The #1 contenders for the Smackdown Live Tag-Team Championships at Money In The Bank, The New Day, recently talked with Shunal Doke of IGN India. The former WWE Tag-Team champs discussed numerous topics regarding the blue brand, who their favorite wrestlers in the company are & more.
Here are the highlights:
The New Day’s Thoughts On The Current Feel Of Smackdown Live:
Kofi: “I think that it’s great man, we’ve been wanting to work with the Usos for a long time, but we didn’t know what was actually going to happen once we debuted on Smackdown. But for me, personally, I think that being able to go toe-to-toe with the Usos is something we’ve wanted to do. We’ve seen the rise of Jinder Mahal and the Singh brothers. Three of them? Three of us? Who knows, maybe we could mix it up? I think that’d be interesting and you have American Alpha over there and gosh, there are so many tag teams over there that we can do so many cool things with. We’re very excited about the move to Smackdown in the Superstar Shakeup, I think everybody won with that.”
Does Smackdown Live Being 2 Hours Help The Show:
Big E: “I think it does, it feels like a tighter show. RAW, in many ways, has been described by some as a variety show, which I get. Raw is designed for a mass appeal and has a great roster. I think Smackdown, while it appeals to everyone, I think it really satiates our more hardcore fans and I think the creative on Smackdown Live has been great as well so I think it’s a great change for us and we’re really excited about it too. I remember a couple of months ago thinking “Man, if we moved over that would be great. There’s just so much more opportunity over there,” which I still believe, since there’s not much to do for us on RAW as far as the tag teams are concerned and then, of course, they had to go ahead and add The Revival and the Hardy Boys and now things are heating up again over there. But still, we’re really excited about going to Smackdown. Like Kofi said, the Usos have been turning things around a ton with their new direction and let’s not forget Breezango; those guys are really talented and quite exceptional and are doing something that’s different and unique. It’s playful and fun, but it’s still two guys who can really go in the ring. So there’s a lot of different pairings that are available to us as tag teams and who knows outside of that? We originally saw ourselves as a faction and not really a tag team. Just three guys that can do singles stuff and we got a taste of it when Kofi was in the Money in the Bank a few years ago and Woods and I unsuccessfully defended the tag titles, maybe I shouldn’t have brought that up. But it gave viewers a taste of the fact that one person, Kofi, can pursue a singles title or Money in the Bank and Woods and I can defend the tag titles and pursue that. So I think that’s another option as well, where we can go after singles titles and still do tag team stuff and still be moving parts.”
Jinder Mahal’s Push:
Kofi: “I love it, I think it’s great. Jinder Mahal has been a guy that’s had a lot of talent for a long time and a lot of times. You’ve had a lot of talented people in the WWE that don’t necessarily get a shot and right now, Jinder Mahal is getting that shot and he’s running with it. Teaming up with the Singh brothers, they’ve really established themselves as a threat because, you know, Randy Orton has been one of the guys who has been one of the faces of our company for so long. So you know, when you see Randy Orton out there, business is about to pick up. So for Jinder to come in and he’s been wanting to prove himself for a very long time and now with the Singh brothers as well, he has a chance to do that. So it’s very exciting to watch. It has us all on the edge of our seats, you know and we want to know what happens next, so that’s why we watch.”
Big E: “Yeah, it feels fresh too and that’s a big thing. It’s a new guy in that upper echelon of world title contenders. He’s a new face; someone you wouldn’t have expected a couple of months ago. But now, it feels like hey! He’s a real threat here and one thing I find interesting about Smackdown Live is that he kind of went from rags to riches. He’s a guy who didn’t get a lot of attention on Raw. I can’t really remember him winning many matches and now, this Superstar Shakeup has given him some momentum and he’s aligned himself with the Singh brothers and now he’s really cooking and is in a really good spot now. It’s cool and refreshing to see something new.”
Favorite Wrestlers On The Roster Right Now:
Big E: “AJ Styles, he’s the man. Close is Cesaro, right after AJ Styles. AJ Styles to me is the best in the world.”
Kofi: “It’s touch, I’d probably say between those two as well and AJ is so much fun to watch, you know. He can do it all; he’s just so athletic, he never has a misstep, there’s just something special about him. When you’re watching him, you know that you’re seeing something special and you don’t know what he’s going to do, but you know it’s going to be… phenomenal.”
Big E: [Laughs] “I think I just see Cesaro, so he doesn’t feel as fresh, but I’ll say that it’s tie between Cesaro and AJ Styles; I’m just a bit overexposed to Cesaro. AJ and Cesaro are really killing it and have been for the last few years.”
