Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston & Big E: Nation Of Domination 2.0?

[Papa Pillman]

I honestly still hope that David Otunga comes back,As a Black man i understand that a real Smart Brother is worth more than Xavier woods....

Xavier Woods(or more accurately Austin Watson) has a Bachelor of Arts in both Psychology and Philosophy from Furman University(the top liberal arts college in the southeastern U.S.), he also possesses a Masters in psychology and he will soon have a PhD. And he obtained those degrees while also pursuing a wrestling career full time on a national television level.

Could you please explain how he is not a "real" Smart Brother?

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

This would actually be N.O.D. version 3.0. As someone already noted, the original Nation had Faarooq, Savio Vega, Crush, PG-13, Clarence Mason, and D-Lo (when he was really fat and not wrestling).

That being said, I think the reference to the Nation is a layup because there haven't been any black factions since then. How much they actually play up the racism angle is something that will be interesting to see play out. I don't think the WWE has the balls to go anywhere near the level they did in the late 90's.

In this day and age, having a black faction getting booed when they claim racism is something I have a hard time envisioning.

I think the inference will be that they've "been held down", but this will be nothing like Faarooq telling McMahon that "you think we're good enough to shine your shoes, and wash your cars, but not good enough to be champion!".

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

I don't really want them to be a "dominate-working together team" just yet. I would rather Xavier Woods accompany Kingston in singles matches and Mark Henry accompany Big E in his singles matches. When Big E and Kofi team you can have either one come out with the them. When its time, say like 2 months before Survivor Series you could have them all come together to start wrecking havok to build up for SS.
I thought 4 or 5 members will be too many in this stable but then someone reminded me that Evolution had 4 members, the only problem I have is Kofi is no Triple H, and we all know they're not going straight to the WWE title scene, and Miz seems to be in a feud with Ziggler, so their first championship feud is going to be with Sheamus when they try to win a championship.
I just hope WWE actually do something with this group.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Pro wrestling is supposed to reflect real life and stir emotion. In real life, blacks are still overlooked in many areas. These guys feel the same way. It'll stir emotion on both sides and make people (hopefully) look at the real world (for example, how blacks are sentenced harsher for the same crimes as whites).

I like it. It has people talking.

 

[multiverseman.com]

WWE has to make anything having to do with black wrestlers into some sort of racial thing. Black wrestlers always have to team up with each other in tag teams. Big E and Mark Henry and Kofi have to be buddies. Everything has to be hip-hop related (Cryme Tyme/Prime Time Players, R-Truth) or some sort of goofy dance or spin or lame gimmick. Bo Dallas comes in and he's a motivational speaker, but Xavier Woods comes in and he's a shucking, jiving, clown. Every black wrestler has to have a hip-hop theme song except Kofi, and his is a Jamaican rasta cliche.

First there was the Nation. Then when R-Truth made it to a main event against John Cena, what was he? An angry black man being held down by little Jimmy. Now their remedy for this is to once again create a stable of angry militant black men who want to defy the "man". Why does Vince McMahon only see black people one of a handful of ways?

 

[J.J.]

Every black wrestler has to have a hip-hop theme song except Kofi, and his is a Jamaican rasta cliche.

While I see your point. You have to keep in mind that Hip-Hop is a black created, major part of our culture. Your younger crowds and those that came up through the mid 80s till current day can easily identify it. Hence one reason why John Cena was able to get over.

Prime Time Players

While they may have had a Rap theme song, I wouldn't say they were portraying anything within the Hip-Hop culture. Money, perhaps?

Jamaican rasta cliche

You lost me here. Apart from his dreads which is African heritage, nothing about him screams Rastafarian.

Black wrestlers always have to team up with each other in tag teams.

This is a classic case of not knowing what to do with them. But the same can be said about Hispanic wrestlers. Even Del Rio, who has built a respectable resume has been idle since his personal ring announcer been out his corner.

Pro wrestling is supposed to reflect real life and stir emotion. In real life, blacks are still overlooked in many areas.

Partly because we tend to overlook each other. This group is not a reflection of African-Americans in real life, as we as a race only show unity in particular circumstances(Trayvon Martin for example) but the mass majority of time we are inner-feuding. But that's a whole different subject we could have in PM. NOD feuding Ahmed Johnson is a total reflection.

