According to a report from PWMania.com, The New Day, consisting of Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, has mutually agreed to depart from WWE.
Bryan Alvarez from F4WOnline noted that Kingston and Woods chose to leave after being asked to restructure the contracts they signed with WWE last year. Alvarez mentioned that both wrestlers were dissatisfied with the newly restructured deals offered by TKO, even though their contracts were still active.
As a result, Kingston and Woods requested their release, which was granted.
Fightful Select reported that their release was mutually agreed upon, and they will face a standard 90-day waiting period before becoming free agents. The report also highlighted that Kingston and Woods had originally renewed their contracts with WWE last year, which were multi-year agreements expected to last until at least 2030.
They reportedly decided to leave WWE by last Monday, with their release papers finalized later in the week.
Their departures reportedly surprised many WWE wrestlers, who believed that Kingston and Woods would remain with the company for the long term, especially Kingston, a former WWE Champion. However, this sentiment was soon followed by the acknowledgment that “nobody is a WWE lifer anymore.”
Additionally, Kingston will still be able to use “Kofi,” which is his birth name (Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah), but it’s likely that he will not be able to use the surname “Kingston” in future endeavors. On the other hand, Woods, whose real name is Austin Watson, has established the name “Austin Creed” as an alternate for use outside WWE programming, since “Woods” is owned by WWE. The name “New Day” is also a registered trademark of WWE, so it cannot be used elsewhere.
Fightful Select further noted that TKO has directed WWE to reduce payroll by millions of dollars, contributing to a wave of talent releases over the past week. Both wrestlers are believed to have earned seven-figure salaries, and it is anticipated that they will receive immediate interest from other promotions.
There are already significant names advocating for them to join AEW.
