Every year, the Black Rasslin’ Podcast drops its #BRP50 list, which ranks the top 50 Black wrestlers—men and women, independent and signed—based on their work from the last year, which runs from May of the previous year to the May before the list drops. For this, the eighth annual #BRP50 saw two very significant announcements mark the official end of The New Day: Big E officially confirming that his career was behind him in October 2025, followed by Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods mutually parting ways with WWE in May 2026. (Big E still works with WWE in a broadcast capacity.)
With the #BRP50 celebrating Black wrestlers in an industry that often fails to cast them in a proper light, it made sense to get insight from pro wrestlers and other industry figures. Thank you, New Day.
“The New Day broke the mold of what it meant to be successful African American professional wrestlers for major companies,” Texas-based independent wrestler LVJ shares. “The bond those three men share is what a true brotherhood in professional wrestling looks like.
“They inspired me on a personal level to chase this crazy dream of mine,” LVJ continues, “while being as authentically me as possible. One of the most emotional moments watching wrestling for myself was seeing Kofi Kingston become a World Champion at WrestleMania.”
The New Day, wrestling’s tried and true trio of fun-loving, hard-hitting (and harder-caring) combatants, is no more. After being asked to take a pay cut from WWE, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, the remaining active members of the group, instead chose to leave. Whatever their plans going forward, they’ll win. They are hard workers, take pride in their work, and understand what they are working towards, both as brothers and as men.
“New Day is my comfort food for professional wrestling,” New Texas Pro World Heavyweight Champion Danny Orion exclaims. “They [showed] me that you can absolutely respect pro wrestling, but also make it yours and make it fun.”
Xavier Woods is like your big brother, wise when needed, tough when necessary, and very clear on how he views the world. The first time we spoke, he wasn’t talking to me; he was more talking at me. I’d made an unnecessary comparison between his team and another, and he told me, indirectly, to learn to enjoy things without making other things feel “less than,” a mantra I’ve tried to follow ever since.
Woods basically invented celebrity streaming. UpUpDownDown was a digital masterclass in family and fun, with people you knew who worked together, and you got to see them love being together. Woods never voiced pain or pressure over being the guy who wasn’t a singles star: he wanted to be King of the Ring because being King of the Ring is fly shit. But the most impressive thing he ever did, to me, was change the narrative on The New Day in the Hell in a Cell Match with the Usos. He took an absolute beating, but all of a sudden, the story became about how The New Day were capable of falling down and rising even higher. He’s the best, and whatever he chooses to be, wherever he chooses to do it, he’ll be the best at it.
“The New Day, to me in the simplest terms, are trailblazers, history makers, one could say truly… legendary,” Texas’s own Jey Sharpe states. “As a Black man, they [were] inspirational, they proudly represent the culture and community, and through their own hard work and accolades, they [paved] a way for those in the future to follow! Whether it be as a wrestler or a human being, they make me strive every moment to do what I can to make a change.”
Kofi Kingston is like your impossible uncle, the man you’ve heard far-fetched tales about, but still feels approachable. The first thing I ever wrote that I thought had real value was called “The Ballad of Kofi Kingston” because he was the first Black guy who wasn’t a “former college athlete” to command space, time, and attention. He’s wiry but not small, hits hard but doesn’t scare you, and has those moments, like in those Royal Rumbles, that feel out of a wrestling tall tale. He’s a quiet guy, so quiet that if you scour the internet, you’ll really only find one true string of interviews from him, and they’re all about him building computer labs in his native Ghana.
I’m sure it happened with Booker T, I’m sure it happened with The Rock, and I know it happened for Ron Simmons, but there’s likely not a moment in wrestling that made more Black folks cry at the same time than Kofi Kingston finally becoming WWE Champion. It…it felt like any of us could do it. He got ABSOLUTELY HO’D OUT—I don’t have a more flattering, safer way to say it—and he just continued to be great. There’s smooth, then there’s Kofi Kingston. He’s the best, and whatever he chooses to be, wherever he chooses to do it, he’ll be the best at it.
“It’s hard to imagine anyone being more beloved in wrestling than Big E,” pro wrestling media personality Adam Barnard says. “His exceptional skill in the ring is outmatched only by his grace under fire and his gentleness to those he meets.” Big E is your uber-talented cousin, the one everyone knew would be a star. I remember the first time we met: WWE was having a private dinner for their 2023 NIL prospects. As soon as I walk into the restaurant, he says, “Hey, Ceehawk,” then looks at my date and says, “Hi, you’re Danny Trejo’s cousin, right?” Big E sees all and knows all, and the way he gave the kids at the event real testimony about figuring out life after college… it’ll stick with me forever. We left the dinner for a spell, and he showed me the trailer for Our Heroes Rock, the project he’d been working on with his creative partners Jonathan Davenport and Andreas Hale, one of my mentors. It’s a beautiful tribute to Ruby Bridges, the first kid to integrate into a school in the South. He might have cried; I know I did.
Big E was always destined to be WWE Champion. A gym rat, a talker, a fun-loving, truly hilarious performer, and a goddamn athlete, we always knew it was in the cards for him. So to see it cut short due to injury was tough. But again, the best thing about him is how much he cares. You never heard him blame or think less of anyone. He just continued to support his brothers and peers, and found his place in commentary, being funny, passionate, and a true advocate for those in his profession. Being the tag partner of married, family men, watching him finally find love has been beautiful; he just deserves it all. He’s the best, and whatever he chooses to be, wherever he chooses to do it, he’ll be the best at it.
Growing up, some nights, all we got was Junkyard Dog or Virgil. You may only see the Nation of Domination lose that week, and that would be your complete picture of Black wrestlers on TV. Through performers like The Rock and Booker T, things surely changed, but The New Day truly showcased that being Black—in kayfabe and in real life—is not a monolith. The New Day was three men who had 13 tag team championship reigns, two world championship reigns, one King of the Ring, among various other accolades. Their biggest? Doing everything while being unapologetically themselves and showcasing that on the grandest stages of all. Thank you, New Day.