The influences Xavier Woods samples for his WWE character aren't surprising, but they are awesome

All three guys in The New Day have impressed with the microphone skills and character work, but perhaps none more than Xavier Woods.

Sure, there were flashes of brilliance in his riff on Apollo Creed in TNA, or his geeky cool NXT character, but nobody predicted that his every ringside utterance would be quoted and meme-d all around the internet. And to anyone who doubts that statement, I just have two words for you.

Tricep Meat.

Woods talked to Scott Fishman of the Miami Herald recently about The New Day's popularity, and how he, Big E and Kofi Kingston went from being off television, to in a reviled babyface gimmick, to where they are today - one of the best things about every WWE show.

Woods thinks that the group's initial flop as good guys now works in their favor:

That's why this evolution and journey we've been on in trying to get where we are means a lot more to us. I feel it also means a lot to the fans because they can feel how they've effected the change in us.

The trio's friendship has been integral every step of the way, from forming the group to creating the segments fans are raving about now. And it doesn't take a whole lot of effort as a result:

We just do stuff. It can come out of nowhere. When we go out, we have an idea and our music hits, then it's like we just go and do whatever pops in our head. Then stuff happens to stick. That's why we keep doing it.

As far as where Woods gets the stuff that just pops into his head, it's not surprising that the Dragon Ball fan and host of a video game YouTube channel has some nerdy pop culture influences. The names he drops to Fishman make a whole lot of sense when you think about his kayfabe persona...

Deadpool

Spider-man

And the Mouth of the South, Jimmy Hart

That's why we love you, X. And it explains your hair from a few weeks back.

Check out the whole interview for more from Woods, including his thoughts about WWE 2K16 and helping Tyler Breeze come up with his gimmick.

Spider-man and Deadpool are property of Marvel Comics