Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston are no longer with WWE. The longtime tag team partners and members of The New Day were quietly moved to the alumni section of the WWE website on Friday morning, signaling the end of their respective WWE runs.
Per Fightful Select, this was a mutual decision between the company and the talents.
A Surprise Departure Less Than A Year After Re-Signing
The departure comes as a surprise given that both Woods and Kingston signed long-term contract extensions with WWE in October 2025. Fightful Select reported at the time that Woods had signed a multi-year extension after his contract negotiations went down to the wire, with his original deal set to expire in September 2025. Kingston was reported to have signed a five-year extension that was expected to keep him in WWE through 2030.
Why the situation has changed so quickly is unclear. WWE has not publicly addressed the departures. Woods and Kingston have not publicly commented on the news as of this writing.
What They’ve Been Doing And Not Doing
Woods has been off WWE television for an extended period. On the February 16, 2026 episode of Monday Night Raw, Kingston announced during a commercial break segment that Woods had been quietly battling a shoulder injury for three months and was being forced by the medical team to take time off. Woods last competed in a dark match before the 2026 Royal Rumble Premium Live Event.
Kingston has remained on television but with limited featured booking. His most recent televised match before the alumni move was a loss to LA Knight on the September 29, 2025 episode of Monday Night Raw. He competed in a dark match at a SmackDown taping in Cincinnati shortly afterward. Both Kingston and Grayson Waller, who had been in an on-screen alliance with The New Day, had been appearing together in commercial break segments and on Raw without much storyline traction.
The Heel Turn That Reset Their Run
Kingston and Woods turned heel about a year ago, ejecting Big E from The New Day during the group’s 10th anniversary celebrations on television. The pair adopted a new heel persona, changed their entrance theme, and abandoned the “power of positivity” gimmick that had defined them for over a decade.
The reinvention initially worked. They captured the World Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania 41 and held the titles for 72 days. But the on-screen alliance with Grayson Waller in recent months had not generated the kind of storyline momentum that defined their earlier runs together.
Combined Career Highlights
Woods and Kingston are two of the most decorated tag team performers in WWE history. As members of The New Day with Big E, they hold multiple records:
- Longest reigning Raw Tag Team Champions at 483 days (broken in 2021)
- Most reigns as SmackDown Tag Team Champions at seven
- Most WWE-branded tag team championship reigns at 13 combined (seven WWE, five World, one NXT)
Kingston, real name Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah, signed with WWE in 2006 and made his main roster debut on ECW in January 2008. He is a four-time Intercontinental Champion, three-time United States Champion, and 16-time tag team champion. His most celebrated singles achievement came at WrestleMania 35 in April 2019, when he defeated Daniel Bryan to win the WWE Championship. Kingston is the first and only African-born world champion in WWE history. He is WWE’s 30th Triple Crown Champion and 20th overall Grand Slam Champion.
Woods, real name Austin Watson, previously wrestled in TNA as Consequences Creed before signing with WWE in 2010. After working in Florida Championship Wrestling and NXT, he made his main roster debut in November 2013. He is a record seven-time SmackDown Tag Team Champion, five-time World Tag Team Champion, one-time NXT Tag Team Champion, and a former King of the Ring winner.
What’s Next
Neither Woods nor Kingston has confirmed any next steps as of this writing. Both are widely regarded as future WWE Hall of Famers. Their respective non-compete clauses, if any, have not been disclosed.
Big E, the third member of The New Day, has been retired from in-ring competition since suffering a broken neck during a match in March 2022. He has remained with WWE in other capacities since.
