New Day's Comedic Gimmick Prevents WWE's Hottest Act from Turning Heel

The New Day is on a serious roll in WWE.  Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods took a silly and somewhat stereotypical gimmick and made it work for them.  Now they are the hottest act in Vince McMahon's company.

But The New Day is supposed to be heel, and it's not working.  The fact is they're just too much fun to be hated.

No one could have predicted this outcome for The New Day.  The gimmick was dead in the water from the start—a losing prospect that just seemed to get worse every time they were on camera.  The idea of an upbeat, inspirational three-man team using the backdrop of a church revival was beyond ridiculous, and fans knew it.

That initial idea pales in comparison to what fans see before them now.  The New Day is on fire, and at this point, nothing can slow it down.

Even when fans want to hate the trio, it's nearly impossible.  They're just too fun, too entertaining for anyone to truly stand up and boo them.  Despite what they do or how much they may mock the babyfaces around them, it's incredibly hard to not chuckle at them.

They just make it fun every week, and it's only getting better.

They have become the most entertaining act on Monday Night Raw, they're always turned on when it's their time to shine, and they are impossible to forget long after they're off camera.  They provide the comic relief for a program that often takes itself way too seriously, and they do it all with a wink and a nod to fans that know they're having the time of their lives.

How in the world could anyone hate that?

Therein lies the problem; WWE needed a heel stable in this spot and instead got an act that pops the crowd despite how hard it tries to be hated.  So why not turn The New Day?  Why not make Kingston, Big E and Woods turn babyface once again?

Perhaps it's stubbornness on the part of WWE Creative to admit the heel turn is a lost cause.  Perhaps the feeling is that the company can eventually change the trio's status and bring the hate upon them like never before.

Or maybe WWE just doesn't care to make the move right now. Truth be told, maybe that's a wise idea.

There is a possibility The New Day could lose momentum if a babyface turn occurred. Having fun in front of the fans is one thing; playing up to them in hopes of a positive reaction is something else altogether.  Fans do not always respond to that behavior, and it could actually vary from town to town.

How long would it take before fans grew tired of the gimmick and stopped popping from it?  It's a chance WWE may not be willing to take.

It could very well be that WWE has painted itself into a corner with this one.  Turning The New Day could backfire, but heeling them out even more is not working, either.  Right now, The New Day members are heels in name only.  They can play the role without trying hard, and they get a babyface reaction instead.

They can basically do anything WWE needs them to do except become fully hated. That's just not happening.

WWE can want what it wants for The New Day.  The guys in The New Day can want what they want for themselves.  But the fans dictate reality, and the reality is no one wants to hate this gimmick.  The New Day is too good at attempting to be bad, and it's more entertaining than anything else WWE currently has going.

The only answer is to drop the comedy, but it would completely change who they are and likely kill the team.  WWE surely doesn't want that, and neither do the fans.  The New Day is on a roll, and as long as the fans are happy with it, it should remain that way.

Tom's work can regularly be found on Bleacher Report, and his podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Windows Phone, Amazon Android and online here.