Now their remedy for this is to once again create a stable of angry militant black men who want to defy the "man".

While I am not for the stable, here are some things you have to examine.

*Gives a young talent such as Xavier Woods a chance to be more than a jobber. Showcase leadership skills, show his intellectual side to the masses. The stigma is we are uneducated and ignorant. So it's funny to see people say

I was immediately impressed with Xavier Woods, last night, and I've never cared for him, so we'll see how it goes.

as if it's shocking to see he can form a sentence and didn't jump on the mic speaking slang or silly catchphrases.

*Secondly depending on how this plays out, it gives Kofi a chance to freshen his character up a bit. Many have complained for years about him having the same character. I like his current character as he's a fun loving guy, puts on good matches and has great spots on PPVs, legitimate mid card guy with an impressive resume.

*Big E can't hold his own as a singles guy just yet. I think the split from Ziggler came too soon. Plus he has been put into weird situations. The whole AJ Lee thing, being forced into patriotism and that unforgettable MLK-Southern Baptist Preacher speech he have weeks ago.

Hopefully creator will allow these guys to kinda pilot the direction of this group if it is assembled.

Why does Mark Henry need to be involved?

 

[J.D Lethal]

Xavier Woods(or more accurately Austin Watson) has a Bachelor of Arts in both Psychology and Philosophy from Furman University(the top liberal arts college in the southeastern U.S.), he also possesses a Masters in psychology and he will soon have a PhD. And he obtained those degrees while also pursuing a wrestling career full time on a national television level.

Could you please explain how he is not a "real" Smart Brother?

Sorry i shouldn't let my school rival bias effect my post. Also a PhD? also i didn't know he had that...honestly why the hell is he a wrestlerit seems like he would make more out of the field...then again I'm starting to catch the trend of Black males in WWE with degrees (Kofi,Otunga,Woods).

 

[d_henderson1810]

I like where this could be headed. An all-black millitant group would be great to see again in WWE, and while they would have to tread carefully and ensure that they didn't cross the line to becoming offensive, this could work.

I'd like to have seen Titus O'Neil involved in this somehow, but if they indeed do go down the route of a new "Nation of Domination" style faction, then there would be plenty of time for them to recruit Titus. Kofi Kingston has been a face for so long now, he REALLY needs a character overhaul, I've been wanting to see one for years. This is a positive step for all involved- it could give Kofi something new and refreshing, and give Big E and especially Xavier Woods SOMETHING to do, they aren't exactly doing much at the moment.

BRING BACK THE NATION THEME MUSIC, and use Ron Simmons somehow!

I think they should have added R-Truth as well.

Truth hasn't done much for a while, and he can talk on the mike. Maybe he can be the "spokesman" of the group, and say that he is telling the "truth" about how they have been held down etc.

I just hope they don't add someone who is white to what essentially is an all-black group, like NOD added white Owen Hart, when NOD were suppoused to be anti-white, yet added a white man to their group.

 

[thebarber]

and with Mark Henry reported to be returning soon and Titus Oneill lost in the shuffle, a 5 man faction of african american wrestlers is fine by me. As long as the storyline makes sense, then who cares. The Rock always cared that the public understood that he went heel and joined the NOD not because of his skin colour but for respect and notoriety.
Anybody in 2014 who wants to play the race card in wrestling is a ********, in my opinion.

 

[Jacjac]

You didn't hear them using the N-world when referring to each other, you didn't hear them using any sort of racial slurs against whites, but they obviously made use of the "the white power structure is keeping us down" kind of motif. Today, it's all about political correctness and racial tensions have definitely risen in the past couple of years. The African American community was outraged at the shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman under the "Stand Your Ground" law and the case of those four black teenagers shot up by a middle age white guy at a gas station in Florida and was only convicted of 3 counts of attempted murder and found not guilty of actually murdering the kid he did kill. While something as relatively low key as a pro wrestling storyline featuring a militant pro-black group doesn't seem like much to us, it's something that would be blown FAR out of proportion in the media.

