AEW is reportedly set to sign new talent in the coming months.
According to a report from Fightful Select on Saturday, the promotion will be adding “nationally televised talent” to its roster this summer. The report did not add any further details.
“AEW will be adding nationally televised talent to their roster this summer,” Fightful wrote.
WWE’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts will officially become free agents later this summer after their 90-day non-compete windows expire.
Wrestlers who have been speculated to draw interest from AEW include Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, as well as Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley of the Motor City Machine Guns.
The Young Bucks teased Kingston and Woods potentially signing with AEW on a recent episode of Being The Elite. During the episode, Matt and Nick Jackson contemplated how whenever you wake up in the morning, it is the start of a “new day.”
Matt Jackson said, “Every day is a new day. That’s a great point. Everytime you wake up, and the next day is a new day. I’m never afraid about the new day. When a new day is coming, I’m excited.”
Young Bucks on BTE today:
“Every day is a NEW DAY. That's a great point. Everytime you wake up, and the next day is a NEW DAY. I'm never afraid about the NEW DAY. When a NEW DAY is coming, I'm excited.”
Chris Dunn, a former writer for WWE, believes New Day would have been with WWE forever if Vince McMahon was still in charge of the company.
Appearing on the Public Enemies Podcast, Dunn reacted to WWE’s post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts, which included Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods being released. Dunn believes TKO is sometimes used as a scapegoat for WWE’s issues, pointing out that McMahon made these types of releases too. But Dunn doesn’t think McMahon would have asked talent to take pay cuts like Kingston & Woods were offered. According to Dunn, McMahon considered New Day a “national treasure.”
“Vince was making these cuts too. There was always spring cleaning,” Dunn said. “I think the difference is, like, Vince never would have asked anyone to take a pay cut. He would have either fired the person or they would have been somebody like the New Day, who he considered a national treasure — wouldn’t job out when he was trying to embarrass Road Dogg — and keep them forever because they should stay.”
Kingston & Woods chose to depart WWE instead of taking the significant pay cuts they (and some others) were approached with. Big E is still with the company in a broadcasting role after having to retire from in-ring competition due to the broken neck he suffered in 2022.
New Day at WWE Survivor Series 2018 —
Dunn was referring to Survivor Series 2018 as the time where McMahon embarrassed Road Dogg, who was running SmackDown then. McMahon had SmackDown lose every match at the pay-per-view except for a pre-show brand vs. brand tag bout.
“There was a Survivor Series where [Road Dogg] was running SmackDown. I think he was at home for a creative meeting and calling into it. And to f*** with Road Dogg, Vince, in a meeting, decided SmackDown was going to lose every match on Survivor Series,” Dunn said. “And then we got to, I think the New Day match came up when New Day was on SmackDown. So it was like, we can’t have New Day lose, let’s put them on kickoff. So it would be defined as New Day would win, but it wouldn’t count as a win for SmackDown because it was on the kickoff show. All to rib Road Dogg.”
Though they were ultimately on the winning side, Woods did take a pinfall in that match to eliminate New Day. It was The Usos who won the multi-team match for SmackDown.
Dunn was with WWE as a writer and producer from 2016-2021. He described Road Dogg as the “best mind in wrestling” who combines McMahon and Paul “Triple H” Levesque’s best qualities into one. According to Dunn, Road Dogg was someone who advocated for talent and advocated for ideas that appeal to true fans.
Road Dogg’s most recent stint with WWE creative ended this March when he chose to resign from his position as co-lead writer of SmackDown.
Tony Khan and other wrestlers spoke to the media following ROH Supercard of Honor.
Notably, Khan brought up something from the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter regarding people within WWE believing AEW wouldn’t get a TV deal from Paramount when their current television deal expires at the end of 2027. Khan denied those reports while saying he chooses to turn the other cheek regarding the constant speculation.
“I saw a report today saying somebody in WWE is telling people within WWE talking about AEW’s next TV deal and talking about what we’re doing. And I was surprised by that and I’ll say what they said could not be further from the truth and they’re entitled to their opinions,” he said. “I’ve been trying to be respectful to them and try to conduct myself as a gentleman and then for them to go on background and spread these things…I’ll just turn the other cheek, and maybe a couple of years ago I wouldn’t have done it like that.”
