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

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