Why the New Day Rocks

   So we covered the whole in-ring career and success of the New Day, but why don’t we go into why they have been such a success. They took a no-win gospel gimmick and turned it into one of the most successful and unique gimmicks out there today. There are a couple things that make them work.

   First off, one of my favorite things about The New Day is their charisma. These are guys that twerk, play a trombone, wear brightly colored uniforms with unicorns and rainbows on it, and they still come off as cool. It also helps that once they step in the ring, they do damage. They are serious in the ring and look like pros, so they can do the funny stuff outside it. The whole package would be impossible to pull off without some natural charisma.

   Part of what makes The New Day work is how genuine they are. The characters on screen are not that different from the performers. They are loud, goof around and have great chemistry together because they are friends. When you can tell that a wrestler is just being themselves turned up to 11, it’s much easier to gravitate towards them and cheer for them. That’s why The New Day are so popular.

   You can also tell the guys bring everything they love into the gimmick. All the things they enjoy and the things that influence them are brought out in their promos and matches. They look like they’re having the time of their lives and by all the interviews I’ve seen of them, they are.

   One of the big reasons they were successful was their ambition. They got the gospel gimmick and didn’t panic, they rode with it and constantly went to Vince McMahon with ideas to make them better. All three have said in interviews that it was a constant flow of meetings with Vince that led to them being given the freedom to create their current characters.

   And it shows, as they are one of the few acts in WWE that gets bullet points instead of a script. They get opportunities to work with legends like The Rock and go toe to toe with them on the microphone.

   All these things worked for them and made them a success.

Bigger Than Wrestling

   The New Day have had much more success than just championships and time on WWE programing. They have become recognizable outside of wrestling, doing interviews with YouTube personalities, appearing in “Adam Ruins Everything” on TruTV and multiple appearances on talk shows like Jimmy Fallon’s and Good Morning America. They were made for these appearances due to their charisma and likeability.

   The group also became known for Wood’s YouTube channel UpUpDownDown, which features WWE wrestlers playing video games and hanging out with each other. Wood’s uses it as a platform to share his love of gaming with his coworkers and fans. The channel is a success with over 1.4 million subscribers.

   The team has also reached another milestone: writing a book that’s being released by WWE on March 13 called “The Book of Booty: Shake It. Love It. Never Be It.”

   If I remember correctly, the last book written by and focusing on a single wrestler or group of wrestlers was the D-Generation X book released all the way back in 2009. So that’s elite company for them.

   They’ve also been able to let their heritage show and bring parts of black culture to the WWE, a rare feat. The biggest example was bringing in Wale and having a rap battle with The Usos in one of the best segments of 2017.

   These guys are great examples for people of all races, as they acknowledge their roots, spread positive messages on social media and are unafraid to be themselves in front of thousands of people every week.

   For example, for most of February they wore some awesome kente design outfits on Smackdown. They faced backlash from certain fans for wearing it and “politicizing the show,” and were responded to gracefully by Big E.

   He said in a tweet:

   “Yes, we’re wearing kente because it’s Black Panther season & Black History Month. No, you should not come for us because you think we’re being divisive & schismatic. Yes, we’re going to take some time to acknowledge our dreads, our Afro puffs, and our chocolatey skin.”

   This is just one example of how The New Day celebrates their culture while responding to their detractors with class.

   They are perfect ambassadors and examples for the black community and their journey from embarrassing racist stereotype gimmick to pushing to be themselves turned up to 11 on screen and becoming the longest reigning WWE Tag Team Champions is inspiring.

   They actually inspired me personally, to roll with the punches and never give up on my current situation. These guys were given horrible stuff to work with, but took the high road and fought for more control and got it. They became huge successes on their own terms.

   Kingston went from contemplating retirement to having the most fun he’s ever had in wrestling because of his time with the group.

   That’s kept me motivated at times and helped me when I was in a place where I wasn’t happy with my current situation.  

   They are one of my favorite tag teams, and proof that even though wrestling is fake, it can affect you in profound ways because of the stories being told inside and outside the curtain.

   So, wherever you are, whatever you do, and whoever you are (WHO? WHO? WHO?) things will go great for you as long as you eat your big bowl of Booty O’s every day, and embrace the power of positivity. Because New Day most certainly rocks!

Henry Wolski
Executive Editor