Big AEW Names Pushing To Sign The New Day After WWE Exit

WWE suffered a major hit on May 2 when the news of The New Day’s departure broke out.

It prompted wrestlers of the rival promotion, AEW, to make indirect references to the duo of Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. Since then, the likes of Bobby Lashley and Swerve Strickland have publicly advocated for the New Day to be signed by AEW.

Reports of Kingston and Woods’ exit came at a time when the Stamford promotion was still reeling from the April 24 releases that saw more than 20 names leave the company.

Some of the big names that were released on April 24 included Kairi Sane, Aleister Black, The Wyatt Sicks, Motor City Machine Guns, and Zelina Vega. Along with Woods and Kingston, MFT’s Tonga Loa and JC Mateo were also let go on May 2.

Subsequent reports claimed that The New Day duo was asked to restructure their contract, meaning take a pay cut, when they were allegedly making seven figures.

However, both Kofi and Xavier declined and instead asked for their release. Interestingly, they had renewed their contracts only last year, which would have seen them be part of the WWE roster until 2029-30.

The two wrestlers are currently abiding by the 90-day no-compete clause.

AEW Sources Reveal Inside Interest In Signing The New Day

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods becoming free agents may have been the best thing to happen to the former WWE star.

The duo turned heel in December 2024 when they turned their back on Big E, officially excommunicating him from The New Day. Despite E dealing with a legitimate injury since 2022, they accused him of abandoning them.

Kingston and Woods have previously performed as heels and have received good screen time and feedback for their work. This time around, though, they were not featured in anything noteworthy.

At the time of their releases, Woods was dealing with a legitimate injury, whereas Kingston was trying to convince Je’Von Evans to join The New Day.

Elsewhere, a report by Fightful has claimed that multiple sources have confirmed that big names inside AEW are pushing the company’s higher-ups to sign Kofi and Xavier while they were still free agents.

Every AEW source that @FightfulSelect has spoken to about Kofi and Austin Creed are pushing for AEW to sign them, including some big names.

Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods Drop Their WWE Names

Following their departure from the Stamford-based company, both Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have dropped their WWE names.

The two wrestlers were recently announced as guests at a public event, GalaxyCon Oklahoma City. However, it was their names that caught the attention of wrestling fans, which now read Kofi and Austin Creed.

They will be attending the event, scheduled May 22-24. While wrestling fans are expected to line up to meet The New Day duo, they can be expected to get questions about their next destination, which might very well be All Elite Wrestling.