New Day vs. The Young Bucks, and other dream matches now possible | Column
With Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston gone from WWE, it raises the question of what potential dream matches could be waiting for them outside the company.
That is not to say it is a foregone conclusion that Kingston or Woods will continue their wrestling careers outside of WWE. However, if they choose to do so, there are numerous opponents out there for them and several potential dream matches that many fans would like to see.
Below, I’ve listed some of what I feel are the best potential matches awaiting Woods and Kingston.
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston)
There is no other way to start this list than with New Day vs. The Young Bucks.
Not only is this a dream match between two of the most successful tag teams in the history of professional wrestling, it’s actually about something far more important than that: It’s a match between quite possibly the two greatest merchandise-selling tag teams in the history of wrestling.
The Young Bucks, prior to AEW, sold so many T-shirts through Pro Wrestling Tees and Hot Topic that it helped spawn a wrestling promotion. The Elite’s merch sales were so strong that a company now employing quite possibly the largest roster of professional wrestlers ever assembled exists in part because of it.
As for New Day, there was a good 10-year period where you could not go to a WWE event without seeing people wearing their merchandise in the stands. Not to mention boxes of Booty-O’s and unicorn horns.
I can’t think of two other tag teams with such a history of fans wearing their merchandise.
Granted, the wrestling merchandise machine wasn’t exactly as much of an opportunity back in the Road Warriors’ or Rock ‘n’ Roll Express’ heyday, but still.
Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston)
I don’t know how much longer either Cage or Cope have left in their in-ring careers, but if they can hold out just a little longer, another dream match is now possible.
While Edge & Christian didn’t have the longevity as a team in WWE that New Day did, these are still two of the most famous tag teams in WWE history.
It’s definitely an era-spanning match, and one that didn’t happen in WWE simply because while New Day were at their peak, Edge & Christian were not active.
But finally, with Kingston and Woods’ WWE departures, this match can happen, provided Copeland doesn’t have to film Percy Jackson or something.
New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) vs. The Revival/FTR…but in AEW
New Day and The Revival have wrestled before, but we’ve never seen New Day vs. FTR.
New Day and The Revival spent about half a year feuding in late 2019 and early 2020. Granted, most of those matches featured Big E teaming with Kingston, but we have technically seen this match before.
I think it’s fair to say that there would be fewer handcuffs on an FTR vs. New Day match in 2026 AEW than there were in 2019/2020 WWE. We’d get to see a bit more of what the two teams can do.
Both teams have further cemented themselves as the top teams of their generation in the years since then as well. It would feel far more like a “dream match” now.
New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) & A Partner vs. SkyTeam (Máscara Dorada, Místico and Neón) at Arena Mexico
I just kind of want to see what New Day would look like at Arena Mexico, and while perhaps not a likely occurrence, the possibility of it happening now exists.
There is something about the old, over-the-top, unicorn-loving, pancake-eating New Day gimmick that feels like it would translate well to that environment.
I’m not saying this would be a five-star match or anything like that. I would just like to see Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston under the old New Day gimmick in a venue like Arena Mexico. They could wear masks with little unicorn horns on them. I’m sure those would sell.
Ideally, they would wrestle either SkyTeam or Mistico and a partner, just so they’d be involved in something bathed in the sort of aura that Mistico creates in that building.
New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) vs. any combination of House of Torture members
Just give me a second to explain this.
Thank you. Okay, once again I am not saying this would be a five-star classic, I just think it would be fun to see Kingston and Woods, who can both be absolutely hilarious when the situation calls for it, responding to the blatant HOT interference.
Woods being incredulous that Hiroshi Tanahashi continues to allow House of Torture to do this could be pretty funny. Them coming up with ways to irritate Don Fale or Dick Togo? Come on, I can’t be the only one who sees this.
I just think New Day being in NJPW at all would be fun. An act you never thought you’d see outside WWE all of a sudden causing chaos in Korakuen Hall would be great.
New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) in an AEW Tag Team Continental Classic
This one might be a bit of a stretch.
I’m not certain this idea is appealing to a 44-year-old and a 39-year-old, but AEW has more than enough tag teams to do a really great tag league style tournament.
You could put New Day against any number of AEW teams like The Hurt Syndicate, JetSpeed or Gates of Agony.
I don’t know that older teams such as Cage and Cope or Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin would be into wrestling that often within a month either, but if AEW ever decides to do this, think of the teams that could take part:
- The Young Bucks
- FTR
- Cage and Cope (if possible)
- Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin (if possible)
- New Day
- JetSpeed
- Gates of Agony
- Rascalz
- Top Flight
- The Infantry
- The Dogs
- Eddie Kingston & Ortiz
- The Outrunners
- Grizzled Young Vets
- Big Bill & Bryan Keith
- Juice Robinson & Ace Austin
- Some combination of Death Riders
- Some combination of Don Callis Family guys
There are definitely some fun potential matchups there.
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.