The latest word from the wrestling world is that Significant E has disclosed that The Latest Day almost looked very different, sharing details of an early concept that was eventually transformed into one of WWE’s most successful factions.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the one-time WWE Champion detailed that the group’s origins date back to Florida Crown Wrestling (FCW) — where the initial idea was for a militant faction inspired by the Nation of Domination. “The original pitch was for us to be the latest Nation of Domination,” Major E said.
He shared that the original lineup would have featured Abraham Washington as the group’s spokesperson alongside Byron Saxton, Xavier Woods, and himself.
Significant E also disclosed that the faction’s initial proposed name straight away raised concerns within WWE. “We originally called the group the Klan, and it stood for Citizens Liberation of American Nationalism. The moment was supposed to be this militant black group.”
Ultimately, the concept was abandoned before ever making it out of FCW.
Based on Large E, WWE without hesitation rejected the name, while “The office said we’re not doing that. So we exchanged Citizens for Peoples.”
The idea resurfaced several years later on WWE’s main lineup during a difficult period for both Substantial E and Xavier Woods.
At the time, Notable E had as of late lost the Intercontinental Crown to Bad News Barrett, while Woods’ maiden main roster run had failed to gain traction.
Big E recalled Woods pitching the Nation-inspired concept once again. “Woods goes in and pitches the writers that day, pitches them this idea of doing a novel Nation of Domination. They essentially laugh him out of the room.”
After the meeting, Woods approached Large E about forming a group together. “He remarked, ‘What do you think about starting this group?’ And I said, ‘I got nothing, I got nothing else, man.’”
Significant E on top of that disclosed that WWE creative had little planned for him at the time. “I was told by Road Dogg, ‘Look, we like you, though we got nothing for you. We need you to go into pre-tapes and just try stuff.’”
Those pre-taped segments allowed Substantial E to experiment with the energetic preacher-style promos inspired by his father’s church.
Notable E admitted he initially had reservations, when Kofi Kingston was further stated to the group. “My fear is they would never let him character change rule-breaker, and I thought, for us to work as a group, we needed to be heels.”
He also brought to light that Kingston had been considering retiring from wrestling before committing to the fresh faction.
The trio continued pitching the militant version of the act for months and even briefly introduced elements of it on television, with Woods appearing in a white-and-red suit while declaring the group would no longer be “glad-handing and kissing babies.”
That version lasted only about a week before WWE shifted directions, eventually evolving the act into the upbeat, positivity-driven Novel Day that became one of the most decorated factions in company history.
Big E in addition credited past WWE writer Mike Notarile for believing in the group when others did not. “If it wasn’t for him, we never would have gotten off the ground,” Big E said.