Xavier Woods has opened up about the psychology behind The New Day's heel turn, revealing what he calls the "orange juice philosophy" that explains why the team needed to embrace their darker side.
Speaking with Peter Rosenberg for Cheap Heat during Royal Rumble weekend in Riyadh, Woods broke down the metaphor that drives their current character work.
I heard this thing and it was if you squeeze an orange, what comes out? Orange juice. Because that's what's inside it," Woods explained. "Somebody says something cross to you, something mean, there it's essentially squeezing you. And what comes out? That anger, that rage. But when you're bouncing around in bright colors and unicorns and all this stuff, even if they say something across to you, here comes something that's not actually in you coming out.
Woods emphasized that the heel turn allows him to express genuine emotions that were suppressed during their babyface run.
Now I get to let out years, decades of all that that's been inside," he said. "And it feels amazing.
Woods believes their current persona resonates because it reflects something real rather than manufactured positivity.
The more authentic I am, the higher level I'm vibrating at and that's going to bring things to me and that's going to repel things from me," Woods stated. "What is it going to repel? People that are not authentic. So you don't like this because you know that this is real.
Kofi Kingston echoed his partner's sentiment, describing this run as one of his favorite periods in The New Day's history.
I've been on both sides, you know, winning a title at Mania when everyone wanted you to win and winning a title at Mania when no one wanted you to win," Kingston said. "When no one wants you to do it and you just.. and you do it, and you look at everyone's face, and they're just pissed off... It's lovely.
