Report: The New Day “were essentially put in the position where they were going to be cut”

On May 2nd 2026, it was reported that The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) mutually agreed to part ways with WWE. It was noted by Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline that the two men “were asked to restructure” their contracts, but they didn’t like the deals, so they were then granted their release.

Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com provided an update regarding New Day being among the 2026 WWE departures…

“The New Day, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods, who were on the list of those without significant future plans, were essentially put in the position where they were going to be cut, but were offered less money to stay, wind down their in-ring careers and finish their current contract doing some in-ring and working in a promotional capacity.”

“They both decided to leave the promotion, given they had signed a five year-contract in 2025 at a certain number and one year in were being asked to have that money cut back while maintaining the rest of the contract.”

It was also noted that even if a restructured deal were accepted, they could still be released at any time, as the reduced pay would not come with any form of no-cut protection.