What if Erick Rowan hadn’t gotten injured?

#1 Singles action for The New Day

New Day may have transitioned to the singles ranks if they weren't needed to hold down the fort among the SmackDown tag division.

One of the prevailing rumors this summer was that members of the New Day would be pushed as singles stars and that Big E, in particular, was going to get a shot at upper card stardom, maybe even as Mr. Money in the Bank.

None of that came together in the summer months, but after all New Day has done as a group over the last three and a half years, it nonetheless seemed likely WWE would start booking them individually, even if they did remain linked as a stable.

With the Bludgeon Brothers out, and New Day thrust into the champions' role, SummerSlam weekend comes across less as a last hurrah for them as a full-time team than a kick start to another wave of success in the tag ranks.

It may be just as well, as it’s unclear how far WWE would have pushed Big E, Kofi Kingston, or especially Xavier Woods individually. As a group of three men defending the tag titles under the Freebird rule, they probably have their best shot at consistently all getting TV and PPV bookings.