Xavier Woods has revealed The New Day's ultimate goal as heels: making children cry and bringing back "old school" wrestling chaos reminiscent of ECW and WCW.
In an interview with Peter Rosenberg for Cheap Heat during Royal Rumble weekend in Saudi Arabia, Woods delivered some of the most controversial comments of his career while explaining what success looks like as a villain.
When we're overseas and there's a little four-year-old girl who's being held by her mother because she can't see over the barricade. And she's weeping, face blushed, red, crying, tears of anguish and sadness because of us," Woods said with a grin.
"There's no better feeling on the planet than a child that upset that they are weeping because of your work. That means you did your job better than anyone could ever do it.
Restoring Wrestling to What It Should Be
Woods outlined The New Day's mission to restore what he believes wrestling should be.
We are going to do everything that we can to bring back what wrestling is supposed to be," he declared. "There are supposed to be guard rails broken. There are supposed to be riots happening. There are supposed to be trash being thrown in the ring old school WCW style. That's what we're going for.
Inspired by the Greats
The heel inspiration, according to Woods, comes from The Dudley Boys during their ECW days. Hall of Famers Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley would come close to inciting riots with their antagonizing of ECW audiences.
Probably the Dudley Boys. Old school ECW civic center type arena," Woods explained. "Back then it wasn't about sponsorships. It wasn't about shareholders. It wasn't about anything except for wrestling and that true passion. Bubba and D-Von would come out there and they would grab you by the neck with their words and make you want them dead in the streets. That is the energy that I need from these crowds.
Woods also shared a recent moment that exemplified their heel work—ripping up a supportive fan's sign in Toronto.
Someone had a big 'Thank God for the New Day' sign. Kofi got to the sign before I did. He's already there. He's grabbed the sign out of the guy's hand. Now he's in the hard cam and ripping it up," Woods recalled. "The guy's like, 'Why would you do that? I'm supporting you guys.'
For the better part of a decade, The New Day stood as one of WWE's most beloved acts, spreading positivity, pancakes, and unicorn magic to audiences around the world. Now, Woods and Kofi Kingston have proven they can be just as effective on the dark side—perhaps even more so.
Hoping New Day Sees the Light
By channeling the raw, unapologetic energy of wrestling's past, from the Dudley Boys' ECW reign of terror to the chaotic WCW crowds hurling debris into the ring, The New Day has tapped into something primal. They're not just playing villains; they're crafting moments that fans will remember for years, even if those memories come with tears.
The decorated tag team appears to be genuinely relishing this chapter, finding new creative fuel in the boos and broken signs. But for fans who grew up clapping along to "New Day Rocks," there remains a flicker of hope that Woods and Kingston will eventually see the light before their storied careers reach the finish line—and that we'll get one more run of joy, laughter, and yes, maybe even some pancakes.
