Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston had a chance to capture the WWE World Tag Team Championships on the September 16 episode of WWE Raw, but fell short against Finn Balor & JD McDonagh of The Judgment Day.
The match was filled with chaos, especially as Woods had McDonagh pinned for the victory, but the referee was distracted by a brawl outside the ring involving Kofi Kingston, Dominik Mysterio, Carlito, and members of LWO (Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, and Dragon Lee).
In the ring, as the referee dealt with the outside interference, Finn Balor took advantage and hit Xavier Woods with the Coup de Grace, securing the win and a successful first title defense for The Judgment Day.
After the match, tensions began to rise between Woods and Kingston. Woods, frustrated with the loss, rejected Kingston’s attempt to console him, stating he was “tired of this” and that something needed to change.
Backstage, the situation escalated when Woods angrily confronted the LWO for getting involved in the match. Kofi Kingston tried to calm things down, explaining that he asked the LWO to have their backs. Woods, feeling slighted, responded, “Now we need help? We never needed help before.” Kingston’s response hit hard, as he remarked, “We never needed help because we had Big E. Now it’s just us,” which Woods took as a personal jab and walked away visibly upset.
Big E, a former member of The New Day, has been out of action since March 2022 with a serious neck injury, and his in-ring future remains uncertain.
With rising tensions between Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston, could this be the beginning of cracks in The New Day? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!