Khan also briefly mentioned Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods, who recently departed WWE. Khan said he couldn’t comment because they are still under contract to the company. However, he did say they were great wrestlers, and would say that under any circumstances.
Deonna Purrazzo, Outrunners & Dalton Castle, Red Velvet, Mark Davis, Athena, and Khan all spoke to media following Supercard of Honor on Friday. Here are the highlights:
ROH wrestlers
Deonna Purrazzo said that having three women’s titles in ROH was “beyond her wildest dreams.” She’s excited to create what Women’s Pure Rules wrestling looks like in the future.
Khan seemed interested in the idea of an all pure wrestling-style HonorClub show, but also brought up the idea of a lot of Pure rules matches on one show, including eliminator bouts.
Outrunners & Dalton Castle talked about their Six-Man Tag Team title win on Friday. Castle said this was the one that meant the most to him, while the Outrunners pointed out this was their first title win in either AEW or ROH.
Red Velvet said she was excited to face Willow Nightingale on AEW Collision. She said all she needs is space, opportunity, and three seconds.
Mark Davis said he was open to any and all challengers for the National title.
He also said it was difficult at first to break out as a singles star but there’s nothing else in the world he’d rather do, so it’s been great. Also called Kyle Fletcher one of the best wrestlers in the world.
Athena, Diamante, and Billie Starkz all continued teasing dissension with one another.
Regarding the Owen Hart Foundation tournament, Athena said she is focusing on building herself up so she knows who she thinks she is and will soon be ready to take over AEW, it is her time and she is tired of waiting.
She also mentioned she wanted to surpass Bruno Sammartino’s WWE Championship reign of seven years, saying that was the goal to reach.
Tony Khan
Khan said this year’s SuperCard of Honor marked four years since he started with the company and paid tribute to Jay Briscoe, saying he thinks about him every day.
Said Lio Rush is doing a fantastic job, it’s been really cool to watch him develop and there’s an audience for what he does.
Khan talked more about the visa issues with Mortos and Komander, saying they still haven’t gotten their appointments yet. He again brought up the idea of defending the titles in Mexico.
When talking about the upcoming Sammy Guevara/Darby Allin match on Collision, Khan told a story about a Daily’s Place episode during COVID where only ten people were allowed in the building, saying that Sammy Guevara and Kenny Omega went over 25 minutes in the main event.
He said ROH’s move to Jacksonville has been great for the locker room and this group of younger talent.
Regarding an ROH television deal, he said they have a great set of wrestlers and champions and the way media is moving right now, there are more opportunities for ROH than ever before. He brought up ROH’s successful subscriber numbers. He got offers to put ROH on cable before, but it has to be the right situation. He is excited for Paramount to be merging with Warner Bros. Discovery, saying “you couldn’t ask for better management,” while putting over David Ellison. He painted HBO Max and AEW as challenger brands.
Said Zayda Steel really stepped up and also put Persephone over, saying it was unfortunate she got injured at the hands of the Triangle of Madness.
Khan reiterated that his new approach lately has been turning the other cheek, saying that he thought about Jesus more following Jay Briscoe’s death and has tried to apply that to his life. He says he’s not perfect but still tries to apply it.
AEW reportedly has heavy interest in working with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.
According to Wrestlevotes Radio on Fightful Select, there is much interest within AEW for Kingston and Woods to wrestle at least one match on the promotion. Many AEW talents have also expressed interest in working with Kingston and Woods. While Kingston is expected to retain his in-ring name Woods is most likely to go by Austin Creed. The two New Day members are set to be free agents soon.
Kingston and Woods parted ways with WWE earlier this month after reportedly refusing to take pay cuts in restructured contracts under TKO.
Bobby Lashley was one of the few AEW talents who publicly spoke about working with the New Day on the promotion. He also indicated a potential alliance with the former WWE tag team joining The Hurt Syndicate, further establishing them as a dominant faction in AEW.
