his own, Perkins escapes before any count, goes to a mahistral cradle and gets 2.

Some pushing and shoving starts, TJP goes to a side headlock, gets pushed off to the ropes, avoids a clothesline and springs off the 2nd rope with a crossbody, then scores with fists to the forehead. Kendrick rolls him away and shoots him to the ropes, The Fil-Am Flash catches himself between the ropes to block, Kendrick feigns charging in, looks for an elbow drop as the champion drops down, but misses the mark. Perkins rolls out to the apron and slingshots in with a somersault senton, looks for the Wrecking Ball Dropkick out to the apron, the challenger slides in to avoid it, knocks the champion to the floor with a kick, then peels TJ’s hand tape off and ties him to the bottom rope.

The Wizard Of Odd puts the boots to the champion, plants him with a back suplex, hooks the leg and gets a count of 2 before locking on a cravate to wear him down. TJP works his way up, counters out with a neckbreaker, both guys pulling themself up, Perkins ducks under a couple of shots and goes to the knee with a dropkick. He charges the challenger in the corner and gets elevated over the top, lands on his feet on the apron, buries a shoulder to the breadbasket, springboards in with a dropkick and Kendrick spills to the outside. The Fil-Am Flash flies to the outside with a corkscrew crossbody, rolls Kendrick back inside and rushes him in the corner, gets surprised by a knee to the breadbasket, but comes right back with a kick.

He hits a snap suplex, hangs on to follow with a back suplex, ascends the corner to the top rope, but gets caught in mid-air by a dropkick for a near fall. Kendrick clobbers him with forearm shots, TJP comes back with an enzuigiri, the challenger stays in it with a big boot, but gets clocked by a spinning back kick. The champion connects with the Detonation Kick and almost finishes it, TJ springs out to the apron with a Wrecking Ball Dropkick, looks to go into a wheelbarrow for the TJP Clutch, Kendrick blocks it, spikes him with a leg-capture back suplex, almost winning it. He picks the champion up on his shoulders and Perkins slides out of it, grabs a double chicken wing, tries for the gutbuster, but the challenger rolls through it and locks on the Captain’s Hook.

The Fil-Am Flash switches the weight into a cover for 2, Kendrick quickly goes to the back of the head with elbows, sets for a suplex, Perkins counters and hooks on the TJP Clutch, but Kendrick makes it to the bottom rope. The champion measures Kendrick for a fist in the corner, the challenger avoids it and delivers a reverse STO into the 2nd turnbuckle, positions for Sliced Bread #2, TJ counters, but Kendrick tweaks his knee and drops to the canvas. The referee backs the champion up and checks on Kendrick, Perkins tries to help him up, Kendrick surprises him with a headbutt, slaps on the Captain’s Hook and we have a new champion.
Winner and NEW WWE Cruiserweight Champion: Brian Kendrick (Captain’s Hook)

• EA’s Take: Not as good as their other matches and the crowd was pretty dead for this one. I called Kendrick walking away with the title so that part of it doesn’t surprise me. There are so many guys with potential in the Cruiserweight Division and most of them seem to be babyfaces like Cedric Alexander, Rich Swann, Lince Dorado….so it only makes sense for a heel to carry the title. I foresee TJ getting a rematch and then Kendrick moves on, has a nice little run before ultimately dropping the championship to Cedric.

Backstage: Sheamus is preparing for their match when Cesaro walks in and offers him a gift. The Celtic Warrior tells Cesaro he did great last Monday and the rate they are going they could be champions, stating that he couldn’t stand him when Mick Foley put them together. The Swiss Superman laughs and was thinking the same thing, The Great White says if he follows his lead they will walk out with the titles. Cesaro believes Sheamus should follow his lead and the bickering and arguing starts.

Match #6 for the RAW Tag Team Championships: RAW Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) w/Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus & Cesaro
Xavier & Cesaro will begin, The Swiss Superman takes Woods down with a waistlock off the opening tie-up, Xavier coutners to one of his own and works to his feet, gets pushed away to the ropes, ducks a couple of shots and scores with a headscissors takedown. Cesaro falls throat-first across the 2nd rope, Woods delivers a dropkick to the back for a count of 2, rolls out to the apron, Sheamus knocks him to the floor with a cheap shot and The King Of Swing wonders what happened. The Celtic Warrior tags himself in, drops down to the floor to deposits Woods into the barricade, rolls him back inside and ties him up in the ropes for the Beats Of The Bodhren.

