WWE: The New Day, Kicking Down Doors & Breaking Barriers

After a tough start, The New Day have transformed into one of WWE’s most beloved acts in recent memory. That couldn’t be clearer as WrestleMania approaches either, with the former champions’ presence almost undeniable.

Three years ago, “New Day Sucks” chants may not have been a surprise, but they were certainly still a disappointment. WWE was one night removed from a memorable WrestleMania 31 and with Seth Rollins as the new champion, positivity surrounded this most recent creative direction. Alternatively, here were three men struggling desperately, persevering with a presentation that simply felt outdated. For Big E and Xavier Woods, this was proving to be a major roadblock in their young careers. For Kofi Kingston though, it was an alarming turnaround from his prior popularity, even though his performance remained as strong as ever.

Their story’s next chapter is a famous one. It’s been highly publicised and rightly so. Together, The New Day turned their gimmick into an undeniable positive. The enthusiasm and positivity that had made them too ‘uncool’ to cheer had just as easily allowed them to be grating and obnoxious heels. As we now all know, The New Day reigned as villainous kingpins and in their 2^nd stint as champions, famously broke the record for the longest single-run with any WWE tag team titles.

In that lengthy period, The New Day’s popularity obviously rose exponentially, quickly leading to an inevitable babyface turn. Their personalities had become a highlight of WWE programming too, with catchphrases coming weekly and more merchandise arriving with each one. I think an aspect of that run that’s underappreciated though, is The New Day’s in-ring brilliance. The trio consistently showed an ability to play a variety of roles once the bell rung, regularly putting on dynamic and engaging tag team affairs.

Speaking of such, New Day would do exactly that in their Roadblock clash against the then new team of Sheamus & Cesaro. On that night, their 483 day title reign ended and with it, that unforgettable chapter came to a close. There are many positives to a run of dominance like that one. It elevates your act to a new level and moreover, etches your name in the history books. However, with that also comes some issues. Your turn has come and gone now and with most potential foes exhausted, an act can quickly become aimless.

I think it would be an exaggeration to say that was the case with The New Day here but nonetheless, their reign’s impact still showed. There really wasn’t much for them to do as far as traditional feuds but fortunately, their overall value was still undeniable. That showed too, as they were impressively made the hosts of WrestleMania 33. In two years, The New Day had gone from being booed to hosting the grandest stage of them all, a feat admirable in its scale. With that being said, what was next?

In hindsight, the answer to that question couldn’t have been more emphatic. After being moved to SmackDown Live in the Superstar Shakeup, the trio were briefly absent as Kofi Kingston recovered from an ankle injury. Honestly though, the short break only helped their as act as people had a chance to genuinely miss them before their triumphant return. As you’d expect, The New Day were immediately programmed opposite the champions and old rivals: The Usos. Though this wasn’t even a year ago, it’s fair to say that the rest is history.

Since their last battle, The Usos had transformed. They had gone from an act comparable to what The New Day had become, and evolved into a nasty, spiteful and aggressive duo. That had made them the ideal foes for The New Day, a contrast in every way but with a shared ambition to reignite tag team wrestling. Well, in a multi-match series they’d do just that, elevating themselves and the titles they fought for in every way. Shows were stolen and now more than ever, both teams’ in-ring skill was finally getting the credit it had long deserved.

Their promos brought humour sure but when opposite each other, intensity came with each man’s every word. That carried over to the action once the bell rung too, as the teams fought tooth and nail time and time again. In many ways, The Usos’ transformation allowed The New Day to get more serious than ever before and that only heightened their standing amongst fans. That was never clearer than at Hell in a Cell, with the fitting rivals making a quite beautiful brutality inside that slightly jaded structure.

The New Day may have come out on the losing end of that programme but their achievement with The Usos was impressive nonetheless. It was a rather refreshing sight, with tag team title tilts at the forefront of a brand, forcefully taking the spotlight at every turn. Nevertheless, that programme’s almost throwback length meant that briefly, The New Day now had to take a slight backseat. Fast forward a couple of months though, and as the road to WrestleMania begun, their prior impact rightly got its reward.

Re-programmed with The Usos, New Day were back in the tag title picture and at Fastlane, reminded everyone of their remarkable chemistry opposite the champs. The end game was clear from day one though and as The Bludgeon Brothers halted the match before it found a fitting finish, the WrestleMania destination was quite obvious. These three teams were now very much on a collision course for the grandest stage of them all, and whilst The Usos’ brilliance is undeniable, The New Day’s presence has been a genuine game-changer also.

Before this future hall of fame trio arrived, SmackDown’s tag team division struggled for television time but The New Day’s popularity, versatility and effervescence has brought everyone up a level. They’ve become a mainstay, not only in the tag division but in the company’s entire fabric, something that’s arguably the biggest compliment of all.

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As Big E said himself, they’ve kicked down doors and broken barriers which makes their spot on this WrestleMania card all the more fitting. Their consistent impact shows that quite simply, they belong here and thankfully, their influence looks set to be rewarded in New Orleans.