When @WrestleVotes Radio on @FightfulSelect reached out to a source in AEW, they were upbeat about New Day wrestling in at least a match in the company. who will need to go by a new name.
Are Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods of The New Day on their way toward AEW?
A few days ago, after WWE WrestleMania 42 concluded, shocking reports emerged that Woods and Kingston had mutually agreed to part ways with the promotion. Their decision came after TKO and WWE had decided to restructure their existing contracts.
Two of the most well-loved personalities across the industry, the news became a talking point. Now, according to a recent report by Fightful Select, people within AEW want Woods and Kingston to sign with AEW.
According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, almost one dozen sources they spoke to want the duo to sign with AEW. While typically they expected one person to dissent to the possibility, such has not happened yet.
Fightful Select also claimed that everyone they spoke to was on board for having Woods and Kingston join All Elite Wrestling. “A number of big names in AEW were making an internal push for the two to end up there,” the report further read.
Fightful Select noted that both Woods and Kingston are “universally respected” and are highly expected to join AEW once their 90-day no-compete clause ends.
Bobby Lashley on Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods joining the Hurt Syndicate in AEW
A few days ago, AEW star Bobby Lashley opened up on the prospect of Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston joining the Hurt Syndicate in AEW.
“Man, I tell you what, I think the problem that we have right now is that the Hurt Syndicate is too strong. If we bring those guys on there, we’d be just unstoppable. I don’t think there’s any guess game in what’s going to happen next. I think Kofi and Woods, I think they’re just amazing talent, and I think that anybody and everybody is going to throw in their money to try to pick those guys up. Hopefully they come to AEW, and if they do, we’ll try to get them if we can because I would love to be able to work with those guys. I like those guys. I’ve worked with those guys for years over at the other organization, and if they came over here and wanted to be a part of The Hurt Syndicate, it’s game on.”
It’s an original time period for the artists formerly known as the New Day. Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston remain with the WWE Universe, but Austin Creed and Kofi are headed for a new galaxy.
GalaxyCon announced the pair would be available for photos and autographs at their Oklahoma City event later this month.
The New Day were among the talent announced as leaving WWE in a post-WrestleMania purge. Kofi specifically seemed to confirm reports that the pair were asked to take a pay cut, and opted to leave instead. “Do not ever compromise or accept less than your due when it comes to your worth,” he said at the time.
The full given name of the former Kofi Kingston is Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah, which is why he’s allowed to use the singular moniker. Austin Watson wrestled as Austin Creed and Consequences Creed before being called Xavier Woods by the WWE. (Not to be confused with American football player Xavier Woods, who is also currently unsigned.)
Watson also used the name Austin Creed in all of his UpUpDownDown-related enterprises. The future of that YouTube channel remains unclear; though it was founded by Watson, he reportedly sold it to WWE in 2021.
GalaxyCon takes place May 22 through May 24 at the Oklahoma City Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Creed and Kofi have only been announced for Saturday and Sunday. They will not be the only wrestling personalities there; Gangrel has been announced for all three days. Tickets for the event area available here; note that autographs and photos cost extra.
Matt Jackson revealed The Young Bucks spoke with Triple H and WWE for a crossover match with The New Day.
On the latest episode of their Being The Elite Vlog, The Young Bucks were reviewing footage with Kenny Omega and The New Day. Matt Jackson revealed they spoke to Triple H for a match with Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods but it did not pan out.
“We truly were trying to get a New Day, Young Bucks, Kenny match to happen. An Elite vs. New Day match actively. They (WWE) said they were trying on their side. We were definitely talking to our bosses. Even to the point in 2018 when we got on the phone with Triple H and we talked to him and said, ‘Hey, we would really like to do this match.’ I don’t know if he was necessarily interested in just doing that match. I think he was more interested in pursuing us to work for him, but we talked to him about it. We were serious about doing the match and we thought we’d probably be able to do it, and unfortunately we never did.”
