The popular trio of Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E have been at the hearts of wrestling’s biggest company for much of the last decade as The New Day.
For almost all that time they’ve been a force for good – or the Power of Positivity, as they’d say.
There was a ten-year celebration for The New Day on Raw[/caption]
But, on Monday night, things took a turn for the worse. Or should that be sour?
More than two years ago, the powerhouse of the group, Big E, suffered a broken neck and spinal injuries after landing horrifically during a match.
He’s not wrestled since and has remained philosophical about ever returning to the ring.
While he has appeared regularly for WWE in an almost ambassadorial role and as a pundit and analyst at TV shows and events, it’s been years since he featured as Big E the performer – and he ended that run on Monday’s Raw.
In his absence, The New Day has started to fall apart, on-screen storylines sewing seeds of dissension in the ranks to the point that their ten-year anniversary this week was marked in the most shocking of circumstances.
Big E appeared to a huge reaction from the live crowd and tried to rally his teammates – only for them to end their squabbling by uniting against him, ordering him out of the ring and effectively banishing him.
It was a remarkable scene that fans hailed as one of the best segments of WWE TV in many a year, and one that put Big E’s in-ring status back into focus.
During their storyline confrontation, an angry Kingston insisted Big E would ‘never’ be cleared to wrestle which may, if the history of the way wrestling storyline unfolds is anything to go by, be an indication that he is in fact cleared or on his way to being cleared – though that has far from been confirmed.
Nevertheless, a new report from noted wrestling outlet Fightful has given more detail as to the popular former WWE Champion’s contractual status.
They stated that as of earlier this year, the company hadn’t added extra time to Big E’s current deal to account for time out injured – something fairly common in that circumstance.
Of the group, who all signed new five-year deals in 2019, they reported: “We’ve not learned about the status of Woods or Kofi, and any possible injury time or re-signings or extensions, but we did learn a little more about Big E as speculation runs rampant ahead of the New Day ten-year celebration.
“Those that Fightful spoke to within WWE said that they don’t believe that injury time was added to Big E’s deal as of this Summer. He’s been sidelined since early 2022 due to a broken neck. However, we’ve not learned if he’d re-signed or got on a new deal since then.
“However, it would make sense for WWE to not add injury time to his deal, as the contract they signed with him was under the expectation that he’d be an in-ring talent. He’s been appearing on digital content, making appearances, and panels, which counts towards his deal.”
The idea that Big E’s latest appearance and hints towards his status as a wrestler might lead to an in-ring return are tantalising but, either way, it feels as though something big is coming by way of clarification.
The man himself remains very much open-minded. “I’m at peace,” he wrote in the Players Tribune. “And if that’s truly a wrap on my in-ring career…. I’m excited to explore the paths that are opening up for me in its wake…”
Regardless of the angst playing out between The New Day members on Monday’s Raw, the explosive star stay clearly values the relationship with his brethren above all else, adding: “I’m excited about what’s possible. And maybe that’s the best thing I could say about this last decade — about this journey I’ve been able to go on with Woods, and Kofi, and (somehow) millions of people around the world.
“I don’t know if The New Day saved my career, or my life. But I know it turned them both into things where anything feels possible. And I’ll always be grateful for that.”
Big E and Kingston have both won the WWE title as members of The New Day, while Woods has won the King of the Ring. Collectively, they’ve held tag team gold on 12 occasions.