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Randy Orton Breaks Character After 20-Year WWE Veteran Officially Bids Goodbye

By Harikesh Shekhar • Published May 05, 2026 16:42 EDT
Randy Orton WWE
Randy Orton WWE RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA during SmackDown at Lenovo Center on March 20, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by WWE/WWE)

This shocking release of a WWE veteran made Randy Orton break character and talk about him.

On May 2nd, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods of The New Day tag team departed WWE following the restructuring of contracts by company owners TKO, which led to a reduced payroll that the pair refused to accept and mutually decided to part ways with the company.

Kingston and Woods, along with Big E, were a hit tag team and faction in the 2010s, and although Big E had to quit wrestling due to a serious neck injury, the other two men continued as the New Day and even added Grayson Waller to the team for a brief period.

Kofi Kingston is a veteran with a 20-year run in WWE from 2006 to 2026. During this time, he has held major titles including the WWE Championship once and the Tag Team Titles a record 16 times.

Between 2008 and 2013, Kingston became a four-time Intercontinental Champion and a three-time United States Champion, thus covering all the major titles the company has to offer, making him the 20th Grand Slam Champion.

His departure came as a shock to many fans and some WWE stars. One of his former colleagues, a major star from around the same time, is Randy Orton, who has now opened up about Kingston’s exit.

Randy Orton Breaks Character Upon Kofi Kingston’s Exit

The Viper, Randy Orton, is a vicious heel and stands on the side of no one. He even turned on Pat McAfee, who was responsible for giving Orton the edge for his match against Cody Rhodes for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 42, by giving him an RKO towards the end of that bout.

However, Randy Orton broke character to acknowledge Kingston following his sudden departure from WWE with tag team partner Xavier Woods.

Kingston shared a long and heartfelt post on his X account about how thankful he is for his time with WWE, to which Orton responded with a heart emoji.

In the post, Kingston shows gratitude towards all the people he worked with and those who mentored him. He also gives some advice to up-and-comers. Here are some highlights.

My story has been nothing short of remarkable and I am truly blessed to have had such an illustrious, accolade-laden and, most importantly, fun-filled career.

I made my childhood dream become the most wonderful reality. Throughout this journey, I’m so thankful to have been surrounded by great friends and to have built so many unbreakable connections with people that I’m very proud to call my family. Most people go through life without ever experiencing a love like I have for Woods and E. That bond alone would have made this whole experience worth it.

There are far too many people to mention by name here, but to everyone who has ever supported me, guided me, helped me, taught me, cheered for me, praised me, stood up for me, and even rooted against me: Thank you. I appreciate you more than words can say. My main mission has always been a simple one: To provide a comfortable life filled with heartwarming memories for my family. And, largely in part to all of you, I can proudly say that I have achieved that goal and more.

Check out the full post and Randy Orton’s response here:

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