The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, and New Day are video game enthusiasts and often played against each other in varied documented tournaments. While it was never particularly associated with a wrestling promotion, it was featured in their vlogs and social media platforms.
Earlier this month, Kingston and Woods exit WWE after being reportedly requested to take pay cuts.
An update is available regarding how many members of the WWE roster were recently asked to take a pay cut.
In addition to the post-WrestleMania 42 roster cuts made by WWE recently, it has been reported that several wrestlers, including at least one major name, had agreed to take a 50 percent pay cut.
In today’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided more on the situation, writing that those “in a position to know” have said the number of wrestlers asked to take a pay cut is less than six, and that those wrestlers would have been cut had they not accepted.
Meltzer wrote:
“While there have been talks of large numbers asked to take pay cuts, those in a position to know have said that the number is less than a half dozen, and they were people who would have been cut had they not accepted it.“
“They were not the high end players and were people that creative had tabbed little interest in going forward and thus the idea is they could remain under contract while their in-ring aspect of their career would be phased down.“
However, Meltzer also confirmed that one major name wrestler agreed to a 50 percent pay cut, noting that wrestlers who wouldn’t be a fit in AEW do not have much leverage.
“There were reports, confirmed to us, that at least one major name wrestler agreed to a 50 percent pay cut. There are wrestlers who would not fit in AEW and are making well into seven figures, many in excess of $2 million per year, who simply couldn’t earn anywhere near $1 million elsewhere, so the leverage isn’t there.”
Meltzer also addressed the situation involving The New Day’s Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston specifically, stating that TKO had offered them a deal that would see them finish their current contract doing some in-ring work and working in a promotional capacity, but Woods and Kingston declined the offer.
Meltzer wrote:
“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.”
John LaRocca and I return with a brand-new Fight Game to discuss some of the most topical things going on in pro wrestling this week.
You can also watch full video of the show below.
We gave out our thumbs up and thumbs down before jumping into the major topics of the week which included:
Our early memories of Ted Turner and when we understood what he meant to pro wrestling
The New Day and Jeff Cobb being released by WWE and whether or not AEW should sign them
The path to the rematch between Darby Allin and MJF
WWE Backlash preview
Then, we finished up with our Observe This segment, talking about stories from Dave Meltzer’s 1985 Observer Book. Specifically, we covered the time when Dave retired the newsletter in April of 1985.
Bobby Lashley thinks WWE made a “horrible” decision by parting ways with New Day members Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods.
In an interview with Good Karma Wrestling, Lashley reacted to the news that Kingston & Woods are no longer with WWE. He called the move a “fumble” on WWE’s part and indicated that he would like to see Kingston & Woods join the AEW tag team division — if WWE doesn’t reverse course by bringing them back before they ever hit free agency.
“It’s one of those things where it’s like — that was a fumble. That was a fumble,” Lashley said. “Bro, you retire those guys. You take those guys to the end and give them whatever they want, because they’ve given the business everything.
“I don’t think there’s a person in the business that says, ‘Hey man, I don’t like those guys,’ or, ‘Those guys treated me wrong,’ or, ‘Those guys weren’t good to me.’ There’s no one. And we saw that one time before when somebody else [R-Truth] got released. When somebody else got released, they had to bring him back because they were like, ‘Uh oh, this is a bad move.’
“Well, this is a horrible move also. But it could be a great move for someone else. So at the end of the day, we might see some different mix-ups and the tag team division might come really, really strong and interesting in AEW. And if so, a tremendous amount of fans will go over there because they’ll start kind of saying, ‘Hmm, what’s going on? Isn’t this business built on respect?’ And if you have respect for the business, you have respect for the people in the business. And these guys should have a lot of respect in the business, so what’s going on?”
Kingston & Woods were granted their WWE releases after being asked to restructure their contracts. They did not agree with the pay reduction TKO was offering, so Kingston & Woods chose to depart the company instead.
Lashley is a former AEW Tag Team Champion as part of The Hurt Syndicate. He told Good Karma Wrestling that he feels like AEW is getting better and better every week, and there’s plenty of room for viewers to become AEW fans while still enjoying what is going on in WWE. He believes there is “healthy competition” between the promotions.
