The Raw after WrestleMania is etched in always stone as must-see TV. To put it simply, sh*t goes down. In order for the Smackdown after WrestleMania to catch up and carry the same air of unpredictability, the sh*t must go down there as well. Nakamura’s debut last year certainly helped in that regard. But a huge heel turn this year from a huge babyface faction can steal some of Raw’s thunder.
We’re talking Big E. We’re talking taking a main event talent who has been relegated to a kind-of comedy tag team that is sometimes contending for titles. Big E deserves better, we all know it, and we’ve all been assuming that it will just happen eventually. His promo-of-his-life-level microphone work on Tuesday night opposite the Usos made everyone’s ears perk up and made people remember, “Oh, yeah. This is the dude.”
But for the time being, he’s doing bits with pancakes and not even competing at WrestleMania 2017. Here’s how we change course for the former Mr. Langston.
Play It Cool For Now
So many heel turns are way too telegraphed these days. Let’s not spend a month having Big E feel out of place, dancing a little less jiggly, and visibly checking out. The babyface meter is all the way up to 10 with The New Day and the longer it stays there, the more shocking the turn will be. Not even the slightest hint of turning. Playing it cool will go a long way here. But then …
Turn Him Heel on April 10th
The change in loyalty is right under our nose, and if WWE follows a path similar to The Shield, the payoff will be tremendous. It needs to be as violent as possible to usher in a new era. It doesn’t matter what happens to The New Day at WrestleMania, this plan will carry the same weight regardless. In fact, it might carry more weight if The New Day walks away with the tag team titles.
During a post-WrestleMania celebration, complete with confetti, it happens. Big E does his best Seth Rollins; his barber shop window moment. Destroy Xavier’s trombone. Mock Kofi for being older. Chant “New. Day’s Done.” Stack the two on top of each other and parade them around the ring, a physical representation for what you’ve had to do since July 2014 when the stable debuted. Go all out and don’t stop.
Stack Up Meaningful Victories
After running through Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston one-on-one on Smackdowns following the turn, have Big E beat them two-on-one on pay-per-view, and then keep The New Day where they are — a perfectly serviceable tag team that is no longer big enough for Big E.
To add insult to injury, he can eventually cost them their tag-team titles, sending Xavier to 205 Live and setting up Kofi for one final singles run (World Champion Big E. vs. Kofi Kington has Hell in a Cell written all over it).
After burning through every mid-card face available, give Big E his title shot at SummerSlam. Have him note that ever since he cut out the shenanigans, things have been looking up for him. He’s done with the jokes and the mediocrity. No more dancing and wagging his tongue so no more getting looked over for title opportunities.
Throw in some new music, new gear, and a handful of meaningful, clean victories, and suddenly Smackdown has a new star capable of being a threat to the world title. It’s not hard to picture Big E’s snarled, pissed-off mug draped across the side of a building in Brooklyn this August.
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