Kids love The New Day, and WWE loves their merchandise sales — it’s a (wrestling) match made in Booty-O’s Heaven.
Over their three-year history as a hugely successful three-man tag team, Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have sold unicorn horns, cereal and ice cream pops (among other goodies, which we’re told may soon include pancake mix) primarily to children, so presenting the trio as “the “good guys” is good for business. And to a publicly traded corporation in the midst of its “PG Era,” well, you do the math on how valuable all of that family friendly twerking and trombone-playing is.
But considering how “face turns” (a villain becoming a good guy) and “heel turns” (the opposite) are a common thing in WWE and a necessary storyline tool, can The New Day ever actually break bad? Big E — real name Ettore Ewen — isn’t sure, though he thought they’d be there by now.
“After we dropped the titles to Sheamus and Cesaro about a year ago, I really thought that’s where we were headed,” he told TheWrap during a recent interview. “I think there was a lot of feeling that we were stale, and we kind of felt that way as well.”
“We were getting a smattering of boos — sometimes more than a smattering,” Ewen (pictured above, middle) said.
That’s often how such a shift from hero to hoodlum starts. But then The New Day had their popular (and pretty much still ongoing) program with current “SmackDown Live” Tag Team Champions The Usos — who themselves are on the “scoundrel” side — and all of that momentum ceased.
Ultimately, New Day (not to be confused with CNN’s morning series “New Day,” which President Trump would almost surely qualify as “the bad guys”) never went over to the dark side. After all, had they, WWE would need something to fill the void left behind by what E referred to as “the bright-colored, fun-loving trio.”
Tempting as it may be in the writers’ room, “I really don’t know if being heel is gonna be in the cards anytime soon,” Big E admitted.
Readers can catch Big E and The New Day on WWE’s “SmackDown Live” every Tuesday at 8/7 on USA Network.
Every WWE Champion Ever, Ranked by Number of Reigns (Photos)
Pro-wrestling championship belts change hands like grapplers change ring gear these days, though it wasn't always that way. Big E is the current WWE Champion after cashing in his "Money in the Bank" contract on "Raw," ripping the belt off Bobby Lashley's impossibly small waist (given the size of the rest of his upper body).
This is Big E's first-ever stint as WWE Champion, those he's had plenty of other titles in WWE -- mostly as part of tag-team faction The New Day.
Scroll through our gallery to see every WWE Champion ever, ranked by their number(s) of title wins. Remember: this is a list of those who won the WWWF Championship, the WWF Championship or the WWE Championship. So don't come after us, Universal Champions, et al.
WWE
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Kofi Kingston # of Reigns: 1
The power of positivity.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Jeff Hardy # of Reigns: 1
The un-"Broken" half of the Hardy Boyz has had the more storied singles career.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Bray Wyatt # of Reigns: 1
The Fiend used to go by "Husky Harris" -- we'd say this run is working out better for him.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Sgt. Slaughter # of Reigns: 1
Camel Clutch, Cobra Clutch -- whatever "C"-animal it was, it hurt.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Dean Ambrose # of Reigns: 1
And "The Lunatic Fringe" pulled this off while wearing jeans.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Chris Jericho # of Reigns: 1
You're a "stupid idiot" if you didn't know this guy made "The List."
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Eddie Guerrero # of Reigns: 1
Generally considered one of the best ever to have done it held the big-boy belt for 133 days.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Jinder Mahal # of Reigns: 1
The "Modern-Day Maharaja" dropped the title to A.J. Styles.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: John "Bradshaw" Layfield # of Reigns: 1
JBL has taken his heel persona from the ring to the announce table. Never without a cowboy hat, Layfield thankfully leaves his lariat clothesline at home.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: The Ultimate Warrior # of Reigns: 1
The muscle-bound maniac who handed Hulk Hogan his first-ever "WrestleMania" loss died after suffering a heart attack three days after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: "Superstar" Billy Graham # of Reigns: 1
"Superstar" Billy Graham was a bodybuilder and buddy of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yeah, blame Graham's body for Jinder Mahal's run.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Kevin Nash # of Reigns: 1
You mean Tarzan from "Magic Mike"?!?!? Yes, yes we do.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Pedro Morales # of Reigns: 1
History lesson: Back in the WWWF days, Morales became the first guy in wrestling history to win all three of the major men's titles -- the WWF Championship, the Intercontinental Championship and the WWF Tag Team Championship -- in the company.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: André the Giant # of Reigns: 1
The tales about André the Giant sometimes feel as tall as he was.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: The Iron Sheik # of Reigns: 1
This guy is as big a hit on Twitter as he was in the ring.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Kane # of Reigns: 1
You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but Kane, now mayor of Knox County in Tennessee, is one of the smartest Superstars in WWE history.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Rey Mysterio # of Reigns: 1
We're not going to talk about how ridiculous the setup to his finishing move, "The 6-1-9," became. This is a happy list.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Stan Stasiak # of Reigns: 1
Unfortunately Stasiak only held the belt for nine days.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Rob Van Dam # of Reigns: 1
One of the most popular ECW wrestlers of all-time, RVD has brought his three initials to seemingly every pro-wrestling promotion with three initials.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Ivan Koloff # of Reigns: 1
The "Russian Bear" was actually Canadian.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Buddy Rogers # of Reigns: 1
Rogers was kinda-sorta the first champion in the company. It's complicated -- ask Killer Kowalski and Bruno Sammartino.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Vince McMahon # of Reigns: 1
Hell, Mr. McMahon runs the damn company -- of course he made this list.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Bobby Lashley # of Reigns: 1
Lashley just looks like the guy who should be champion.
Rank: 31 (tie) Wrestler: Big E # of Reigns: 1
Big E has had a big career -- both as a singles performer and a member of The New Day.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: The Miz # of Reigns: 2
The kid from "The Real World" made good on his over-the-top MTV promos. One of the best on the mic, Miz has been holding down the Intercontinental Championship more than any other Superstar of the past few years.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Drew McIntyre # of Reigns: 2
Scottish Psychopath joined the WWE Champions' and two-timers club all in 2020.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Batista # of Reigns: 2
Guardian of the Galaxy, defender of WWE Championship.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: The Big Show # of Reigns: 2
You can't miss this two-time champ -- not even in a mega-arena.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: A.J. Styles # of Reigns: 2
"The Phenomenal One" held the belt for 371-straight days, which is a record for a "SmackDown" wrestler.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Alberto Del Rio # of Reigns: 2
Si! Si! Si! Si! Si! Si! Si!
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Sycho Sid # of Reigns: 2
It was a long way down from Shawn Michaels' former bodyguard's power-bomb.
If you haven't watched ESPN's "30 for 30: Nature Boy," do that. Oh, and look up Flair's ridiculous NWA runs too.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Sheamus # of Reigns: 2
Master of the Brogue Kick, Rocksteady in the "Ninja Turtles" movies -- which is the greater accomplishment?
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Seth Rollins # of Reigns: 2
He's BURN(ed) IT DOWN more than once.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Yokozuna # of Reigns: 2
That belt needed a few extenders to fit around the sumo.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: CM Punk # of Reigns: 2
Let's just say he was a little less successful in the UFC -- but maybe an AEW run?
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Randy "Macho Man" Savage # of Reigns: 2
Before he snapped into Slim Jims, the "Macho Man" was snapping dudes in half.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Bob Backlund # of Reigns: 2
Backlund couldn't "Make Darren Young Great Again" -- or even keep the guy employed -- but the master of the cross-face chicken wing had a pretty incredible career of his own.
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Bruno Sammartino # of Reigns: 2
Google him, kids.
Rank: 13 (tie) Wrestler: Mankind # of Reigns: 3
Mick Foley nearly killed himself to raise these titles.
Rank: 13 (tie) Wrestler: Roman Reigns # of Reigns: 3
The Head of the Table may make the top of this list when all is said and done.
Rank: 13 (tie) Wrestler: Shawn Michaels # of Reigns: 3
Before he found God, the "Heartbreak Kid" found jaws with his foot, popularizing the Superkick.
Rank: 9 (tie) Wrestler: Daniel Bryan # of Reigns: 4
Fellow fan-favorite Superstar is now in AEW with CM Punk.
Rank: 9 (tie) Wrestler: Edge # of Reigns: 4
On this day, you can see clearly... that Edge is one of the best to ever lace up.
Rank: 9 (tie) Wrestler: The Undertaker # of Reigns: 4
The Dead Man is truly a living legend.
Rank: 9 (tie) Wrestler: Kurt Angle # of Reigns: 4
Top 10, it's true -- it's damn true.
Rank: 7 (tie) Wrestler: Brock Lesnar # of Reigns: 5
The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.
Rank: 5 (tie) Wrestler: Hulk Hogan # of Reigns: 6
Hulkamania was real. Then again, so was Gawker at one point.
Rank: 5 (tie) Wrestler: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin # of Reigns: 6
On the Mt. Rushmore of all-time greats, and that's the bottom line.
Rank: 3 (tie) Wrestler: The Rock # of Reigns: 8
He may be Dwayne Johnson now, but he'll always be "The Rock" to us.
Rank: 3 (tie) Wrestler: Triple H # of Reigns: 8
Boss of The Authority and former DX member has two words for the other guys on this list. We can't reprint them.
Rank: 2 Wrestler: Randy Orton # of Reigns: 10
The Viper has RKO'd a lot of dudes outta nowhere.
Rank: 1 Wrestler: John Cena # of Reigns: 13
U Can't See Him.
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From Buddy Rogers to Big E, here are all the guys from the old WWWF and WWF days — and beyond
Pro-wrestling championship belts change hands like grapplers change ring gear these days, though it wasn't always that way. Big E is the current WWE Champion after cashing in his "Money in the Bank" contract on "Raw," ripping the belt off Bobby Lashley's impossibly small waist (given the size of the rest of his upper body).
This is Big E's first-ever stint as WWE Champion, those he's had plenty of other titles in WWE -- mostly as part of tag-team faction The New Day.
Scroll through our gallery to see every WWE Champion ever, ranked by their number(s) of title wins. Remember: this is a list of those who won the WWWF Championship, the WWF Championship or the WWE Championship. So don't come after us, Universal Champions, et al.