As for his goals in AEW, the 49-year-old Lashley still has his sights on becoming World Champion. He’s already held World titles in WWE and TNA and now wants to do so in AEW.
The New Day have confirmed that they have left WWE. And the world of wrestling has confirmed that there’s still plenty of demand for the New Day.
Big E, the third member of the New Day, expressed his admiration for former teammates Kofi Kingston and Austin “Xavier Woods” Creed almost immediately. AEW wrestlers Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Dax Harwood replied soon after. And the feedback hasn’t stopped there.
Here’s a collection of some of the comments left by notable personalities—from WWE, AEW, and elsewhere—on Kingston’s and Creed’s posts. A number of them made comments related to compensation, which seems relevant given the circumstances:
Ash by Elegance:“THANK YOUUUU!!! You are such a role model to so many!!! Spread your wings and fly now!!!! – ps – I tell everyone [Creed] was the first person ever to make me realize I do have an accent! Lol.. I’ll never forget that at FCW in Tampa.”
Nick Aldis:(Replying to Creed) “An amazing run for an amazing human being. Looking forward to seeing what’s next for you brother.”
Shayna Baszler:(Replying to the exercise Kingston is doing in his farewell video) ROPE FLOW GANG
Shayna Baszler: (Replying to Creed) I will ALWAYS go to bat for [Creed] because he went to bat for us.
Bayley:“Thank you for everything. I’ve shared a locker room for you for the last 13 years and you were always there for us. Made us laugh, reminded us of our worth, and got us PAID to have fun with our friends. One in a million!”
Mansoor:“Kofi and [Creed] are our two GOATs, the locker room leaders (along with Jimmy and Jey) while we were over there and always looked out for us. I’ll never forget when you wore that MxM shirt on TV to support us.”
Dean “Mojo Rawley” Muhtadi:“Thank you for the great times and big laughs my brother! [Up Up Down Down, Creed’s YouTube channel] was a huge testament to your business savvy and willingness to help the locker room. For so many talent, we needed those paychecks as they often paid the same as pay per view matches! Appreciate you bro!”
Kevin Owens: (Replying to Kingston) “Fantastic wrestler and an even better human being. Same can be said for Woods. Thank you guys for allowing me to join you guys for that one week … and seriously, I’m so sorry for turning on you.”
On Monday afternoon, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods each issued their first statements since being released by WWE.
News broke over the weekend that New Day member Kingston and Woods had parted ways with WWE. The two were reportedly asked to restructure their contracts but did not like the money TKO was offering. With that, Kingston & Woods were granted their releases and are now under 90-day non-compete clauses.
Kingston all but confirmed the contract report in his statement today, urging people to never compromise or accept less than their worth.
“Do your best to live a life without regrets, control what you can control, always give it your all, and fight hard for what you believe in,” he wrote on social media. “Do not ever compromise or accept less than your due when it comes to your worth. Find the courage to believe in yourself and fearlessly pursue your goals and dreams, because anything is possible.
The full post from Kingston can be read below. He expressed gratitude for the outpouring of love he’s received over the past few days.
It’s taken me two full days to respond to all my texts. I hadn’t been on social media until today and I’m overwhelmed by all the messages here too. So much love.
So I can’t help but to be filled completely with gratitude…
Woods thanked everyone who was part of his WWE journey, making sure to mention how hard-working the behind-the-scenes crew is. He appreciates the lifetime of moments he got to make in WWE and will carry them with him forever.
“To everyone who has been part of this ride: thank you for believing in me,” Woods wrote at the end of his statement. “Thank you for letting me be Xavier Woods. Thank you for giving me the confidence… to walk away as Austin Creed.”
For the past 16 years, WWE has been my home. It’s where I grew up, found myself, failed, learned, and got to live out things the younger version of me could only dream about.
When I first walked into FCW, I just wanted a chance to prove I belonged and to bring something… pic.twitter.com/jm0K78bh1C
The comment sections of Kingston and Woods’ posts have already started to fill up with messages from their former WWE colleagues. On Instagram, New Day’s Big E left a message for each of them.
