5 Things The New Day Need To Change When They Return

Rejoice, the New Day are near! Nothing breeds excitement in wrestling quite like a return from hiatus. And frankly, the New Day were due a break. For nearly two years straight WWE leaned on the trio asking them for 15 minutes of comedy every week. To their credit, the New Day answered the challenge, supplying bountiful entertainment for all demographics of WWE‘s audience.

In the name of full disclosure, it did appear that they were running on fumes. Comedy is a tough gig and adding wrestling to the equation makes the situation that much more delicate. So even if they did provide a cringe here and there, it is to be forgiven or at least forgotten.

Kofi Kingston’s injury may be the best thing to have ever happened to the New Day. With Kofi out, WWE decided to put threesome’s act on the temporary shelf. A week into their rejuvenation period, they were re-branded to Smackdown, essentially guaranteeing a fresh return.

In their absence, they undoubtedly have been cooking up new ways to entertain us. If the quality of their promotional packages (from this past SmackDown) is any indicator then we can safely assume WWE has big plans for the New Day. With 3 highly talented dudes, WWE has plenty of room to maneuver into compelling storylines and character enhancements.

Here’s a list of 5 Ideas that we can hope the new, New Day brings upon their return.

Tenacity

Obviously, New Day has the chops for comedy. Using their proverbial bread and butter of genital gyrations and playful rhetoric, the New Day became one of the most beloved acts in WWE history. 

But there’s more to be had here. 

Although making the audience laugh is certainly part of the E in WWE, this trio needs a new, fierce layer. In their run as heels, they flashed their destructive nature; some of which remains in their act now (re Unicorn Stampede). The group needs more of this; after all, this is wrestling and from time to time, you gotta whip a little ass.

No one says they need to be ECW psychopaths, but just show us a little fire. Don’t you want to see Big E use those mountains of muscles to have a Lesnar-esque shredding of The Usos? Wouldn’t it be great to watch Francesca the Trombone get wrapped around someone’s skull?

A Singles Run

As the longest reigning tag team champions in WWE history, how much is left in this division to conquer? By now, any accomplishments the New Day achieve in the tag team ranks would be redundant. 

The next logical step is clearly into the world of singles competition. A solo run by any of these men would be gladly accepted by the WWE universe. What’s better, is that this can be meaningfully done in the resurgent ranks of the US Title picture. 

Adding a quest for a singles championship would give this group a vast world of new stories. Quite frankly, as one of WWE’s most consistent acts, they’ve earned it. 

Drama

Speaking of refreshing storylines, dissension amongst the New Day is a button yet to be pressed. Why is this? There isn’t a group in wrestling history that enjoyed perpetual congruity. 

Remember when it was only Xavier Woods who fell under Bray Wyatt’s spell? It wasn’t the pinnacle of creative writing but at least they tried something. It gave us, the audience, something to watch for. As fans, that’s all we want – to play along.

So yes, let’s throw a wrinkle into the New Day’s cartoon utopia. Give us some drama, WWE! Maybe Xavier is tired of being only a hype man. Maybe Big E thinks he’s too big for the group. Google “why to bands break up” and simply weave that answer into a storyline. Help us, care, WWE. 

A Real Rivalry

As mentioned, the New Day have little left to prove as a tag team. Yet, if there is one thing they lack it’s a good rivalry. Really, outside of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, this is a concept that WWE mostly ignores. 

We were on the right track with Revival vs. New Day until Kofi’s injury. The Wyatt feud was decent and anything else seems fleeting. 

WWE has been so preoccupied with Universal Championships, booking Roman Reigns and trying not to neglect the Women’s division that the world of tag teams became the runt of the company’s litter. 

But it can be revived.

All it takes is one meaningful, long-term feud. 

On Smackdown, it’s anyone’s guess as to who could truly challenge the New Day in such a rivalry. Perhaps it would be best to take a singles competitor, say a de-throwned Randy Orton and pair him up with a peer to be New Day adversaries. WWE has too much talent and the tag division is too important to the sport to keep churning out arbitrary matches. Clean it up!

Kofi vs Big E

Roll up all 4 previous points in this article and this is their culmination. Infighting, tenacity, rivalry and promise of solo success all get checked off in this scenario. Throw in Xavier Woods as the morally torn maiden and we have a blockbuster.

Splitting a tag team is one of the easiest ways to create a compelling story. Doing it with 2 veteran guys like Big and Kofi is a lock to be a main event level feud. And, because it’s wrestling, there’s always room to reconcile and get the band back together. So rest easy WWE, you would still be able to move that merchandise. 

Where this started is worthy of a dissertation, but wrestling has become too agreeable. Guys and gals get in the ring, they fight and snap an Instagram picture together that night. Wrestling is at is best when the stories feel personal. When the quest for catharsis is infectious. Help us care, WWE, give us Kofi vs. Big E.