Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston shocked wrestling fans when they departed from WWE in early May, and now Big E is discussing his former tag team partners’ decision to leave the company.
Woods and Kingston formed The New Day with Big E more than a decade ago. Big E stepped away from the ring after suffering a major neck injury in 2022 and eventually made his competitive retirement official in February 2026.
Though the reason for Woods and Kingston’s departure has not been confirmed, reports have surfaced that claim the duo had signed new contracts with the company, but then TKO asked them to restructure their deals with a pay cut. They reportedly refused to these terms and were subsequently granted their release.
Soon thereafter, it was reported Big E will remain with WWE following the departures of his former teammates, continuing on with his current work as an analyst on PLE panels and post-show coverage.
In two separate interviews this week, Big E spoke at length about The New Day’s departure, as well as what he thinks is next for his former teammates.
Appearing on The A2theK Wrestling Show on Wednesday (June 24), E said he thinks Woods and Kingston “both assumed that their entire wrestling careers would be in WWE,” before noting that “things change.”
However, he doesn’t feel like their time in the ring is over.
“I don’t think those guys are retired. I don’t think they’re going to put their boots away and be done, so I’m excited to see whatever’s next,” he said. “We communicate a lot. I try not to pry. I let them tell me what they wanna tell me.”
Big E noted that both Woods and Kingston have children, and lighter schedules will allow them more time at home.
“I think they’re also really enjoying the time at home right now during this 90-day period, where they have this no-compete clause,” he said.
Big E spoke even more about The New Day in an interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet that dropped on Thursday (June 25).
About the decision from Kofi and Xavier to walk away from WWE, Big E said: “I don’t want to speak for them. I know when the time is right, I’m sure they’ll have a lot of things to say. There are things out there about pay cuts and whatnot. I just know this ownership is not the same ownership that existed when we first signed to the company…So they make their decisions with how pay goes, and ultimately, we all have to abide by that, and you understand that it is not your ball.”
About his time in The New Day, E told Van Vliet that he “knew we had lightning in a bottle, and not just on screen, but off-screen.”
“The way we traveled together, the amount, the laughs we had, I can’t tell you how many times I had to wipe tears of laughter out of my eyes,” he said. “So many times when we were just, we had too much fun. I don’t think we ever had a blow-up, we never had an argument, we never had a time where we butted heads, really ever.”
He added that Woods and Kingston “will always be my family.”
“I will always root for their prosperity. I will always, always root for their fulfillment. I just want them to be happy,” he said. “So, if they’re happy at home, if they’re happy wrestling in VFW halls, if they’re happy doing conventions, gaming, whatever it is that they want to do with their lives that fulfills them, as long as they ain’t hurting anyone, fully support it.”
What do you think about Big E’s comments? Where would you like to see The New Day end up? Let us know in the comments.
