Video: Big E & Kofi Kingston Talk Royal Rumble Strategy After SmackDown
As seen in the video below, The New Day stopped for a backstage interview after their victory over Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss last night. The two were riding high from success, and in their excitement, they emphasized how they will stay unified throughout the Royal Rumble match.
"This just ain't my partner right here, this ain't just someone I show up to work with just to make a couple dollars with. This is my brother! We bled together, we sweat together, we cried together, that one night in Tijuana, we vomited together!"
"It's true!" Kofi affirmed.
"We've done a lot of things together," E continued. "A lot of people have partners around here. That's my dawg, that's Mr. Royal Rumble right here. That's the G.O.A.T. right here, that's future two-time Hall of Famer, Kofi Kingston."
"... A lot of people like to act like they're brainwashed," Kofi added. "When you get into the Royal Rumble, 'It's every man for themselves! I don't care if you're my tag team partner or not, I'm going to throw you out because I want a [championship match].' That's not the move! Where's the logic, people? Where's the logic? You've got somebody in there that has your back at all times. Why would you not try to join forces with your boy?"
The New Day then went on to question why teams like The Street Profits would even consider turning on their friend and partner in an attempt to come out victorious.
It was revealed on SmackDown that Big E has officially been traded back to the blue brand, joining his fellow New Day members. It will be interesting to see where this sets his trajectory on the road to WrestleMania.
We also noted how after last night's SmackDown, the dark main event saw Seth Rollins and The Viking Raiders defeat The Bloodline (WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos). There were also two dark matches that occurred before the show: Io Shirai defeating Dakota Kai and Tommaso Ciampa defeating Roderick Strong.
The third member of the new day, Xavier Woods, recently tore the Plantaris muscle under his calf. His doctor expects him to be out of action for 4-6 weeks, which means he will likely miss the WWE Royal Rumble on January 29, and possibly WWE's return to Saudi Arabia on February 19.
You can see the full video below:
In the wake of their tag team victory on #SmackDown, @WWEBigE and @TrueKofi discuss how close they are and how they will use that to make sure they are successful in the #RoyalRumble Match on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/28QjT2BgJK
— WWE (@WWE) January 29, 2022