Remember when The New Day turned on Big E and we were all tremendously sad about it but at least excited for the possibilities, considering we never thought such a thing would happen? It was the start of what should have been a fantastic heel run for Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston, but one that ultimately never really went anywhere. Within a couple years they were asked to take pay cuts, naturally refused, and are now working for AEW as The New Level (and doing just fine over there, which you can
see for yourself at Full Gear tonight in Phoenix).
As it turns out, WWE was considering an idea back then that would have certainly pissed off pretty much every pro wrestling fan under the sun. From the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
“There was an idea when the New Day turned heel on Big E to have Ridge Holland as a third member of the New Day. It was discussed and ultimately nixed.”
Yes, Ridge Holland. The same Ridge Holland who delivered the belly-to-belly suplex that broke Big E’s neck and ended his in-ring career in 2022. He never really recovered on-screen, went to NXT to reinvent himself, almost caught on, but was ultimately released late last year. In a different world he would have been parading around as a member of a group he never would have belonged in as the guy who broke the neck of one of the most beloved stars of the past 20 years.
Yeah, let’s be glad this never came to fruition.
