Kofi Kingston and New Day have wrestled just about everyone there is to wrestle in the WWE Universe. The current NXT Tag Team Champions have worked matches against The Usos, wrestled The Bar, worked against the Wyatt Family, and even have a match against The Shield at Survivor Series 2017 that is incredibly interesting in hindsight.
Speaking with TV Insider ahead of NXT Vengeance Day, Kingston was asked to name his five favorite opponents in WWE and provided the very interesting list featuring teams and solo stars alike.
“We’ll keep Usos as one. I’ll say the Usos for sure,” Kingston said. “If you’ve seen our tag matches, then I don’t need to explain it. Dolph Ziggler, he and I joke that back in the day we could have a best-of-500 series. Every match was always fun and incredible. I actually like having matches with Sami Zayn because of the visceral reactions he is able to garner from the crowd. Kevin Owens is actually really good. His skill level is amazing. Our matches are always great. Edge is really good. One of the first for me. When you’re in the ring with him, you just know it’s going to be good because he is an amazing storyteller and competitor.”
That's a pretty good list, right? Maybe it's a tad light on tag teams, but hey, it was his personal favorites, not New Day's favorites, so that's cool. Fortunately, Kingston wasn't done, as, after being asked if there were any outside talents he would like to recruit to WWE, the former Universal Champion named off the team he's had the longest feud with sans an actual wrestling match.
“There are a lot of people,” Kingston said. “We’ve been wanting to have a match with the Young Bucks for a long time. It’s a special time”
The Young Bucks, you say, Nick and Matt Jackson? Now that is very interesting indeed. While the Bucks and New Day have shared a room once in a competitive way, as Kenny Omega and the rest of The Elite took on New Day in a game of Street Fighter at E3 back in 2018, but when it comes to actually working an in-ring match, there has been no traction either way. Still, like Kingston said, this is the most open period in professional wrestling history, so who knows, maybe the day will eventually come when the two teams do face off in a ring together, with all six members fully healthy and ready to rumble.
Kenny Omega and The Elite have been after New Day for a very long time.
All the way back in 2016, before AEW was even a twinkle in Tony Khan's eye and before Cody Rhodes debuted on the indies following his granted release from WWE, Omega was talking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated about his admiration of New Day and his desire to take them on alongside the Jacksons.
“New Day rocks,” admitted Omega. “I can’t lie. What would it do and what would it prove if they sucked? We’re The Elite, so we have to challenge the top act on the planet. You don’t see us challenging some other three man unit–we’re trying to make history, and we’re challenging the best–New Day rocks.”
Omega felt confident calling out New Day at the time because he knew they couldn't respond without getting in trouble with WWE, which was not problem for The Elite because they lived to disrupt the professional wrestling landscape.
“The New Day can respond to us–everyone can respond,” said Omega. “But can they respond without getting in trouble? Could we have issued that challenge and not gotten in trouble? No, of course not. We got in trouble–but we don’t care. We’re trying to change the business. Everyone [in the WWE] is walking on eggshells, they’re so scared. They’re afraid to live their lives and be themselves. Of course they want to respond–I know they want to. The fans want them to respond and they want the company to let them respond. They want the match too–and I know that whether they say it or not–but it’s the corporate forces behind it stopping them.”
Though it's far from the same situation, Omega also mentioned the interest he drew from NXT and how, despite being a wanted man, he was more concerned with establishing his own legacy than conforming to another company's pre-existing structure.
“I have spoken with the heads at NXT, and they’ve all said, ‘If you want to come down, let us know–the second your visa is in place, you’re on TV the next week,’” said Omega, who has a rocky history with WWE developmental territories from his time a decade ago in Deep South Wrestling. “I thought that was really cool of them to say and I appreciate they recognize that I’d add some value to their product, so I always kept that in my mind as an option. But this is going back to my Deep South days–I still haven’t quite shown them what I can do on my own, and that’s what I think this year is going to do for me.”
With almost seven years of hindsight to look back on Barrasso's interview, it's hard to argue that Omega and company didn't truly change the business, as they came into a professional wrestling world that was rigid and, against all odds, carved out a new niche where performers can be a bit more of themselves in AEW. Now all they need to do is book that New Day match, and everything will be gravy.
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