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On Night 1 of Wrestlemania 37, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston–the Raw Tag Team Champions–will take on AJ Styles and Omos. Defending their championships against this duo could be tough, but New Day member Woods can’t stop talking trash about his competitors.
Wrestlemania is WWE’s biggest PPV of the year–and you can check out live coverage of Wrestlemania 37 here. It’s filled with highly-anticipated matches. And there’s one thing Woods is anticipating himself, “I’m looking forward to beating the hell out of Omos,” Woods said during an appearance on Wrestle Buddies, GameSpot’s pro wrestling podcast. “Because there’s this idea in people’s heads that, ‘Oh! This guy’s tall so that means he’s a good fighter!’ What are you talking about dude?
“Tall does not equate to skill or strength or experience or knowledge or anything like that. He’s big, yeah that’s cool, but that means I can punch him directly in the kneecaps, hyper-extend his legs, and then what you’re going to do? I’m excited to knock down the giant, so people go, ‘Wow, Woods is so good at wrestling!’ No, we’re just smart. Kofi’s just smart. What are you talking about? We’re 11-time tag champs for a reason. People think we’re scared because Omos is big? No! I was this height when I signed up to wrestle, knowing that everyone was this big.”
Omos comes in at over seven feet tall, and before he teamed up with The Phenomenal One, AJ Styles, he was seen at Shane McMahon’s Raw Underground back in 2020. Silent and stoic, Omos helped Styles out during the 2021 Royal Rumble, and aside from his height, he’s primarily seen wearing a turtleneck, suit jacket, and gold chain–except for the March 29 episode of Raw where he changed up his look a bit.
He has a very specific look, and while Woods isn’t going to shame anyone’s fashion choices… ok, he’s going to shame your fashion choices. “If you want to rock the bathroom custodian look, you know, if you want to offer me a mint after my match and some hand sanitizer, that’s cool but I mean it’s not what I would wear, but do you,” Woods said. “[The turtlenecks] look good on him, I’ll be honest. His fashion choices are strange to me because sometimes he’s wearing a big coat. I’m shirtless, and I’m sweating.
“I don’t weigh as much as you. I’m not as tall as you, so I know that your body is overclocking right now you are dripping from the pits, why do you have this on? I don’t think he thinks about his fashion choices. I think he just kinda throws stuff on. His mom lays it out on the bed for him–or maybe AJ. That’s okay, if you want to live your life like that, but I’m a grown man. I dress myself. I pick my own clothes. That’s just me, though, but if it’s not you that’s okay.”
During the interview, Woods also spoke seriously about getting back in front of a live crowd, making wrestling fun, and his YouTube channel UpUpDownDown. You can hear the whole interview above for GameSpot’s wrestling podcast Wrestle Buddies.
This year’s Wrestlemania will be a two-night event on April 10 and 11. And like every year, make sure to come back to GameSpot for live coverage and a review of the show from Chris E. Hayner and Mat Elfring, the Wrestle Buddies. Additionally, there will be a post-Mania podcast about the show on April 11.
