When The New Day first formed back in 2014, the group wasn’t exactly met with open arms from the WWE faithful. Largely billed as a heel faction, The New Day struggled to gain a foothold with audiences but the talent possessed by the three members — ‘Big’ E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods — was undeniable.
While ‘Big’ E had tasted some success as a singles wrestler while previously holding the Intercontinental title, Kingston was by far the most established superstar of the group after a long run as one of the WWE’s top performers.
It turns out when The New Day first came together, The Big Show actually pulled Kingston aside and told him that he’d be better off without ‘Big’ E and Woods because he deserved to be competing for world titles, not mired in a three-man faction.
“So ‘Big Show’ when we were trying to get off the ground, ‘Big Show’ would pull Kofi to the side — like legit pull him [nearby] so we’re within earshot — and say ‘what are you doing with those two? They’re bringing you down. You should be in the world title picture’,” ‘Big’ E revealed when speaking to “Open Late” with Peter Rosenberg. “And this is [not] at a time when it’s ‘oh ‘Big Show’ it’s all fun and games’.
“We’re struggling to get on TV, me and [Xavier] Woods, thinking we’re about to get fired.”
Woods added that Big Show never tried to hide his contempt for the New Day when having conversations with Kingston backstage.
“He was legit concerned for me” ~ Kofi Kingston on The Big Show’s advice
“I had been on the road three months doing nothing,” Woods said. “So I had just come up from developmental like ‘oh everything is so shiny and new, I’m so happy to be here guys’ and then he’s just taking a dump on me like to my face.”
Kingston says Big Show wasn’t trying to be ill willed towards ‘Big’ E or Woods but rather was showing concern about his own individual future in WWE.
“I don’t think he cared that they were there at all,” Kingston said. “He was legit concerned for me.”
Obviously, The New Day stuck around past a rocky beginning and they are now one of the most marketable teams in all of WWE following multiple reigns as tag team champions. The New Day sell a ton of merchandise and are a massive hit amongst the WWE fanbase.
As it turns out, Woods says out of everyone who has ever talked bad about The New Day, Big Show was on the one superstar who came back around and apologized for what he had said previously.
“To his credit, for all the people who didn’t say things to our face, said things behind our back, he’s the one person who came up to us and said ‘I was completely wrong, you guys are awesome and you’re killing it and I’m glad that you didn’t listen to me’,” Woods stated. “He’s the only one.”
