WWE News: Backstage Plans For Big E & The New Day Leading To ‘SummerSlam’
From the archive: published Aug 10, 2016, 10 years ago. Details may have changed since.
When the dust had finally settled on the WWE Draft, it seemed fairly obvious that RAW got the better of Smackdown Live in the tag team department, led by the tag team champions, The New Day. The flagship show also came out superior in regards to the WWE Women’s Division, boasting the likes of Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Paige, and Nia Jax against Smackdown Live ‘s division of Becky Lynch, Natalya, and a bunch of brand new, wide-eyed hopefuls.
The same applies to the blue brand’s crop of tag teams. The Usos are the brand’s veterans of the group, but the early focus appears to be on American Alpha while The Vaudevillains, Hype Bros, and The Ascension try to keep up and see what all the fuss is about. RAW has the more established, and perhaps more importantly, the more over tag teams, including The New Day, Gallows & Anderson of The Club, and Enzo & Big Cass.
The New Day is in the midst of the longest reign of any WWE Tag Team Champions in history, not counting the reign of Demolition from a bygone era. But for the first time in recent memory, The New Day’s reign finally appears in peril. Yes, the WWE teased a New Day break-up during their last feud with The Wyatt Family, and even though Bray and company were victorious at Battleground, the titles were not on the line and the draft ended any chances of continuing the rivalry.
During the New Day/Wyatt program, the tease included Xavier Woods deserting his partners out of fear (or potential brainwashing) of the Wyatts. But, now it’s Big E at the forefront of their current feud with Gallows & Anderson. Last week, Big E and Kofi Kingston defeated The Club in a tag match on RAW, but afterwards, Gallows & Anderson took out Big E with two boots of doom and an unfortunate wishbone between Big E’s legs and the ring post. As if it wasn’t clear before that, Gallows and Anderson cemented themselves as the number one contenders to The New Day’s championships.
“WWE.com can now confirm that Big E suffered a contusion to the affected area. It is unknown at this time when the WWE Tag Team Champion will return to in-ring competition.”
Speculation is swirling that Big E may not even be able to compete in the championship match at SummerSlam, forcing Xavier and Kofi to fend for themselves and defend the titles. This would allow WWE to take the belts off The New Day, with a built-in break-up angle they can go back to anytime they wish. The New Day has arguably done everything they can in the tag team division, with The Club certainly earning the right to have a run with the titles.
Add in the possibility of another big money feud between Gallows & Anderson and Enzo & Big Cass later this year and it could further spell the end of The New Day’s championship reign. But in the interim, don’t expect to see Big E next Monday on RAW, and chances are he’ll only be at ringside for their match at SummerSlam.