I did hear that Kofi's character would be reconstructed and I thought I saw a bit of a difference last week as he was cheering on Big E. I actually thought he would turn against Big E and they would do a program together. I also heard rumblings about African American wrestlers jobbing for Russef. This was the first time I heard NOD mentioned. As an African American in this day and age I have to admit to having a nervous stomach about this change. I have no doubts that this can take place without any use of the N-word by the performers themselves; my nervousness comes from feeling the audience will use it. I have tickets to RAW in Baltimore in a month and I'm genuinely concerned. Big E, Kofi and Xavier are very educated men and I don't think the N-word is a factor for them. Do I think they will push the envelope with blaming "the Man" and promoting Black Power? I pray to God they don't as I don't feel this is the platform for it.

While, I'm at it I will say that I've hated R-Truth, Xavier and Brodus Clay for shucking and jiving and being stereotypical. When it comes down to blaming "the Mc-Man" there's only so much blame they can dish out. They had a choice to not do it. True they would probably not have a job but at least their dignity would not be into play. I have always wondered why the roles of ethic people had to be SO stereotypical. Why do we have matador and a friggin' bull running around the ring? Why did Eddie have to be a liar, cheater and a thief? None of the Japanese wrestlers spoke English. Yeah, I know it's what wrestling was built on but aren't we, as a country, more educated and evolved now? They say they don't want to insult our intelligence but that's exactly what they're doing.

I had a problem with the whole "We the People" thing because there was the possibility of it being taken too far and people being offended.

If you've ever seen the video with the Iron Sheik, Honky Tonk Man and New Jack you would know the story of how Dusty Rhodes came to be the character of "the Common Man". If you haven't seen it you should youtube it right now... it's hillarious. But they tell the story of how WWF wanted a Black man and he was to play the role of a shuck-er and jive-er. Dusty decided he would play the role of "Black man" better than an actual "Black man". Knowing the story I am not amused.

 

[aholeisahole]

Why not? The Nation had awesome music, and Mark Henry was a member. I could see a new Nation of Domination giving the Usos and Wyatts some good opponents.

I think some people in this thread are making too much of it. I doubt the group will address racial controversies in the media.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

They debuted a BADASS tag team finish tonight on Main Event.

I enjoy everyone saying it wont work because Woods and Kingston are too smiley and goofy......You all understand that wrestling isn't real, right? Like they are just playing characters?

The fact all three were so jovial before will make this all the more intruiging if it is done properly. Let's hope it is

 

[Ziirox]

I already posted on here, but there was some recent comments made about racism in Wrestling. What if this group took on that fight and incorporated it into their gimmicks? They have plenty of evidence and talking points to bring up. Instead of furiously stirring the "white man keeping me down" pot, they could actually be bringing out some real issues. I don't really care too much for Xavier Woods, but if he can articulate well enough what their purpose is, I think that this could be a positive group. On the other hand, WWE rarely takes on social issues like this without making a mockery or completely over playing the characters/storylines. Like CJ Parker's gimmick in NXT. Great mission, obnoxious character. He's mocked and laughed at for his stance. I fear that this group does become a racial platform group, they'll be made into monsters, and do more harm than good.

 

[ADLegend21]

Seeing them demolish Slater and Gator on Main event was so cool. It looks as if they're going to be a baby face stable. If they keep up that intensity and play to xavier's education and intelligence and have him manage/lead the stable to maximize Big E's power and Kofi's athleticism, I can see them running roughshod like the Shield did, and I love it.

 

[Reflection]

I like the "Domination" part; a group of wrestlers that are athletically superior to the other mid carders, but their win-loss ratio speaks volumes about their success, or lack thereof.

I don't however, like the idea of them doing the typical black guys' moaning and bitching like "them whites are holding us back", "its because we are black" etc.
They should also not talk like stereotypical black guys, sometimes like "hey yo yo yo, wassup money? Whats rollin and poppin yo?!"

It should just be a group of talented wrestlers that are unbreakable when united, that are out to kick ass, that are out to dominate.

