WWE Draft 2020: Big E and The New Day are separated, and that’s fine

Big E watched as his New Day counterparts Kofi Kingston and Xavier woods returned from injury Friday and capture the SD Tag Team Titles a seventh time. Then he watched as they were drafted to MNR, and he was drafted to SD Live. This was not a bad thing, and here’s why.

When Stephanie McMahon read the news Big E wasn’t choked up. He wasn’t shaking the ropes and throwing his hands up in the air as if a great crime had been committed. No. He stood there as Woods constantly repeated “Say E’s name, say E’s name”.  He looked around, he watched his tag team partners voice their disappointment. He never spoke up for himself.  I would like to think this look wasn’t a look of hurt or shock, but relief.

If you are upset about The New Day breakup then you’re half right and you’re half wrong. Here’s where you’re half right: The New Day are a draw.  The pancakes, Wood’s video game playing popularity, KofiMania, SyFy Channel cameos, the podcast,  and Booty-O’s! They’re WWE marketing gold. People love to hear Big E’s intro “DON’T YOU DARE BE SOUR!”. But are they officially NOT The New Day anymore? If you listened to Stephanie as she announced the draft trades, she didn’t say The New Day are moving to MNR. Why? Because The New Day has always been a trio, not a duo. However, it can be assumed The New Day will still be their name.

Now, here’s where you half wrong for feeling this is a bad move. Big E really wasn’t ready to rejoin his tag team partners. Did you see the look on his face when they showed up on SD Live Friday? He was happy, but heartbroken. Here’s a man who decimated Sheamus in a Falls Count Anywhere match. This is a man who has won six matches in a row since The New Day’s Tag Title loss at Extreme Rules. This is the same person that was told by Kingston on the July 21 episode of SD Live  that with him and Woods being injured, “It’s your time.” After dealing with the loss of his tag team partners to injury, going it alone and actually starting to feel like, “Yeah, I could make this happen”,  to go back to being one of three men on a team had to be a little worrisome.

It showed all over his face. 

Big E can now etch out the singles run he deserves, and keep face with his friends. He doesn’t have to have the hard conversation of how he’s ready to go solo. The WWE Draft took care of that. Maybe Kofi is right: Maybe the universe is trying to tell Big E something, and it’s a story worth telling.