The New Day is a WWE professional wrestling group formed by Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. Introduced in 2014 with an upbeat, motivational presentation, the trio developed into one of WWE’s most decorated and enduring acts, combining tag-team wrestling with comedy, crowd participation and increasingly elaborate entrances.
Although presented as a three-man stable, the members usually competed in two-man combinations and defended championships under the Freebird rule, allowing any two members to represent the group. The act also supported major singles successes, most notably Kingston’s WWE Championship victory and Big E’s emergence as a world champion.
Formation and original presentation
The roots of The New Day appeared on the July 21, 2014 episode of Raw, when Xavier Woods approached Big E and Kofi Kingston after another defeat. In the on-screen story, Woods argued that Kingston and Big E could no longer advance by accepting limited opportunities and suggested that the three wrestlers work together. WWE did not immediately continue that version of the group, however, and the performers subsequently disappeared from regular television while the concept was revised.
Later in 2014, WWE began airing introductory videos built around positivity, unity and gospel-influenced imagery. The group was named The New Day, with Woods acting as an energetic speaker alongside Kingston and Big E. They made their televised match debut as a unit on the November 28 episode of SmackDown. Their entrance featured clapping, chanting and the slogan “New Day rocks,” while Woods sometimes carried a trombone that became known as Francesca.
The initial presentation was intended to make the trio heroic, but live audiences often responded with sarcastic chants of “New Day sucks.” WWE incorporated that reaction into the story. By the spring of 2015, The New Day had become antagonists who insisted that they represented positivity while cheating in matches, distracting opponents and using their numerical advantage. The change allowed the performers to make the act more self-aware and helped establish the mixture of absurd humor and calculated rule-breaking that defined their early championship run.
First championships and record-setting reign
Big E and Kingston defeated Tyson Kidd and Cesaro for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Extreme Rules in April 2015. Woods interfered from ringside, reinforcing the group’s newly villainous identity. WWE recognized all three members as champions under the Freebird rule rather than limiting recognition to the pair that had won the match. That arrangement became central to The New Day: Big E, Kingston and Woods could rotate between matches while remaining one championship unit.
After losing the title to the Prime Time Players, The New Day regained it at SummerSlam in August 2015 in a four-team match. Their second reign lasted 483 days. During that period, they defended against teams including the Dudley Boyz, the Lucha Dragons, The Usos, Enzo Amore and Big Cass, and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. WWE’s historical presentation credits the reign with surpassing Demolition’s previous company record for the longest single reign associated with that championship lineage.
The popularity of the act changed during the reign. Though they had begun it as villains, their improvisational promos, Woods’s trombone playing and the contrast among the three personalities drew increasingly favorable reactions. The group gradually became heroic without abandoning its comic excesses. WWE also expanded its presentation through fictional products such as Booty-O’s cereal and bright, coordinated ring attire.
At WrestleMania 32, WWE’s 2016 WrestleMania event, The New Day lost a non-title six-man match to the League of Nations. The match was followed by a segment involving Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley. Later that year, the trio was selected for Raw in the WWE draft. Their record-setting championship reign ended at Roadblock: End of the Line in December 2016, where Cesaro and Sheamus won a triple-threat match that also included Gallows and Anderson.
SmackDown and rivalry with The Usos
The New Day moved to SmackDown in 2017 and began a sustained rivalry with The Usos. The teams exchanged the SmackDown Tag Team Championship and competed under several stipulations, including a street fight and a Hell in a Cell match. Their contests contrasted The Usos’ aggressive, direct style with The New Day’s frequent tags, ringside involvement and combination offense. WWE later treated the rivalry as one of the defining tag-team programs of that period; the company has also published a retrospective on The Usos and The New Day rivalry.
The three-man format continued to distinguish the group from conventional teams. Big E generally supplied power, Kingston contributed speed and aerial offense, and Woods alternated between active competitor, strategist and ringside supporter. The Freebird arrangement meant that championship histories did not always correspond neatly to one fixed pairing. WWE recognized the trio collectively for several reigns, while later reigns were attached to the members who won or defended a particular championship.
KofiMania and singles success
In early 2019, Kingston’s performance in a gauntlet match led to an on-screen campaign for a WWE Championship opportunity. The story, widely called “KofiMania,” emphasized Kingston’s long WWE tenure and repeatedly placed obstacles between him and champion Daniel Bryan. Big E and Woods remained integral to the angle. In storyline, they won a tag-team gauntlet match that secured Kingston’s title opportunity at WrestleMania 35.
Kingston defeated Bryan at WrestleMania to win the WWE Championship. Big E and Woods celebrated with him in the ring, presenting the victory as an achievement for the entire group even though the championship belonged to Kingston individually. His reign lasted until the October 4, 2019 episode of SmackDown, when Brock Lesnar defeated him. The storyline demonstrated how The New Day could support individual ambitions without requiring an immediate betrayal or permanent breakup, a common device in wrestling faction narratives.
