Payback 2015 The New Day v Cesaro & Tyson Kidd

The New Day’s road to the WWE Tag Team Championships was rocky, to say the least. The uber-positive trio will have to stay upbeat in the face of a tough challenge at WWE Payback if they wish to hold on to their titles, as they defend against former champions Cesaro & Tyson Kidd in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match.

Kofi Kingston, Big E & Xavier Woods joined forces in late 2014, trying to spread a message of positivity to the WWE Universe. However, fans weren’t buying into it, instead showering them with thunderous chants of “New Day sucks!” The jeers ate away at New Day, who embraced a mantra of “clap or snap,” forcing their cheery attitude through. Eventually, the trio began to bend the rules of the ring in their favor, cheating to win a WWE Tag Team Title opportunity at Extreme Rules.

Cesaro & Kidd seemed to have things under control in their title defense last month, until Cesaro was rolled up by Kofi Kingston in the midst of a fray that involved all four Superstars in the match, plus Xavier Woods and Natalya at ringside. Kingston grabbed a handful of The Swiss Superman’s tights to steal the three-count and the WWE Tag Team Titles.

Just days later on SmackDown, Cesaro & Kidd used their guaranteed rematch to try and win back the titles. The former champions appeared to be on the verge of their second reign — having hit Big E with a Cesaro Swing into a huge dropkick from Kidd — only for Woods to interfere, ensuring that The New Day would keep the titles, though they lost by disqualification. The trio viciously attacked the former champions after the bell, sending Kidd shoulder-first into the ring post, then subjecting Cesaro to a 3-on-1 beatdown.

The two teams are now set to clash in a grueling test of endurance at Payback — a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match. Who will be able to outlast their opponents and walk away with the WWE Tag Team Championship?