Some other (black) members that would be ideal to have are R-Truth (he can talk better than any of the current members, is a veteran of the business, a good wrestler and a good actor), and Mark Henry (another veteran, legit tough guy, former world champion, believable heel, and what's a dominating black stable without him?). With these five members, the stable should be complete. I'd keep Titus out; he doesn't have much to add to the faction, keep him where he is.

 

[J.J.]

They should also not talk like stereotypical black guys, sometimes like "hey yo yo yo, wassup money? Whats rollin and poppin yo?!"

I guess when John Cena was doing it 10 years ago it was cute and innovative, huh? That isn't even a typical African-American stereotype but a terrible attempt at a stereotype.

Some other (black) members that would be ideal to have are R-Truth (he can talk better than any of the current members, is a veteran of the business, a good wrestler and a good actor), and Mark Henry (another veteran, legit tough guy, former world champion, believable heel, and what's a dominating black stable without him?). With these five members, the stable should be complete. I'd keep Titus out; he doesn't have much to add to the faction, keep him where he is.

If you're going to have an all African-American faction, why single him out because YOU feel he doesn't add much?

What kills me is the type of stable they'll be, the members they should have and roles have already been assumed before watching it all,unfold.

Unless it developes that way, Xavier Woods never came out and made this about race. So why suddenly do Mark Henry and R. Truth have to be involved?

Kofi, Big E and Xavier Woods are 3 young talents. Why can't Woods be the mouthpiece, let's see his potential. Why does he need to take a backseat to the role for a guy nearing retirement? How much did Xavier Woods benefit from R. Truth being his partner? None? Alright then.

Big E is that dominating guy, what is Mark Henry needed for? Why can't it just be a trio of these 3 young guys. R. Truth and Mark Henry have zero to gain from being in this stable.

Let these 3 young guys carry their own weight.

 

[WarroBODFan]

I like it. I really like it. I'm glad they're doing SOMETHING with them. Big E needs something in particular as his IC title run was not a success. Xavier Woods, I have to admit I have seen very little of his work, but this will certainly be better than jobbing to Rusev and competing on NXT more than the main roster. I'm still trying to get my head around a heel Kofi, but curiosity already has me excited to see how it works out.

As has already been discussed, I don't know if they'll add to the group. I agree with J.J. that Mark Henry may be surplus to requirements considering Big E is already the muscle of the group, but who's to say it won't happen? Clearly Titus O'Neil isn't going to be part of it as Big E and Kofi destroyed him on Slater on Main Event last night (and the stuff they pulled off has me really excited).

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The timing of this is pretty blatant... They've just been accused of racism publicly so now they're gonna capitalise... They can always say "hey someone made race the issue not us... we're using these guys now and that's wrong too?"

I agree with the idea of using this as the Nation and it's pretty telling that Ron Simmons was the guy to "defend" WWE... I can definitely see he onscreen endorsing this as "The Nation" in the next few weeks...

The 3 guys chosen seemingly are excellent picks... Kofi has long been capable of far more but not given a chance, Big E works better as the muscle in a stable and this new Xavier Woods character is a good combo of D Lo and Clarance Mason... although I think Otunga would be a better pick for the role... I hope he does join rather than Titus/Truth etc as the reason the NAtion worked so well initially was it wasn't "Black vs everyone" it was very focused on Ahmed Johnson... So that should follow this time... have the new Nation vs Titus and Truth and Henry who is miffed he isn't "included". If you really want to take race out of it... why not Sami Zayn in there too... He'd be a hot star to team with Woods rather than relegating Kofi or Big E to the tags and negating the idea completely. He'd fit the "not asking" thing by just debuting as part of the group...

I hope they DO go full hog and bring back the Nation... have Ron there, bring Otunga in to be their "lawyer" alongside Woods as the new leader... Now the Shield is gone, there's lots of room for a new tweener stable...

 

[VinnieSunshine]

This has "we at WWE are not racist. Look we're pushing 4 black superstars in a stable" all over it.

Im all for it! I like each man individually. Plus if it gets Kofi the change of character he's been due then go for it. Hopefully he returns to the '09 Orton feud Kofi. Plus what else is Big E going to be doing? I can see a few other guys joining too, like Titus, Byron Saxton, R-Truth, or any NXT stars. You can even throw 1 or 2 Divas in there like Alicia Fox or Cameron.

