10 Tag Teams That Should Never Have Worked (But Did)
4. The New Day
The idea of throwing three wrestlers as misused as Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E together made sense on paper, but The New Day got off to a disastrous start in 2014.
They came together with a corny babyface gimmick that was one part Men On A Mission, and one part gospel choir, with several outlets quick to decry the company for leaning heavily on African-American stereotypes. The fans were universal in their rejection, too. The New Day debuted to cricket chirps, and their reactions became increasingly negative throughout their run, forcing a mid-2015 heel turn.
This proved to be the making of them. Kofi, Woods, and E were reborn through faux positivity, great promos, and comedic quirks. They were endlessly entertaining, and their crowd reactions swung back in the opposite direction, prompting WWE to turn them face once more.
Who could've ever imagined an act so vociferously rejected upon debuting becoming the longest-reigning Tag Team Champions of all-time? The New Day are now WWE staples, with their popularity rivalling almost anyone else in the company, though nobody could've envisioned this level of success when those awful early vignettes started rolling out.