10 Major Stars Who Escaped WWE Creative Jail
3. The New Day
Vince McMahon is like Jerry Lawler in late '93: he's out of touch.
This is why, against the grain of history - and the history of his own company - he initially conceived of the New Day faction as an earnest gang of do-gooders with a very special message: Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were here to spread the power of positivity!
Imagine thinking this would work. Imagine living in the real world of the 2010s, as hate spews everywhere, as social media creates an impossible aspirational ideal that can only make us feel like sh*t, as we plunge into humanitarian crisis after border war, and expect us to receive a bunch of wrestler dorks at face value. "I no longer care that I'm made to feel grotesque and powerless every time I look at my phone, which I'm addicted to. The New Day are here!"
The problem, of course, is that Vince doesn't live in the real world.
The faction had to tell Vince, every day by Kingston's estimation, that black people don't just clap in churches. Tweaking the inevitable "New Day sucks" chants with a winking "New Day rocks!" counterpoint, the fandom acquiesced immediately. It was then that we realised Kofi et al. were in on the joke, and that they could it make the bit work - with our support. Our...
...positive affirmation.
Mad King was right.