The New Day Honored Big E With Their NXT Tag Team Championship Victory

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods made history at NXT Deadline on Saturday night by winning the NXT Tag Team Championships. The victory brings The New Day its 12th tag team title reign in WWE, even though Woods and Kingston were without the group's third member, Big E. The former WWE Champion suffered a broken neck earlier this year, and while he has recovered to the point where he's fully mobile and no longer requires a neck brace, it's still unclear if/when he'll wrestle again. The two talked about how they honored E with their win during an interview with Sports Illustrated this week. 

"Big E wasn't here; but he was here," Kingston said. "He's always with us. We're doing a lot of this in his honor. I woke up to a great text from him [Saturday] morning about our match. We're in constant contact. We miss him, and without Big E, there is no New Day. We want him living a happy, healthy, safe life; and that's what is paramount to us."

"E's the right and soul of all this," Woods added. "He's always in our hearts and minds."

What an absurdly talented pair of partners! I won the wrestling lottery when I got to team with these two. Massive congrats, my brothers! Love y’all to death. https://t.co/oOSi6Y7zJb

— Ettore “Big E” Ewen (@WWEBigE) December 11, 2022

Big E on His Recovery

E gave an interview with Ryan Satin back in August and discussed his recovery — "The upside is right now I have no nerve issues. There's no tingling, no weakness," Big E said. "I've been in the gym since two weeks after breaking my neck. They told me as long as your neck is in the brace, as long as you stay in the brace you're good for that. I've been working out. I feel great."

"I'm just really grateful, honestly. I feel like in many ways it feels like a bullet whizzed by my face," he continued. "Like, I felt the wind of the bullet go by my head and I'm very grateful to still be here, to still have the use of my limbs, to still feel good. That's really my biggest takeaway. Gratitude. I truly am grateful that I'm still here, that I'm still kicking it."

Woods and E broke a number of records with Saturday's win, including cementing the New Day as triple crown tag team champions. They, The Street Profits and The Revival (FTR) are the only teams in WWE history to have held the Raw, SmackDown and NXT tag team champs at least once.