I just hope they don't make this into a black Nexus and try to take over the WWE by "taking" what they're owed. I think they also need to be a "tweener" stable, not heel but not face. They need to be the anti-good guys...doing bad things for good intentions.

There can be a tag team that comes from this too. Something like a strength and speed combo. Kofi/Saxton, Darren Young/Mark Henry.

But PLEASE, for the love of all that is good, DO NOT recruit a veteran as a leader. They do not need Ron Simmons or Booker T or anyone else. Let Xavier Woods be the mouthpiece. The man can talk on a mic.

 

[WRESTLING_GENIUS]

Well I haven't posted in awhile because I forgot my password but anyway I LOVE the fact that this group is coming to fruition. Kofi has been in need of a character change and Big E has been in need of some type of storyline seeing he hasn't been in one since AJ and Dolph days. Xavier Woods as the manager of the group is PERFECT especially since they will be playing up his Doctrine degree in psychology in this storyline. Also I think they need to add Mr. David Otunga to the group as a Clarence Mason Lawyer type gimmick accept he wrestles and not in a manger role and put him and Titus O'neill as the tag team of the group, Kofi as the mid carder, and Big E as the main event guy for the group. I like the idea someone said they should have a 4Horseman gimmick type dressed in suits and everything. I DO NOT WANT THEM ACTING ANYTHING LIKE THE N.O.D they need to act like a Group of Brains, and athletic ability. I can see this progressing everyones career involved as long as they do it right...

As for Mark Henry if they do put him in the group I hope they have him in more of a bodyguard type position and not as an active wrestler with the group unless duty calls for it. He would be perfect as a coach/bodyguard but as an active wrestler in the group(wrestling every week and going for titles) does nothing for anyone involved. If R-truth is going to join as well he just needs to be a mic worker for them and a hitman taking out there competiton before matches and after and backstage segments. AkA he could be the only one with thug motives in the group but I rather the main 4 wrestling be Kofi, Big E, Titus, and Otunga or Truth, and Xavier as the manager and Henry as the Bodyguard/coach.

 

[Notorious718]

I'm not sure if this is gonna be anything like the Nation of Domination. If anything, I'd compare this more to MVP's stable in TNA in that these guys just happen to be black wrestlers. As Jake said, this is a stable of underutilized talents. A stable of underutilized black talents that I happen to like as luck would have it. I'm thrilled about it. I look forward to where this goes and I really hope these three can find success.

 

[GeneralKarim]

I dont know about NoD 2.0 but I'm already loving this. Seeing them already have a tag team finisher and being more aggressive and Xavier being fired the fuck up is damn entertaining. I think it is something they needed as Kofi as always was not going anywhere and he has been a face for the longest time and they seemed to not do a whole lot with Big E so this is refreshing to see.

It also adds another tag team that can do some damage and we desperately needed a new tag team.

 

[MartialHorror]

I personally think that R-Truth should have Xavier's role in managing them. Xavier did fine and all, but R-Truth's crazier promo style would've been effective.

Nevertheless, I'd like to see a new Nation of Domination if they plan on doing anything with it. I'd rather not have a half-assed revival like WWE's interpretation of the nWo and I don't want the name to just be an umbrella for a lot of jobbers. But if it revitalizes careers, then I'm excited for the idea.

The question is, face or heel? It's kind of stereotypical to make them a heel group, but I feel Big E would make a better monster heel than a pandering face. Kofi...ugh, he's not gaining the same reactions that Ziggler is despite continuing to excel in the ring. Turning heel might be for the best, but it would severely limit his style- which relies on face reactions.

 

[thebarber]

at least Kofi will finally be relevant. They will probably throw Alicia Fox or one of the divas into the fold also. Done correctly, a feud with Wyatt family could be entertaining if they add another member.

 

[J.J.]

I personally think that R-Truth should have Xavier's role in managing them. Xavier did fine and all, but R-Truth's crazier promo style would've been effective.

To be fair it's going to take longer than a week to see how effective Xavier Woods will be in this role. 3 years ago I might would have advocated R. Truth, but now he's irrelevant and old. Woods has a lot of untapped potential and is younger.