The New Day's Kofi Kingston And Xavier Woods' Surprising Departure Explained

The WWE roster shake-ups keep rolling well after WrestleMania 42, but this latest chunk is different than the ones before. On Saturday, news broke on WWE parting ways with The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods). Unlike some of the previous departures, Kingston and Woods weren’t cut. They were reportedly asked to accept a contract restructuring. They declined, asked for their release and the request was granted, per Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez.

What Happened With Kofi Kingston And Xavier Woods' WWE Departure?

This one just feels different. For example, my 20-year-old son doesn't know a WWE without Kofi Kingston. Think about that for a second. If there is a short list of performers who deserve to be WWE lifers, Kingston is on that list. Woods is very near that same status.

JC Mateo's run was not what it should have been. I'm not sure if that was about booking or injury, but WWE fans who exclusively watch only the biggest promotion's programming never got to see Jeff Cobb in action. Tonga Loa's release isn't surprising and he's likely the departure that is easiest to stomach if you talk to most WWE fans.

WWE moved Kingston and Woods to the alumni section of WWE.com on Saturday, with Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful and Cory Hays of Bodyslam confirming the news shortly after.

Both will be subject to a 90-day non-compete clause before they can wrestle elsewhere, putting their earliest competitive return around early August 2026. Kingston's WWE run dated back to 2006 and included his celebrated WrestleMania 35 WWE Championship win over Daniel Bryan, while Woods has been with the company since 2010.

Why Did The New Day Reject Their New WWE Contracts?

Though all of the details aren't public, it seems as if The New Day were offered deals they felt weren't aligned with their current value, and that they could probably work elsewhere for more.

Per Alvarez, The New Day's existing WWE contracts had not expired. They were asked to restructure to TKO-branded deals with less favorable terms, declined the restructure, requested their release, and were granted it. BodySlam+ reported that the original multi-year deals signed last year were each in the seven-figure range. Fightful added that WWE sources were caught off-guard by the departures, with many internally assuming Kingston in particular would finish his career as a WWE lifer.

What's Next For JC Mateo And Tonga Loa?

Mateo is one of the most amazing athletes we've seen in pro wrestling for decades. His combination of strength and agility are rare. Unfortunately, WWE fans didn't get to see that. Tonga Loa had his problems in the ring from a smoothness and work rate standpoint, but I do believe there was something that wasn't explored from a mouthpiece standpoint.

There was a funny promo in 2025 that saw him echo the last words of Solo Sikoa’s sentences that I thought could have been explored a little deeper.

Still, he likely has the least shine of the four men parting ways with WWE.

Both Mateo and Loa were active members of the MFT faction on SmackDown alongside Solo Sikoa, with the group still being woven into the Bloodline civil war storyline at the time of their releases.

Mateo, known on the indies as Jeff Cobb, debuted at Backlash 2025 but never landed the main-roster push his pre-WWE résumé suggested. AEW and NJPW are the obvious landing spots, with NJPW in particular giving Cobb a familiar canvas to remind a global audience exactly what his physical tools look like.

What's Next For The New Day Outside WWE?

I would be shocked if the New Day doesn't land in AEW.

MJF has already publicly reacted to the departures with a cryptic social media post, and the broader AEW locker room has been visible in welcoming the news. With the 90-day non-compete clearing in early August, Tony Khan has both a clear runway and a clear need in his tag division. The biggest question becomes whether AEW positions them as a focal-point act or a respected veteran cornerstone, but the destination itself feels close to predetermined.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com