7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (2 Dec - Results & Review)
1. Dare To Be Sour
Heading into the New Day’s 10th-anniversary segment, fans had to be feeling a bit of anxiety and dread: Would the longtime stable finally disintegrate, would a heel turn be forthcoming, or would outside forces arrive to save the day?
It turns out that all three of those options turned out to be true.
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were just about to break the bad news to fans, like parents telling their kids that they were getting divorced, when Big E made his return to WWE television, pleading with his brothers to not throw the group away. After getting very personal with them, he told them that until he’s medically cleared, he would show up every week and serve as the duo’s manager. Everything seemed to be set for a Hallmark movie conclusion…
But Xavier and Kofi had other thoughts in mind. They proceeded to tear into Big E for waiting until they were at the end of their rope to step in to try to help. What followed was an epic heel turn as Kingston and Woods took turns verbally thrashing E, accusing him of using his broken neck as an excuse for abandoning them, noting that other wrestlers like Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, and Edge all came back from broken necks sooner than E had. They called him selfish, choosing a ”desk job” over the New Day.
Fans rained down boos on the duo for the first time in nearly nine years as they effectively kicked E out of the group, pledging that it was just the two of them going forward.
This was a tremendous, sublime piece of business. Rather than Woods turning heel and the team splitting, or the group patching things up with E’s help, they went a completely unexpected route, finding a way to force fans to mercilessly boo a unit that has been one of the most positive, beloved acts in recent memory. They presented the perfect solution to New Day’s woes to the fans, only to rip it away in the cruelest manner. Worse, Kingston and Woods, on the verge of breaking up minutes earlier, were reunited by their anger at Big E.
Absolutely fantastic stuff, and it allows Kofi and Xavier to evolve after – by their own admission – not changing or growing since E’s injury. A tearful slow clap for this entire segment.