The non-compete clock finally ran out, and Kofi Kingston and Austin Creed (the man formerly known as Xavier Woods) didn’t mark the occasion with a tweet thread. They marked it with a two minute, twenty five second animated short, and buried inside it is the moment that’s making people cry at their phones.
the new day are free agents
Kingston and Creed mutually parted ways with WWE back in May after the two declined a requested pay cut on newly signed deals, ending The New Day‘s run as a full-time act on WWE television. Their 90 day non-compete clauses ran out this month, officially clearing them to sign anywhere, and the expectation across the wrestling media has been that AEW is the likely landing spot. Instead of a statement, they let a short film do the talking.
The Video everyone is talking about
Titled “Daybreak” and posted the afternoon of July 29, the short was directed and designed by Jonathan Davenport (@davenpoe), a longtime collaborator of The New Day‘s. It opens on a circus, two unicorns performing under a spotlight for a crowd, chained by glowing gold collars to the wall of their tent. They’re miserable. A bearded, top hatted ringmaster, drawn with more than a passing resemblance to Triple H, leads them through their paces.
The two unicorns snarl at each other, then at their handler, until their collars start to crack. In a burst of blue energy the chains shatter, and the pair charge the ringmaster before putting their heads down and blasting straight through the barred door meant to keep them penned in. The next shots are pure release: an open field at sunset, a night sky full of stars, and finally two human silhouettes, unmistakably Kingston and Creed, walking off together toward the light. The short closes back on the ringmaster, alone under the big top.
The Big E Moment
Here’s the part everyone’s actually talking about. During the escape, the two unicorns pass a third one standing off to the side, and this one has a broken horn. It gives them a nod. They nod back. That’s it, that’s the whole beat, and it’s a direct reference to Big E, the third member of The New Day, who was forced to retire from in-ring competition after breaking his neck in a March 2022 match against Sheamus and has stayed with WWE in a broadcast role ever since. The unicorn isn’t running with them because Big E isn’t walking away with them, and the nod reads as him telling his two best friends it’s okay to go on without him.
Big E Reacts (and So Does Everyone Else)
Big E himself showed up in the comments of Kingston‘s Instagram post, and he wasn’t talking about himself. He wrote to the director: “You’re amazing, @davenpoe. Simply amazing.” Former WWE personality Renee Paquette commented, “Wasn’t expecting to get emotional today,” and R.J. City quipped “I don’t get it.” Independent star Matt Sydal just left three exclamation points and a starstruck emoji. Further down, the replies turn into a running tally of people admitting the broken horn nod got them: “that nod killed me, im dead now,” “the third unicorn with the broken horn giving the bittersweet nod of approval and acceptance got me choked the hell up,” and, simply, “why did this make me cry?”
What’s Next
Neither Kingston nor Creed has confirmed a next stop, and “Daybreak” isn’t a signing announcement. It’s a goodbye to one chapter with their old friend’s blessing built right into the frame. Whatever company gets them next, they’re arriving with maybe the best send off video anyone’s ex-employer has ever accidentally inspired.
