“It’s a new day, yes it is.” When WWE fans hear those words, they come to their feet with excitement knowing Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods are headed to the ring. The charismatic trio, collectively known as The New Day, remains one of the most popular acts in pro wrestling history. Their unicorn branded merchandise has been best-sellers. And you know you’ve made it when you have your own “Booty-O’s” cereal.
In a world where pretty much every tag team or group is eventually broken up, these brothers have been able to maintain an unbreakable bond. This fact is not lost on Woods as The New Day celebrates a decade together. We caught up with the Raw superstar to reflect on their journey and legacy.
When The New Day first came on the scene, I’ll be honest in saying I wasn’t sure this was going to last. What were your first impressions when you were brought together?
Xavier Woods: At the onset, I’ll be honest, we were definitely nervous with the direction we were asked to go. The main thing that drew us to doing it anyway was we believed if we were together, then we could figure out how to make what we were given work. For us, it has always been three guys just trying to pull their weight and show everyone around them we could help the company that we could help a segment or pair great with wrestlers. We felt like Swiss Army Knives, and we could do anything. All we needed was to have those minutes on TV to show people that. In the beginning, it was rough. People weren’t feeling it like we hoped they would.
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Then the tide turned.
Even with that energy, it told us what direction to go. It’s funny when we think about how we all believed in ourselves, but it was really the direction of the people who told us what we should be doing and how we should believe in ourselves. Once we started to really let our personalities shine through, that’s when people started reacting and taking hold of what we were doing. While there have been stories of teams in wrestling before, to my knowledge, there has not been a story like the New Day. Any idea that someone would turn jealous or turn your back on your brother, anything of that nature? None of that was or is important to us as much as this brotherhood. Being able to live in that zone, I think people very much resonate with it. When have that best friend and person or people, it’s life-changing. Something that will help you through the course of your life.
In the era you were from, it was very much about following the script. Yet, you three had the space to explore creativity. Then things really took off. How was it to have the company behind you once they started to see the momentum build?
I think the main thing for us as far as [Francesca] the trombone, Booty O’s, pancakes, ice cream, all of the “ridiculous” things. Wrestling is an interesting art form. You don’t have to necessarily reach the pinnacle and then take somebody’s spot. If you’re looking in the right places, you can carve out your own spot and make a new thing and create a new demand they didn’t even realize they needed. At the time we were bubbling, everybody was pretty much a badass. They were going to beat the hell out of you, were typical macho. That’s kind of the stereotypical wrestling thing over the years. We wanted to flip that on its head because that’s not the only person who can fight. That’s not the only type of person interested in this format and seeing it on your television.
You three definitely stood out.
We thought let’s do a 180 compared to anything we see on TV and WWE. Doing that but also doing what we can provide bell-to-bell. I think that is what really gave us the confidence to dive into our creativity. We knew if something didn’t work like if Francesca didn’t work, maybe she wouldn’t have been around as long. The fact we could go bell-to-bell confidently helped us be able to step out and try all these things. It was more about not just doing something for a week and seeing if it works. We sat in this awkwardness and weirdness to truly see if an idea worked. That confidence came from the training we had which made us as good as we are in the ring.
Wheel of Fortune
Your popularity gave way to other opportunities. From game shows to even just being on Scare Tactics, you’ve all made so many appearances outside the ring. What are some of your most memorable?
Definitely Wheel of Fortune. That was a crazy huge one for me because it was something my parents watched, even Grandma. I just heard them talk about it and how excited they were about me doing it. That was top for me. Things we’ve done together, I’d say Double Dare. We also did this Netflix movie called Escape the Undertaker. It’s the three of us at his house trying to steal his urn essentially and we are now mad he is trying to catch us. Doing stuff like that has been awesome, especially it’s not something you think about when you’re a kid and want to be a WWE superstar. When you’re six, you just think about winning a title, the music, pyro, and travel everywhere. Then you get into it, and I realize I wanted the brotherhood. That brotherhood really led me to doing a lot of things I don’t know if I would had the chance to do otherwise. So I’d say Double Dare, Escape the Undertaker, and Wheel of Fortune are the favorites.
Escape The Undertaker. (L-R) Big E, Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston and The Undertaker in Escape The Undertaker. c. Netflix © 2021
You also won The Weakest Link after I have to say you three triple-teamed on poor Miz.
