For 10 years, The New Day has captivated WWE fans via equally hilarious and emotional performances while rewriting the history books and expectations.
Thrown together amid a lack of creative plans for the three, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E overcame early obstacles and frustrations to develop one of the most over and successful acts in company history.
Ahead of the group's 10th-anniversary celebration Monday night on Raw, let's relive the matches and moments that have defined the group and secured its place in company history.
15. The Formation (Raw: July 21, 2014)
Moments after Kingston and Big E lost to Ryback and Curtis Axel in July 2014, Xavier Woods approached the tandem about taking back their careers and erasing the professional frustration that had set in with all three.
No one could have imagined what would follow or that they would become one of the most prolific factions in WWE history.
14. Mocking The Wyatt Family (Raw: June 27, 2016)
One of the most endearing elements of The New Day has been their ability to find humor in even the most serious rivalries.
A case in point being their 2016 battle with The Wyatt Family.
While the program would see the trio head to the faction's terrifying compound and culminate at Battleground in a high-energy six-man tag match, the highlight was Kingston, Woods and Big E mocking Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper.
It popped the crowd and added a levity not typically associated with the haunting heels. New Day would also target country music, combat Edge and Christian in a Kazoo vs. Trombone battle, and throw it back to the Gobbledy Gooker during a backstage Thanksgiving skit, but the Wyatt Family segment remains one of their finest and funniest.
13. Dancing with The Authority (Raw: September 14, 2015)
Finally making headway in their attempts to connect with the audience, The New Day received their greatest stamp of approval to date on Raw during a brief encounter with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
Crossing paths with the heel authority figures, the trio busted a move with McMahon. Not to be outdone, The King of Kings joined in, proving a little of his DX days were still in him.
A fleeting moment, it was proof that something was working enough for The Authority to want to be involved with the trio on television. That something exploded into an entirely different stratosphere by the time 2016 rolled around.
12. In-Ring Debut (SmackDown: November 28, 2014)
The New Day officially took to the squared circle for the first time on WWE TV in November 2014 after weeks of vignettes announcing their arrival. Their opponents that first night? The team of Titus O'Neil, Curtis Axel and Heath Slater.
The match wasn't particularly memorable for its quality, but it highlighted Woods, Big E and Kingston's chemistry and the in-ring action that would serve as the foundation of their performances for the next 10 years.
Some of that could be attributed to their work on live shows around the country for months before they debuted as a group.
That seamless ring work helped them hold things down while they explored their new positivity gimmick and what that would ultimately look like.
11. First Tag Team Title Victory (Extreme Rules 2015)
Following a close call during the WrestleMania 31 kickoff show, where Tyson Kidd and Cesaro escaped with the tag team titles over The New Day, The Usos and Los Matadores, the champs defended against Kingston and Big E at Extreme Rules.
The outcome would be different this time.
The two teams had already battled on a few occasions, and they delivered a tone-setting contest that featured great athleticism and some solid drama by way of sudden near-falls that concluded with Kingston rolling up Cesaro and grabbing a handful of tights for the tainted victory and The New Day's first title reign.
Despite the quality of the match and the win, there were still real questions about whether the preacher gimmick would succeed. Still, it was a momentous occasion and the victory was a nod from management that it believed in the ring work New Day delivered regularly.
10. Interrupting The Rock (Raw: January 25, 2016)
If the moment shared with The Authority in the fall of 2015 was not enough to convince the doubters that The New Day were onto something, their segment on the January 25, 2016 episode of Raw certainly did.
Kingston, Woods and Big E interrupted The Rock, complete with unicorn-horn headbands, and endured a verbal smackdown. Moments later, The Usos arrived on the scene and drove the trio into the waiting arms of The Great One, who downed them and stood to close the segment. Despite bumping for the Attitude Era star, they emerged better off than they had ever been.
There was no longer any doubt The New Day were over or they were legit stars in WWE. That spot wasn't granted to just anyone and the fact that they held their own against a star of that magnitude was proof positive that the group was here to stay.
9. A Family Divided? (Raw: November 24, 2024)
A family does not go 10 years without its disagreements and fights. And the same can be said of The New Day.
With their 10th anniversary celebration on the horizon, Kingston and Woods were at odds entering the November 24 episode of Raw.
Despite vowing moments earlier to put their differences aside in the name of celebrating all they have accomplished over the last decade, the tension remained, resulting in a miscommunication and an embarrassingly quick loss to Alpha Academy.
What came after it was months in the making. Kingston and Woods hurled insults and accusations at each other, seemingly not even in the same book let alone the page.
As they went their separate ways, there were very real questions about the future of The New Day. At the same time, it was another reminder that, 10 years in, few performers are as capable of captivating fans through raw emotion as Woods and Kingston (and Big E previously).
8. The Booty O's Entrance (WrestleMania 32)
The New Day arrived at WrestleMania 32 with momentum on their side. They had shaken off a bad gimmick, reinvented themselves in their own image and connected with fans to the point that they forced a babyface turn.
The reigning tag champions had also introduced Booty O's, a breakfast cereal that promised to ensure all partaking would not be, er, booty.
Emerging from a giant box of cereal, they stepped onto The Grandest Stage of Them All with their vision fully realized. So much so that they proved to be bulletproof as a loss to Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus and Rusev did little damage. And they shared the ring with and took a few finishers from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Mick Foley and Shawn Michaels by the night's end.
