Examining Why New Day Failed as a Babyface Stable

Big E has heard enough of the WWE Universe jeering his ill-fated stable. Just days after The New Day becoming fodder for the hostile #RawAfterMania crowd, Big E unleashed a fresh batch of heel tweets with his followers.

Where did it all go wrong? Remember when it seemed like the talented trio of Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods was going to band together as three black militants and rise up against the man? Like the Nation of Domination? For a nostalgic fanbase with with fond memories of the Attitude Era, the possibilities were enticing.

Who wasn't entertained when legendary manager Teddy Long was "thuggin' and buggin'"? The New Day could have been better than thuggin' or buggin' ever was. Not only were they physically imposing, but the three members boasted a combined four bachelor's degrees, one master's degree and one (pending) Ph.D. They were supposed to be the group that beat people up, told them about it and gave them homework.

This was the Nation of Graduation.

But it flunked, and now Big E has to become a heel on Twitter to save face. 

"

New Day sucks up all of your cares and troubles and vomits them into a bucket of hope. No thanks necessary. #RAW

— Epsilon (@WWEBigE) March 31, 2015"

"

I choose to clap because I wish to forget the despair I feel waking up in another hotel room in a town whose name I can't recall.

— Epsilon (@WWEBigE) April 1, 2015"

"

I choose to clap because I wish to forget the emptiness that accompanies money & fame.

— Epsilon (@WWEBigE) April 1, 2015"

"

I choose to clap to forget the "fans" who interrupt my meal to tell me to sign a menu for their 3rd cousin's wife.

— Epsilon (@WWEBigE) April 1, 2015

"

Fans waited to figure out what group The New Day was and why they were in the WWE. But the group just clapped...and clapped and sometimes, preached about nothing. As I mentioned on this week's PodNasty wresting podcast, the promise of an angry, re-energized stable didn't match the eventual output.

When fans finally became bored, they joined in with their own rendition of The New Day spirit and "The New Day sucks" chant was born.

So what happened?

The New Day's downfall was a combination of bad storytelling and an ill-advised gimmick in a cynical era. But the overly positive group will be the first to tell you that the darkest hour is just before the dawn.

Despite failing as babyfaces, there is hope yet.

WWE Officially Turned Happy-Go-Lucky Babyfaces Heel with the Bo Dallas Gimmick

If WWE wanted The New Day to succeed as babyfaces, they shouldn't have created Bo Dallas.

Dallas' happy-go-lucky antics were par for the course for protagonists during the '80s, but his actions make him an annoying heel in today's more jaded landscape. By booking Dallas as a heel, WWE demonstrated the realization that the "white-meat babyface," as Triple H called them on Steve Austin's podcast (h/t James Caldwell of PWTorch), is a thing of the past. Fans already booed this brand of WWE Superstars on their own accord, but now WWE was in on it, too.

WWE showed self-awareness with Dallas. They honed in on all the cheesy good-guy tropes that drove fans to embrace antiheroes, like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, while booing more traditional protagonists, like Rocky Maivia. Dallas is a satire on the out-of-vogue babyfaces who didn't survive the Attitude Era.

But just as WWE showed self-awareness with Dallas, they were clueless in making The New Day babyfaces. Pandering for crowd approval while encouraging fans to clap along is a stale act. The fact that the characters are serious about wanting fans to like them is lame. Excessive motivation and positivity are the same cheesy antics of Dallas except, in doing so, he's actually trying to be heel.

Despite seeking applause, The New Day only drew apathy, which eventually translated to irreverence among WWE's most lively crowd of the year.

WWE Teased Fans with Potentially Militant Stable

On the July 21, 2014, edition of Raw, Woods made a surprise appearancee and delivered a fiery, militant speech to Kingston and Big E.

Days after a controversial race-related article from Dion Beary of The Atlantic received national attention, so did this potential stable.

Big E and Kingston were midcard babyfaces running in place, but suddenly, there was excitement behind edgier, more realistic characters. New gimmicks are always a popular talking point to create buzz among wrestling fans, and if the buzz behind this group was any stronger, it would have produced honey.