The Swiss Superman tags himself in, clocks Xavier with a running uppercut for a count of 2, Sheamus then tagging back in for an uppercut in the corner. Cesaro tags himself in and they trade-off stepping in for uppercuts to Woods, Sheamus has some words for his partner, Xavier avoids an uppercut, brings him down with a backslide and gets a 2 count. The Great White quickly drops him with a big punch and hooks on a rear chinlock, Woods works to his feet and hits a jawbreaker to create some separation, walks right into an Irish Curse and Sheamus gets another 2. The King Of Swing re-enters the match and drops an elbow for another 2, goes into the Uppercut Train, Woods counters one by getting the boot up to the jaw, comes off the 2nd rope with an enzuigiri and both guys reach tags.

Big E tosses Sheamus with multiple belly-to-belly suplexes, ducks a clothesline for another, The Great White fights it off, hits the ropes and gets thrown by a belly-to-belly. E hits the ropes for a big splash and sets for the Big Ending, Cesaro hits the ring to make a save and gets dumped to the outside, Xavier steps in and flies over the top to take him out with a somersault plancha. Big E lines Sheamus up and charges him in the corner, The Celtic Warrior side-steps out of harm’s way, hits the ropes for the Brogue Kick, E counters with a powerbomb, covers and almost puts it away. He calls for the Big Ending again, Sheamus slides out of it, plants him with a tilt-a-whirl powerslam, drapes the arm over, but only gets 2. E pulls himself up in the corner, The Great White charges in with a shoulder to the midsection, Woods makes a blind tag, comes off the top with a crossbody, Sheamus reverses the momentum into a pinning predicament and almost steals it.

He quickly powers Woods up for White Noise and another near fall, the crowd starts to frustrate him and he goes for the Cloverleaf, but gets kicked to the corner. Cesaro tags himself in, Xavier rushes in and gets surprised by a rolling fireman’s carry, The Swiss Superman comes in with a double stomp to the gut, lateral press, but he still can’t put it away. He grabs Woods by the legs for the Swing, Xavier scurries towards the bottom rope and kicks him away, delivers an enzuigiri from the apron, clocks Sheamus with a superkick and then goes to the top turnbuckle, walks out to the middle and drops an elbow for a near fall. He picks Cesaro up and reaches for a tag, The Swiss Superman uses his strength to prevent it, knocks E off the apron with a boot, pummels Woods with a series of uppercuts, then goes into the Swing.

He hooks on the Sharpshooter, Big E rolls back in and throws him into the turnbuckles with a belly-to-belly, drags Xavier to the corner and tags in. The champions set for the Midnight Hour, Sheamus comes in and knocks Woods off the top, looks for a Brogue Kick to Big E, misses and nails Cesaro instead, then gets clotheslined to the outside, E spilling over the top with him. Woods crawls back into the ring and covers Cesaro, The Celtic Warrior just makes it in to break the count at 2, knocks E off the apron with a right, tosses Xavier to the outside, then goes upstairs. The Great White launches himself onto New Day to take them out with a crossbody, the official starts to count, Woods makes it in just in time as Sheamus tosses Cesaro into the ring.

Xavier lines him up for the Honor Roll, Swiss Superman picks the leg, locks on the Sharpshooter, drags him to the center of the ring, Sheamus stops Big E from getting in the ring and decks him with Francesca II. The Great White tries to clobber Kingston, Kofi ducks it, drills him with Trouble In Paradise, the ref sees it and calls for the bell.
Winners: Sheamus & Cesaro (Disqualification)

• EA’s Take: I thought for sure that we were going to see new Tag Team Champions tonight. I still firmly believe that Gallows & Anderson should have taken the titles off of New Day because it made the most sense, therefore it would have been no surprise to me if this odd couple of Sheamus & Cesaro finally ended New Day’s reign. I’ve said this multiple times now, but RAW’s Tag Team Division is so weak right now. Honestly at this point, I think New Day should just hang onto the titles until WrestleMania and pit them in a big babyface showdown with Enzo & Cass.

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