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During this year's WWE Draft, fans were left shocked when The New Day were split up. Big E remained on Friday Night SmackDown and Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods moving over to Monday Night RAW. The group had been together for six years as one of the enduring factions in WWE history.
Over the years, fans have been left devastated at faction and tag team break ups, with some coming completely out of the blue. There have been multiple tag team breakups over the last few months in WWE. Heavy Machinery were also drafted to separate brands, and The IIconics were shockingly split following a stipulation match.
WWE fans have expressed their sadness at The New Day seemingly being no more over social media. There have been many breakups that left WWE fans upset over the years, and here are five of the most heartbreaking ones so far.
#5 #DIY's WWE breakup
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa are two of NXT's most notable stars ever. In 2015, the pair took part in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, which they crashed out of having been defeated by Baron Corbin and Rhyno.
The pairing later dubbed themselves #DIY and successfully challenged The Revival for the NXT Tag Team Championships at NXT TakeOver: Toronto.
They managed to retain the titles against both Tariji and Akira Towaza and the Revival in a rematch, but later lost the titles to the Authors of Pain in a Triple Threat Elimination match at NXT TakeOver: Orlando. This lead to tension between the pair.
A rematch was set between #DIY and the Authors of Pain at NXT TakeOver: Chicago, but they lost. That led to Tommaso Ciampa shockingly turning on his friend Johnny Gargano, attacking him after the match.
The betrayal shocked NXT fans, and lead to a lengthy rivalry between the pair.
#4 The Shield's WWE breakup
The Shield has been one of the most notable stables in modern WWE. Being in the group made huge stars out of Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose, who is now best known as AEW's Jon Moxley.
The group began as enforcement for CM Punk, before becoming dominant in their own right and winning numerous championships as a group. Cracks began to show between the group when they started losing their fluency with one another in matches.
Rollins convinced Ambrose and Reigns to stay together before their feud against The Authority, which cemented them as babyfaces. Following this, fans were left shocked when it was revealed that Seth Rollins had secretly aligned with Triple H.
He brutally attacked the remaining two members of The Shield with a steel chair, leaving the group behind. Reigns and Ambrose voiced their objections to Rollins' actions, as he left to join The Authority.
Fans were devastated at Rollins' betrayal, and on the same night, Ambrose and Reigns had their last match as The Shield before going their separate ways in WWE.
#3 The Dudley Boyz's WWE breakup
The Dudley Boyz first appeared in WWE in 1999 and quickly became one of the most popular tag teams in the company at the time. The pair won the Tag Team Championships multiple times, including from the New Age Outlaws at No Way Out 2000. They also won the from Edge and Christian, who they had a lengthy rivalry with, at the 2001 Royal Rumble.
In 2002, WWE divided their roster into two brands, with performers becoming exclusive to RAW or SmackDown. The fan favourite pair were furious when they became separated, as Bubba Ray was drafted to RAW and D-Von was chosen for SmackDown. The duo bid a heartfelt farewell to one another during the Draft program.
It wasn't long, however, until their pair were reunited at WWE. They came back together following that year's Survivor Series and started competing as a team again on RAW, much to the delight of WWE fans. Not long after their reunion, they won the WWE Tag Team Championships for the seventh time at the 2003 Royal Rumble.
#2 The New Day's WWE breakup
In the latest WWE Draft, fans were left reeling when it was announced that Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, who had only just returned to SmackDown, would be swapped to RAW.
As Stephanie McMahon announced this, the group, who were still in the ring following a tag team match against Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro, started enquiring about Big E. The Chief Brand Officer then announced that he was to remain on SmackDown.
The trio looked heartbroken in the wake of the news. The moment was truly the shock of the night, and a farewell match for the team has been set for the upcoming episode of SmackDown. The split has come following speculation that Big E is set for a huge push in the singles division of SmackDown.
The group has had many successes during their six-year run, and separating them in the Draft may help establish Big E as an individual, away from Kingston and Woods. As upsetting as the breakup of The New Day is, it will be interesting to see what will happen to the performers in WWE next.
#1 Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens's WWE breakup
In 2017, Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens were working as a team that WWE fans adored for their comedic personas together. The relationship between the two imploded during the "Festival of Friendship". Jericho showered Owens with gifts including an interesting painting, as well a performance from a magician that didn't impress the pair.
The segment took a turn when Kevins Owens had his own gift for Jericho, a brand new list. However, the list was The List of KO, and the name on it was that of Chris Jericho. Owens then launched a vicious attack on Jericho, and the crowd watched on stunned as KO ruined all of the gifts in the ring.
The fallout between the pair led to an intense rivalry. Jericho caused Owens to lose the WWE Universal title to Goldberg at Fastlane, and then the pair faced off for Jericho's WWE United States Championship at WrestleMania 33.
The Festival of Friendship has gone down in WWE history as one of the most impactful RAW segments in recent years.