It was a magical night for the trio and the culmination of considerable work to get to that point.
7. King of the Ring (Crown Jewel 2021)
Having watched Kingston and Big E achieve their own goals, Woods had the opportunity to accomplish a lifelong dream of winning the King of the Ring tournament at Crown Jewel in 2021.
Having defeated Ricochet and former WWE champion Jinder Mahal, he rolled into Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a date with Finn Bálor to determine who would wear the crown.
Woods bested the former NXT and universal champion in under 10 minutes and secured the title in the biggest victory of his career.
It was a monumental moment for the often-overlooked and underrated New Day member, who had long taken a backseat to his more prominent teammates despite being equally responsible for the success and Hall of Fame-worthy run of The New Day.
Woods' post-match celebration saw him take the throne, with the spotlight finally on the man who had united the three individuals in the first place.
6. Big E Cashes In (Raw: September 13, 2021)
Following Kingston, Big E asked for and received his teammates' blessing to chase singles glory.
It began in 2020 but reached its zenith the following summer when he won Money in the Bank and a guaranteed championship opportunity of his choosing.
The time was September 13, 2021, against WWE champion Bobby Lashley. Entering the TD Garden in Boston with the support of the fans behind him, Big E slapped The All Mighty and took a Spear from the champ. He kicked out at two and downed Lashley with The Big Ending.
Seconds later, he hoisted the WWE Championship overhead. The same WWE title held by Kingston who, along with Woods, joined him in the ring for a momentous celebration and the latest example of The New Day's ability to succeed as a group and in individual competition.
5. The Rap Battle (SmackDown: July 4, 2017)
The New Day and The Usos defined an era of tag team wrestling in WWE, dominating the 2010s and leaving no question as to who the top two teams were in wrestling's most prominent company.
The strength of their rivalry, on the mic and in the ring, allowed them opportunities others did not have, including a July 4, 2017 Rap Battle that was hosted by Wale.
Whether it was Big E taking credit for Jimmy and Jey Uso escaping pay-per-view pre-shows or the twins referencing Woods' extracurricular activities as anything but "PG," the two teams took shots at each other.
It culminated with Woods telling Jimmy he was nothing until his wife (Naomi) put him on Total Divas.
The moment allowed both teams to flex their promo skills and intensified a rivalry that would culminate inside Hell in a Cell later that year.
4. Tag Team Gauntlet (SmackDown: March 26, 2019)
In the hunt for the WWE Championship for the first time since arriving in the company, Kingston found himself facing roadblocks put between him and Daniel Bryan by the evil and manipulative Mr. McMahon.
With WrestleMania 35 and a prospective showdown with The Planet's Champion just days away, Kingston had to watch as his New Day teammates were forced to run the gauntlet of SmackDown teams to keep his championship aspirations alive.
Woods and Big E did just that, outlasting The Good Brothers, Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura, The Bar, The Usos and finally Bryan and Erick Rowan to secure the win and championship.
New Day, at its very core, was always a bond between three friends who wanted nothing but the best for each other and the group. So, it was poetic that Woods and Big E set aside their own aspirations to ensure their friend finally got the opportunity that had eluded him for so long.
Of the many moments the trio has been responsible for, this is among its most important and underrated.
3. Conquering The Usos (Hell in a Cell 2017)
The best match in The New Day's long and illustrious run, arguably, occurred in October 2017 at Hell in a Cell within the titular steel structure.
A physical battle full of fresh, unique spots unlike any witnessed in that match type before, it was an instant classic that served as the latest chapter in one of the most storied tag team rivalries in WWE history.
With Kingston opting to watch from outside the cage, allowing Big E and Woods to settle their differences with a team they had first met in Florida Championship Wrestling, The New Day fell just short and dropped the titles to Jimmy and Jey.
Still, the match was the epitome of the trio itself and a reminder that, behind the jokes, world-class athletes were at the core of the group.
2. Taking a Knee for Justice (SmackDown: June 12, 2020)
Some moments transcend professional wrestling.
In the summer of 2020, the deaths of George Floyd, Tamla Horsford, Breonna Taylor and Shukri Abdi sparked the Black Lives Matter movement and shined a light on racial inequality in America.
Recognizing the platform they had, Big E and Kingston entered the squared circle for a match against Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura and took a knee, raising a fist in solidarity with the movement and its pursuit of justice.
During an appearance on The Sports Bubble with Jensen Karp, Big E revealed WWE chairman Vince McMahon gave them permission and there was no pushback.
It was a moment in time bigger and more important than anything The New Day had accomplished in the ring. They set aside the fun and games that had long defined the group, turned their attention to a real-life issue and were unwavering in their support.
1. KofiMania (WrestleMania 35)
The greatest, most memorable and emotional moment in New Day history came at WrestleMania 35 when Kingston became the first African-born Superstar to win the WWE Championship.
The veteran overcame the best wrestler on the planet in Daniel Bryan to pay off his underdog story. The post-match celebration involving the new champion, Woods and Big E was emotional, as was the introduction of Kingston's children.
More important than even that was what it meant to other Black WWE Superstars who were inspired by his victory.
One would be hard-pressed to find a more powerful reminder of just how important representation is than the much-circulated video of Shad Gaspard and MVP watching the victory unfold.
For Kingston and his New Day teammates, it was the culmination of an arduous journey that started from a half-cooked concept and developed into one of the most endearing and enduring acts in the industry on the back of their hard work and tireless efforts as a group.
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