WWE’s New Day Stirs Controversy by Calling Kendrick Lamar a ‘Trash Rapper’ on Raw

During WWE’s Raw debut in Los Angeles on January 6, the New Day tag team stirred controversy by calling out Kendrick Lamar in his home state.

Xavier Woods started the segment by saying, “The past six months y’all have been elevating this trash rapper Kendrick Lamar,” which prompted loud boos from the crowd at the Intuit Dome. Kofi Kingston joined in, urging fans to boo Lamar.

The negative reaction from the crowd was a classic wrestling tactic to gain attention, with fans online divided.

The New Day take shots at Kendrick Lamar in LA.

…W.T.F#RawOnNetflix | #WWEonNetflix pic.twitter.com/CIjjY5XSO6

— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) January 7, 2025

Some praised it as “insane work” or “top-tier trolling,” while others were frustrated that the clip was unavailable to standard Netflix subscribers.

The segment adds to the ongoing tension between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, which even spilled into the wrestling world last year.

WWE legend Shawn Michaels had previously invited both rappers to settle their differences at WWENXT.

Fans are now wondering if Kendrick Lamar will respond to the diss, either directly or through his music.