"

Can't lie, I would've marked out if Xavier Woods said, "We are... a Nation." #RawMiami

— Justin Ivey (@JustinIvey_) July 22, 2014"

"

Xavier Woods!? Nation Of Domination reloaded!? Oh my. #RAW #WWE

— PWMSCOOPS.COM (@ProWrestlingMag) July 22, 2014"

"

Seems to me that Xavier Woods just teased a potential faction with Langston/Kofi. It's time, Nation of Domination 2.0! #Raw

— Robby The Brain™ (@RobbyTheBrain) July 22, 2014

"

Fans were teased with an edgy new faction, but the payoff was the complete opposite.

In fact, The New Day vignettes were so campy, it almost seemed like there was more to come. The average fan was probably thinking "there's no way this gimmick is going to be the end result. Are they going to debut as heel preachers? Or heel motivational speakers? Will there be a heel choir to sing their theme music?"

Nope, just boring babyfaces. Babyfaces with no real backstory behind why they're happy all the time, which makes them even more unlikeable. As controversial and offensive as a black militant stable could be, it's just as controversial to simply group these talents together with little to no explanation.

The great irony of The New Day is its the motivational stable that never really explained its motivation to succeed in WWE. Clapping and positivity will only get a WWE Superstar so far. Telling fans what they want to accomplish and why will build a connection.

The New Day Never Developed as Characters

A big part of The New Day's problem connecting with fans is the lack of character development. Following a series of upbeat vignettes, The New Day received little to no time to cut in-ring promos. This is a problem that plagues the tag team division to this day and eventually doomed The New Day.

The group had athletic moves in the ring, but Kingston already spoiled fans with spectacular stunts through the years. At this point, fans are jaded to just about everything he'll do, especially on free television. Like Kingston, the appeal of the group had to be more than just high-flying, but this wasn't the case.

Paired with the debuting Lucha Dragons on Raw, the electric Kalisto made them look slow in comparison. In addition to the Usos, there's not enough room for three high-flying tag teams. It's no wonder fans aggressively rooted against The New Day.

The stable was two-dimensional throughout their entire run. They had no identity; they were just happy. But happiness isn't an identity—it's a noun. That's all The New Day ever was as a babyface stable. Just a noun, no better or worse than any person, place or thing.

The New Day Was Miscast as a Tag Team Instead of a True Stable

Following the success of The Wyatt Family and The Shield, WWE had a template to elevate three-man stables. WWE presented both the Wyatts and The Shield as units that capitalized on strength in numbers. They consistently competed in six-man tag team matches and almost always dominated.

WWE went against this successful formula in booking The New Day, which instead got presented as a tag team. Using the Freebird Rule before any member established an individual personality only made all three seem expendable. There was no real leader, and each could be replaced in any given tag team match.

The tag team division, although on the uptick, is nothing a main event stable concerns itself with until after becoming threat to top stars. In the Wyatts' debut, they attacked future WWE Hall of Famer Kane. In The Shield's debut, they attacked Ryback during the main event of Survivor Series.

The New Day debuted on SmackDown against Heath Slater and Curtis Axel, immediately focusing its attention on the WWE Tag Team Championship. The uninspired debut derailed this cheerful triad before it could even get started.

The New Day Is Better Than You

Big E's strength is inhuman. As a powerlifter, he placed first in the U.S. Open Powerlifting Championships and the RAW National Powerlifting Championships. He still owns two Florida State powerlifting records. His pectoral muscles would break the Big Show's hand if he tried to chop them. His physique is impeccable.

Kingston's athleticism is inhuman. Just Google "Kofi Kingston Royal Rumble highlight reel." That highlight reel alone will put him in the WWE Hall of Fame right next to Mick Foley in the "Holy S--t" wing. A common complaint of professional wrestling is that fans have seen it all. Nobody has ever seen some of the stunts Kingston pulled off over the years.

Woods' intellect is inhuman. Remember those degrees from the first slide? He owns two-thirds of them. With a master's degree and two bachelor's degrees on his way to a Ph.D, Woods is by far the most educated WWE Superstar of all time.

The combined accolades of The New Day are usually the type of fiction that WWE creates to build up a heel. When it comes to The New Day, these are all real accomplishments.

Most great babyfaces have an everyman appeal to them. The members of this stable aren't like any man. In an era of wrestling that doesn't want a hero, they're one Human Torch away from being The Fantastic Four. 

The New Day is bigger, stronger, faster and smarter than the average Joe. They need to use this to their advantage by lording over wrestling fans as villains.

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty and listen to his weekly wrestling podcast.