2 Major WWE Superstars Quit, Including Former Top Champion
Two of the most beloved WWE Superstars of the past decade are now gone from the company.
Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, two-thirds of the widely popular act The New Day, are leaving WWE. Fightful and Bodyslam broke the news on Saturday, with follow-ups alleging that TKO, who owns WWE, pushed the tag team to restructure their current contracts. The duo reportedly refused, leading to the two sides to “mutually decide to part ways.”
Kingston, a former WWE Champion, had been with WWE since 2006. Woods, who previously performed as Consequences Creed in TNA Wrestling, joined WWE in 2010. Kingston had a successful solo tenure before linking up with Woods and Big E to form The New Day in 2015. They became a fan-favorite act, combining comedic antics, electric promo segments and fantastic in-ring performances.
The group’s popularity eventually led to a new peak for Kingston (real name Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah) as a singles wrestler. In 2019, he captured the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35, in a moment now dubbed “KofiMania.”
The group saw a revitalization in late 2024, when Kingston and Woods (also known as Austin Creed) betrayed their now-retired third member in a brutal heel turn. Despite drawing massive boos as revamped villains, it didn’t lead to any truly relevant storylines, a failure that fans placed on WWE’s creative team at the time.
Now it seems that The New Day’s next act will come outside of WWE, whether that be in AEW, NJPW, TNA or the independent circuit.
Big E (real name Ettore Ewen) is believed to still be with WWE, appearing on pre-shows and post-shows tied to the company’s premium live events.
It’s also unclear what Woods’ exit means for UpUpDownDown, the gaming-themed YouTube channel he spearheaded for WWE.
