Latest on Kofi Kingston’s Injury, New Day WrestleMania Plans, Naomi

Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods were responsible for some memorable moments during their tenure as The New Day, but they are reportedly not going to be inducted into their Hall of Fame résumés at this year’s WrestleMania.

The latest on the all-time great faction, and an update on future plans for a reunion between WWE and former SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi, make up this collection of pro-wrestling rumors.

WWE had plans for a New Day reunion

Dave Meltzer from The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that at least some sort of New Day reunion was being considered at WrestleMania.

“I don’t think anything will come of this or if Kingston’s injury will change that, but we had heard of an idea that E should be at WrestleMania and the three would come out together if that was the right thing and if E could come back soon “, he wrote.

Kingston suffered a foot injury in early March that required surgery and will sideline him for the foreseeable future.

Big E was out of action for well over a year after sustaining a neck injury during a match between New Day and The Brawling Brutes, where he incorrectly landed on an overhead belly-to-belly from Ridge Holland.

We’ll never know what that reunion might have been like. Big E has not appeared on television since his unfortunate injury, and WWE has been careful not to feature him as an on-screen character in any promotional effort, despite his off-ring work. One would assume that the company wouldn’t change this trend drastically unless there was reason to believe he would start airing more frequently again.

There is still time for the creative forces to find something for Woods. As the charismatic performer who garnered attention by winning King of the Ring in 2021, he could have easily rushed off and gotten involved in something of substance. Instead, he could be relegated to the inconsequential Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which has lost all semblance of importance since the inaugural event in 2014.

For Kingston, his absence from this year’s show marks the first time since 2013 that he has not appeared on the WrestleMania card in any shape or form. It’s only the second time in his illustrious career that he hasn’t entertained at the annual extravaganza.

He, of course, had his career-defining moment at the 2019 event, when he capped a magical run called KofiMania by defeating Daniel Bryan and winning the WWE Championship.

Hopefully WWE is doing something to reboot and revitalize New Day because as an act they were presented in a way that got stale long ago. Despite being immensely talented and overly creative, the company’s writing team has put little original thought into them for quite some time.

Kingston, Woods and Big E are all far too entertaining and valuable to waste the second half of their careers on mediocrity and repetition.

Naomi is looking beyond WWE

Former Women’s Champion Naomi, no stranger to WrestleMania moments herself, seems ready to wave goodbye to WWE and pursue her talents elsewhere.

PWInsider.com’s Steven Fernandes reported that Naomi (real name: Trinity Fatu) has filed a trademark for the name “Trinity Starr” to be used for merchandising and “wrestling-style entertainment”.

Naomi was last seen at WWE in May 2022, when she and Women’s Tag Team Champion partner Sasha Banks left the company to protest a creative decision she felt was unsatisfactory.

She’s since stayed away from the square circle, but has turned up at New York Fashion Week, walked the runway with Banks and appeared at Disney movie premieres alongside her friend.

That she took the steps to come up with a new name specifically for wrestling purposes suggests she has her eye on a return to the ring at some point. Would she join Banks (now going by the name Mercedes Mone) in Japan’s STARDOM or could she try to stay in the States and join the women’s division of All Elite Wrestling?

The Impact Wrestling Knockouts division is one of the most talented in the business and would benefit from Naomi’s stardom, not to mention the depth she would bring to the roster.

Demand will be there, as will potential suitors, but it’s up to the contestant to determine when and where her next performance between the ropes is.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all hot wrestling topics. Watch the latest episode in the player below.

Click image to enlarge….