Jim Ross has weighed in on Kofi Kingston’s WWE release on the latest episode of Grilling JR, confirming he was involved in signing Kingston originally and saying the former WWE Champion won’t be looking for work for long.
The framing came from Conrad Thompson asking whether Ross was the one responsible for signing Kofi during his tenure as WWE head of talent relations.
“I think I was involved in the process. Kofi was such a lovable, likable guy, talented as hell. You know, he’s now known for his spots in the Royal Rumble match, the spots where his both feet aren’t touching the floor type thing. But yeah, if he was hired during my tenure, damn right I was involved. I was involved in all of them. I had to do their contracts. I had to talk to them about their pay and any other little issue they may have.”
Ross then made the prediction.
“But Kofi has always been a great team player. He will not be out of work long. You put that way.”
WWE released approximately 25 wrestlers on April 24, days after WrestleMania 42, including The Wyatt Sicks (Bo Dallas, Joe Gacy, Dexter Lumis, Nikki Cross, and Erick Rowan), Aleister Black, and Zelina Vega.
Kingston, along with his New Day partner Xavier Woods, was released in a second round of cuts. According to reports from multiple outlets, Kingston and Woods had been asked to take 50 percent pay cuts to renegotiate their contracts before being let go. Big E remains under contract with WWE but has not wrestled since suffering a broken neck in 2022. JC Mateo and Tonga Loa were released around the same time.
Kingston is in a 90-day WWE non-compete window following his release, which puts him clear to wrestle elsewhere in late July 2026.
If you use quotes from this article, please credit Grilling JR and include a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