Big E later moved into a sustained singles role. After being separated from Kingston and Woods in the 2020 WWE draft, he won the Intercontinental Championship and subsequently the WWE Championship. Woods achieved a major individual milestone by winning the 2021 King of the Ring tournament and adopting the on-screen title King Woods. These accomplishments occurred while all three remained identified with The New Day, even when brand assignments prevented them from appearing together regularly.
Brand separation and later competition
In October 2020, Kingston and Woods defeated Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. Immediately afterward, the WWE draft assigned Kingston and Woods to Raw while Big E remained on SmackDown. On television, The New Day and the Street Profits exchanged their respective brand championships, making Kingston and Woods Raw Tag Team Champions. The separation was portrayed as an emotional consequence of the draft rather than a voluntary dissolution of the group.
Kingston and Woods later regained the Raw championship from Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin in March 2021 before losing it to AJ Styles and Omos at WrestleMania 37. WWE’s World Tag Team Championship history records the dates and succession of those reigns.
Big E reunited with Kingston and Woods on television at various points, but an injury changed the group’s active configuration. On the March 11, 2022 episode of SmackDown, Big E suffered a serious neck injury during a ringside sequence involving Ridge Holland. He subsequently remained away from in-ring competition. Kingston and Woods continued teaming as The New Day rather than introducing a replacement member.
In December 2022, Kingston and Woods defeated Pretty Deadly to win the NXT Tag Team Championship at NXT Deadline. The victory extended The New Day’s championship record across WWE’s Raw, SmackDown and NXT brands. They lost the title in a four-way match at NXT Vengeance Day in February 2023.
Tenth-anniversary storyline
During 2024, WWE presented growing friction between Kingston and Woods. Their disagreements concerned losses, decision-making and whether each partner received equal respect. The story culminated on the December 2 episode of Raw, staged as a celebration of The New Day’s tenth anniversary. Big E appeared and offered to accompany Kingston and Woods as their manager until he could determine whether an in-ring return was possible.
In the on-screen narrative, Kingston and Woods rejected the offer and blamed Big E for leaving them behind while injured. The segment turned both active members into villains while keeping them together as a team. Their treatment of Big E was a storyline development; Big E’s neck injury and absence from wrestling were real circumstances incorporated into the program.
Style, identity and legacy
The New Day’s longevity rested partly on its ability to change tone without abandoning its central identity. The act moved from an earnest motivational group to hypocritical villains, then to popular comic heroes and later to a more resentful version of Kingston and Woods. Its recognizable elements included synchronized attire, call-and-response chants, exaggerated celebrations, Woods’s trombone and frequent references to games and popular culture.
In the ring, the Freebird rule gave WWE flexibility to select different pairings. Big E and Kingston emphasized power and athleticism, Kingston and Woods generally worked at a faster pace, and Big E and Woods combined strength with Woods’s varied offense. All three could also accompany the competing pair, creating opportunities for either encouragement or interference depending on whether the group was portrayed as heroic or villainous.
Across WWE’s championship lineages, The New Day accumulated multiple Raw, SmackDown and NXT tag-team reigns. Counts can differ according to whether a source groups renamed championships together and how it assigns Freebird-rule reigns. A commonly cited total is 12 WWE tag-team championship reigns before later title developments, including the 483-day reign. More broadly, the group helped keep stable-based tag wrestling prominent while allowing each member to pursue substantial singles stories without permanently erasing the shared identity.
Championships and distinctions
- WWE Championship — Kofi Kingston and Big E each won the title as singles wrestlers while associated with The New Day.
- WWE Intercontinental Championship — won by Big E during his post-draft singles run.
- WWE Raw/World Tag Team Championship — multiple reigns across different combinations and Freebird-rule recognition.
- WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship — multiple reigns, including championships central to the rivalry with The Usos.
- NXT Tag Team Championship — Kingston and Woods won the title in December 2022.
- King of the Ring — Xavier Woods won the 2021 tournament.
See also
- WrestlingWiki’s Tag Teams archive
- WWE’s New Day–Imperium rivalry retrospective
- The New Day professional wrestling overview
Frequently asked questions
Who are the members of The New Day?
The New Day was formed by Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. After Big E suffered a neck injury in 2022, Kingston and Woods continued as the active tag team.
What is the Freebird rule?
The Freebird rule allows different members of a group to represent the team in championship matches. WWE used it to recognize Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods as champions during several New Day reigns.
How long was The New Day’s record-setting tag-team title reign?
The New Day’s second WWE Tag Team Championship reign lasted 483 days, from August 2015 until December 2016.
Did Kofi Kingston win the WWE Championship while in The New Day?
Yes. Kofi Kingston defeated Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35, with Big E and Xavier Woods central to the storyline leading to the match.
Did The New Day break up when Big E moved to SmackDown?
No. The 2020 WWE draft separated Big E from Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, but the performers remained associated with The New Day and later reunited on television.