SmackDown Tag Team titles change hands at WWE Extreme Rules

New SmackDown Tag Team Champions were crowned in the opening match of tonight’s Extreme Rules main card.

Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro defeated The New Day in a tables match at Extreme Rules to win the SmackDown Tag Team titles. This is the first time Nakamura has been a Tag Team Champion in WWE.

Two tables were set up on top of each other outside of the ring and Kofi Kingston attempted to put Cesaro through them by going for a hurricanrana off the top rope. But Cesaro blocked Kingston’s hurricanrana attempt and Nakamura then assisted Cesaro in giving Kingston a powerbomb off the top rope through both tables to get the win.

In storyline, Nakamura & Cesaro got to choose whether it would be a tables match or a steel cage match after Cesaro defeated Big E on SmackDown this past Friday. The tables stipulation tied in with Nakamura & Cesaro putting Kingston & Big E through a table on SmackDown the previous week after a title match between the two teams broke down and ended in a no contest.

The New Day had been SmackDown Tag Team Champions since Big E won the titles by defeating The Miz and Jey Uso in a triple threat match this April.

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Joseph Currier
Joseph Currier

Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.

In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.