Triple H Reveals His Reaction After Shocking New Day Heel Turn On WWE Raw

Paul 'Triple H' Levesque is taking a victory lap after catching WWE fans off guard with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods turning on Big E.
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Predictability or lack thereof doesn't necessarily factor into the enjoyment of a match or segment in WWE, but Chief Content Officer Paul 'Triple' H Levesque lives for creating moments that catch the fanbase off guard.

The 10-Year Celebration of the New Day this past Monday on Raw was most certainly one of those moments.

Just as it looked as though a returning Big E was going to pull his longtime friends and tag partners back from the brink of an ugly break up, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods bonded together over bottled up resentment of E 'abandoning' them and banished him from the group.

“Everybody online and our fans and people we talk to around the world are trying to predict… It’s no different than going to a movie. Like, that guy did it. I know he did it. I know that guy did it. And then it blows your mind when it wasn't him, it was somebody else, right? This was one that I didn't see anybody, anywhere calling the direction it was going to go in. And that was sort of the plan for a very long period of time. When you can get there, it's wonderful.”

Paul Levesque took part in a panel discussion Tuesday in Los Angeles with other WWE and Netflix executives as the Raw premiere date on the streaming giant draws near. Select media outlets were in attendance for a brief Q&A, during which Triple H was asked about his own investment into the storylines that WWE generates.

MORE: Triple H And Nick Khan Talk Potential Content Shifts As WWE Raw Moves To Netflix

Top of mind for the company's head of creative was the truly memorable and emotionally charged segment delivered by all three members of the New Day Monday. A moment in time from which many fans still have not be able to fully recover.

“I was so happy for those guys," Levesque said while remembering the expression of one fan in particular who hand his hands on his head and appeared to be absolutely flabbergasted by what he was hearing from Kofi and Woods on Monday. "We couldn't have comically asked for a better shot of somebody selling that storyline for us."

Those types of segments do not happen every single week. They require a meticulous amount of planning coupled with the time and patience to pull them off. Even then, there's no guarantee it's going to pack the same kind of punch as the New Day split.

"It's those moments. It's why we do what we do. It's that moment when you're in the ring and Rock says it all the time. It's that electricity, that connection with the people. There's no greater feeling than that. When we can get that in front of 10,000, 70,000, it doesn't matter what it is, we'll get it around the globe on Netflix. Those moments are why we do what we do and invest and pay that off to fans who have been watching week in, week out.” 

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods turning on the universally loved Big E was not only something that no one saw coming, but it's impact instantly made The New Day's remaining two members public enemies number one and two in the eyes of many wrestling fans. As effective of a heel turn as one can be.

Levesque and his creative team absolutely deserve a victory lap for what they were able to pull off.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com