For a gimmick to have real legs, it either needs to be meaningful or cool. Either of those things give any gimmick substantive, something that Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods sorely lack. What motivated them to band together and start The New Day? They keep saying its because they are stronger together than apart. Well obviously. Who isnt stronger in a group? Thats kind of the whole idea behind strength in numbers. The question that they have failed to answer is what are they assembling for? Are they fight for a cause? Are they fighting against one? Either make them be about something or break them up, because nobody gains from their unit without purpose. It is plain to see that right now there is no direction for the group and nothing meaningful behind what The New Day united to accomplish. If the gimmick doesnt have purpose, what are the cool selling points of the presentation? They clap, they dance, Big E wipes sweat from his brow with a handkerchief he keeps in his singlet, and they are vaguely gospel inspired based on their theme and entrance video. Admittedly the Big E wiping his sweat with a kerchief is mildly amusing, but mildly amusing does not a gimmick make. There is nothing cool about them. Maybe if they went all the way with the religious involvement and made them honest to goodness preachers with a message from God, there might be something, but as it stands, everything about them is antiquated, ambiguous and lame. DX didnt have an obvious purpose behind their banding together, but they were incredibly cool. The Nexus fizzled out, but for the time they worked, they did because they had purpose. The Shield was one of the rare factions that possessed both purpose and cool factor. The New Day is completely not connecting with the WWE Universe, despite the valiant efforts of the men behind the gimmick, because they have neither.
Matthew J. Douglas is an emerging screenwriter born in Toronto. A lifelong fascination with what makes a compelling story and the Toni Morrison quote "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." led the often opinionated Matthew to the life of writer. Matthew is also a lifelong WWE fan, and a self diagnosed Reality TV Junkie.
