If you have been watching WWE TV for the past fews months, you’ll know that The New Day, a faction of wrestlers comprised of Kofi Kingston, Big E, & Xavier Woods, is probably the best thing going today.
Besides just being good wrestlers, The New Day have taken what could have been a terrible gospel gimmick and turned it into positivity gold. Whether it’s yelling “WHAT ARE THOSE!!!” during matches, doing over the top celebrations, using a trombone as a prop to humiliate opponents, telling a New York audience that the South created Hip-Hop, or repurposing a Luther Campbell song into a chant, they have quickly become the main reason to watch WWE Raw on Monday night.
This past Monday they were the subject of a WWE Network only show called Table For 3. The basic concept is watching three wrestlers talk shop while eating dinner. Episode 2 featured Kofi, E, & Xavier, and it was awesome. Here are my three thoughts about it:
Intelligent Black Wrestlers? On WWE? What?
Yup. We still got a long way to go but this showed me how far Black wrestlers (at least in the WWE) have come. It was just cool to see three young Black intelligent wrestlers sit around and talk.
It terms of wrestlers breaking kayfabe and being themselves, I do understand that that type of thing is happening all the time on the WWE Network. But could Cryme Tyme do this? I don’t know. The thought did crossed my mind that maybe the WWE did this in light of them distancing themselves from Hulk Hogan and his recent racist comments. Maybe but I guess it doesn’t matter.
Kofi Kingston Still Deserves Better
I’ve said this before (Maybe even on The FRO Horsemen), but Kofi needs to be a main eventer. You remember when it announced that Kofi would be in the Money in the Bank match earlier this year and some people got excited because maybe he’ll finally win it? You know why? Because he deserves it. He has been in the WWE since 2007 and has a highlight reel of crazy shit he’s done in the Royal Rumble and the MITB matches but we all know he’ll probably never win the big one.
Watching Table For 3 made me realize that maybe Kofi has been a main event star parading as a mid card wrestler this whole time. We can’t only have The Rock as a the only Black WWE Champion can we? I love what The New Day is doing but there will probably be a day when they break up. Which leads me to…
It’s Gonna Suck When They Break Up
Towards the end of the show, Big E talks about the members of New Day being like family and spending Christmas together. He spoke on how it’s gonna be weird when they can no longer ride in cars together while traveling. Yeah, when that happens it’s gonna suck. Right now the group is just hitting their stride so it hard to even see them doing anything else. But almost nothing stays the same in wrestling.
Hopefully before and if a breakup happens, the characters of Big E, Xavier Woods, & Kofi Kingston will be more evolved. Remember, one of the reasons they were put together is because the WWE really didn’t have anything for them to do (Other than getting beat by Rusev). We’ve seen how talented Xavier can be but will he go back to be relegated to Superstars? Will Big E just go back to doing preacher voices after matches? Will Kofi just go back to figuring out ways to not get eliminated in the Royal Rumble. Hopefully not.
Bonus: Table For 3 Was Shot Really Well
I wanted to keep my thoughts at three but I had to point this out. I missed the first episode of Table For 3 with Roddy Piper, Gene Okerlund and Paul Orndorff, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wrestling show look like this (Remember Legends of Wrestling). I like it.
Also, why won’t WWE sell me an official New Day sweatsuit? Whatever. Let’s just end with this:
