5 possible directions for The New Day at WWE WrestleMania 39
WWE's New Day recently captured the NXT Tag Team Championship and became Triple Crown winners at NXT Deadline 2022. But when WrestleMania 39 comes around, where will these Grand Slam Champions find themselves?
Together, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are 12-time Tag Team Champions as part of The New Day. However, individually, Kingston holds the record for the most officially recognized tag title reigns in WWE history, besting legends like Edge and Booker T with 15 reigns.
The New Day has been represented in some fashion at every WrestleMania since 2015. Will 2023 be different? The team started off wrestling on the pre-show, then went on to host the event in 2017, and two years later, KofiMania became a reality.
Will they be able to top that at WrestleMania 39? Here are five possible directions The New Day could take.
#5. WWE Superstars Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods compete in a Money In The Bank ladder match
After the reports of #HIAC PLE being discontinued, there have been TALKS of scrapping off #MITB event too and shifting the Men's and Women's MITB matches to #WrestleMania. https://t.co/30HWY8OsQZ
There's a rumor circulating that WrestleMania 39 will host two MITB ladder matches, with one for each night of WrestleMania. If this rumor turns out to be true, it could end up sparking tension within The New Day.
Kofi Kingston has competed in seven Money In The Bank ladder matches, and he has lost every time. Xavier Woods, on the other hand, hasn't even participated in a single MITB ladder match. If both men are booked to compete in the men's MITB match at WrestleMania, The New Day might just implode.
It might be hard for New Day to remain a cohesive unit with such a grand opportunity dangling above their heads. If MITB returns to WrestleMania, Kofi or Xavier could win the opportunity to challenge for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at any time of their choosing for up to a year.
Will the desire for championship gold drive a wedge between Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods? The WWE Universe might have to wait until WrestleMania Season to find out.
#4. The New Day is booked for NXT Stand & Deliver 2023 instead of WrestleMania 39
By the time WrestleMania Season comes around in 2023, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods might still be the NXT Tag Team Champions. This could mean that The New Day would be wrestling at NXT Stand & Deliver rather than at WrestleMania 39.
The Triple Crown Champions are arguably already legends, and they don't necessarily need another big WrestleMania moment to solidify their place as one of the best teams in WWE history.
Instead of being booked for 'Mania, The New Day can help hype up NXT Stand & Deliver by being a featured act on the show. WWE will surely want to fill up the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles for Stand & Deliver on April 1, and The New Day might be what's needed to make that goal a reality.
Dolph Ziggler is a main roster wrestler who skipped WrestleMania in favor of Stand & Deliver in 2022, and Kofi and Woods may follow suit in 2023.
#3. The New Day vs. Harlem Heat
Harlem Heat vs. The New Day could be advertised as the biggest tag team dream match of all time. Both teams have incredible legacies and it would be absolutely huge if they were to battle at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Booker T is a critical voice regarding The New Day winning NXT tag team gold from Pretty Deadly. According to Vic Joseph on NXT commentary this past Tuesday, this has led Big E to think that Booker T is upset that a lot of people online believe The New Day would beat Harlem Heat.
Booker T replied by saying that he's upset with New Day because Big E tried to steal his catchphrase, "Can you dig it, sucka?" In his podcast (The Hall of Fame) and on TV, Booker T also comes across as being irritated with The New Day, criticizing them for seemingly taking away the spotlight from NXT's developmental talent.
WWE already appears to be teasing a battle between The New Day and Harlem Heat, so why not book a match of that caliber for The Show of Shows? Some may argue that age could be a factor because Booker T is 57 and Stevie Ray is 64, but both men appear to be in incredible physical shape, and Booker T just wrestled on December 18 for Reality of Wrestling.
Perhaps the color commentator of NXT could cost Kofi and Woods the NXT tag titles, officially igniting the flame for a WrestleMania dream match.
Big E is currently on the sidelines, but it's possible he could return to WWE and play some role in this dream match. Accompanying his New Day brethren to ringside might be the confidence boost they need to overcome Harlem Heat. If Big E were to be booked as the special guest referee, would he act without bias, or would there be too much of a conflict of interest?
#2. Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
WWE's Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal has only been featured on the main card of WrestleMania twice, in 2014 and 2016, respectively. The last time the match was featured on a WrestleMania pre-show was in 2019.
In recent times, the match has been relegated to the final episode of SmackDown before WrestleMania. However, it's still possible that this battle royal could make a comeback on The Show of Shows.
If Kofi and Woods aren't booked for a main roster feud when WrestleMania comes around, a battle royal could be an easy way to squeeze them onto the show. They'd also have the chance to once again honor the legacy of Andre The Giant.
Andre is one of the most legendary big men of all time. Kofi and Woods comprise one of the top tag teams in WWE history. Both men may find themselves competing for a trophy in Andre's name, whether it's on the main card of WrestleMania, the pre-show, or on SmackDown.
Woods and Kingston have never won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but 2023 could be the year that changes for one of them.
#1. Xavier Woods goes for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Back to settle a score, then it’s time to get to work.
In 2022 your king will become Intercontinental Champion. https://t.co/P8kSOYwLOh
If you've been closely following Xavier Woods on social media, it's no secret that he has aspirations to be the Intercontinental Champion. Woods predicted that he'd be the IC Champion in 2022, and while that hasn't manifested, it's possible 2023 could be the year he reaches this goal.
On the K100 podcast back in November, Disco Inferno and Konnan responded to a question regarding Gunther vs. Xavier Woods for the IC title at WrestleMania 39. Konnan said that he wouldn't have Gunther lose to Woods.
There's also the possibility that Gunther will no longer be the Intercontinental Champion by the time WrestleMania comes around, and Woods is competing against another wrestler for IC gold. Either way, the match will need the right build-up to get WWE fans and Disco Inferno invested.
If Woods goes for the IC title at WrestleMania, Kofi will most likely be in his corner for moral support and to provide backup against possible outside interference. When WrestleMania goes to Hollywood, will Xavier use the event as a springboard to the first singles championship reign of his WWE career?