What was funny about The Weakest Link was everyone was acting like this was a new concept. All of those other people who have known us have known us for 10-plus years. They know it’s about the team no matter what.
One thing fans love about the New Day is the ring attire. You’ve had gear inspired by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, and others that tap into pop and nerd culture. What were some favorites?
I’d say our WrestleMania fits where we came out as DBZ. We had our tails on the backs of our armor and everything. That really set us off. That Dragon Ball Z gear, coming out of a giant box of Booty Os cereal. I smile just thinking about it. During the pandem-y, Kofi and I rocked the White Ranger and Green Ranger fits, which might be one of my favorite sets of gear. Then at the time, we did Gears of War because we are downloadable content in Gears of War 5. They had this armor that was always so angry and sad. We come in and it’s rainbow-colored. We got to wear that at a show, which is awesome.
Anything you haven’t done yet?
We haven’t done Yu-Yu-Hakusho. It’s one of my favorite animes. I’m not sure how that would translate into gear. We haven’t done Super Mario. It’s such a layup and has always been there, but we’ve never touched it. We’ll wait for more years before you see us out there like that.
Danielle Fishel Karp and Xavier Woods (WWE)
Every now and then there is surely a discussion in creative about breaking up The New Day. Your character seems to be taking a little turn. What is it like digging into this current story with Kofi you’re involved in?
Sometimes brothers fight. Family fights. It’s just crazy that it has taken this long to start having a disagreement. Normally, with your friends, there are things that would come up. We had so much time with no real tension. It has been very interesting. Obviously, when you see it on TV, you think everything is imploding. That’s what you’re used to seeing in wrestling. It’s not how life is. I could argue with my brother. He can disagree with me, and we can talk about it.
We’re mature adults living in 2024. If I can’t text him or call him and have a genuine conversation about a disagreement, then how strong is our friendship in the first place? It has always been in wrestling where someone gets jealous or someone accidentally hits someone and we’re fighting. The next thing you know I’m making someone bleed in the streets. If that happened, were we really genuine friends? What you’re seeing now is just a maturation of our brotherhood.
What can we expect from your New Day celebration? I think I read you filmed some fun content.
We did film a bunch of stuff going through our historical things the past 10 years. It’s going to be a party. It’s going to be a huge party on Raw because that’s what we have done at WWE. Lots of people have forgotten wrestling is supposed to be fun. That’s why we came into the picture to remind everyone. Yes, you can be so angry or sad and feel these emotions from the show. At the same time, don’t forget the most important one: You’re supposed to be having fun. That’s what the celebration will be. It’s going to be a good time and a reminder that wrestling is supposed to be fun.
Speaking of that, you’ve been having fun on social media going back and forth with Kenny Omega. Tell me about your friendship dynamic.
I think, first of all, it’s funny you say friendship with Kenny Omega. I can not stand him. He is the worst. I think Ramen Noodles needs to hit him with a lawsuit for the hair that he has been showing. It has been this bane of my existence. So, on social media when he does feel the need to rear his disgustingly ugly head, I’m just going to put him back down. I have to shut him down. We’re going to Bluesky now. Come on over here where we can tell some dad jokes.
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What do you think will be the legacy of the New Day? How do you look at the impact you all have made from a representation standpoint?
It’s weird to think about. I just think about us as three guys trying to keep their jobs and wanting to be wrestlers in WWE. We carved out that spot and did it. We’ll do signings. Sometimes people will tell us they worked on the independents and have been doing it for three years. They want to say that watching us coming out and just being ourselves gave them the confidence to be themselves, which might not be what a stereotypical pro wrestler is. The amount of times people have said that to me, it tells me I made the right choices.
From the day I started training my trainer told me this is a fraternity. He said, “These are my brothers and sisters. It’s your job, not to have a pretty successful career or make it to the top of WWE. Your job is to make sure your section of wrestling is a bit better than when you found it when you’re done. That’s the only reason anybody is wrestling or should be wrestling.” I took that to heart. Am I happy about what I’ve been able to accomplish? One hundred percent. Do I want even more? One hundred percent. Am I focused on making sure my little section of what I’m close to is better for having me here, yes. That’s my main objective, but it’s all very humbling.
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