“My brother, my family, to the grave. And beyond. A living legend. In and out of the ring. Love you dearly,” Big E wrote to Kingston.
“You have inspired me for many years and continue to. What a blessing it is to call you family. Love you immensely,” Big E responded to Woods. “Your impact on this business is immeasurable. You turned your dreams into reality. A real life alchemist. You have been a blessing to so many people backstage, to your peers in the ring, and to fans around the world. What a run.”
New Day became one of the most decorated and popular tag teams in WWE history during their time with the company. Kingston & Woods most recently held tag team gold from April-June 2025 during their heel run on Raw. In addition to their tag team success, Kingston had one WWE Championship reign, with WWE recently ranking his title win from WrestleMania 35 as the 13th greatest moment in WrestleMania history.
What’s next for Kingston & Woods is unconfirmed, but some of the top names in AEW immediately responded to their WWE departures by indicating that they would like the two New Day members to join the AEW roster.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including more WWE releases including New Day, John Cena at Backlash, what’s up with Roman Reigns, nonsensical story not true, New Japan, Smackdown and Collision recaps, all the news and more! A fun show as always so check it out!
Timestamps: Start: More WWE departures & releases including New Day 11:19: Roman Reigns off the road in June, Backlash’s first hour to air on ESPN 2 & John Cena advertised, NXT Lowell event cancelled 19:20: NJPW Wrestling Dontaku night one thoughts 30:05: Most famous wrestlers by city 37:44: AAA & CMLL notes, Trevor Murdoch announces retirement 45:36: More on the AEW & WBD non-story from over the weekend 58:29: UFC notes 1:02:15: Lineups for the week, WWE SmackDown & AEW Collision notes
New Day Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods from WWE.com (Image credit: WWE)
— Bryan and I will be back tonight to talk about today’s news and stuff here, as well as whatever we can watch with all the stuff that happened this weekend.
— Tanea “Rebel” Brooks in response to the message to her by Tony Schaivone on Collision last night said, “Thank you to my AEW family and to Tony Kahn and thank you to the fans for the signs. They truly lifted my spirits.” Brooks was diagnosed this past week with ALS, a horrible disease and from her video, she has likely been affected by it for a few years since she’s had multiple health issues that they had been unable to get to the bottom of. The story is so sad because ALS is a horrible disease and there is no cure for it. I think everyone says their prayers for her in this situation.
— I hate even addressing a non-story but this whole AEW story by John McMullen, which he completely rewrote, was such a non-story. Tony Khan has said the conversation claimed with David Zazlav in August never happened. Both AEW and WBD have completely denied the story. Of course they would if it was true, but the idea that any decision on AEW would be made prior to Paramount getting the company in and of itself makes no sense, let alone in August before ANYONE knew who would get it and Netflix was the clear frontrunner. Since August we’ve seen HBO MAX start adding AEW PPVs to its service and multiple new WBD/AEW integrations including on Adult Swim, the timeline of which made the story makes no sense.
MyAEW TV was not even released in the U.S. and Canada and was obviously, and we noted this from day one, a way for AEW to break ties with Triller which was having so many financial issues. It was not rushed out or even intended for the U.S. market, it was to replace AEW+ on Triller with an in-house service.
The only accurate thing is that the contract expires at the end of 2027 and whatever decisions will likely be made that year by whomever at Paramount/Skydance on either the sports side or entertainment side (and we don’t even know yet which side it will fall under) makes those decisions. Paramount + would have a small ownership stake in the company when the sale goes through and get a percentage of PPV revenue besides owning streaming and television rights from the sale.
I’ll talk more about this tonight.
— The stories on New Day that largely broke yesterday are accurate in that they were asked to take a pay cut on a deal signed in 2025 that was to go to 2030. They didn’t accept the pay cut and left on their own. For their careers, it was time to leave probably two years ago. It is most of the time good for longevity for a change in scenery, but talent doesn’t do it much for a variety of reasons including comfort and less or a risk in their minds. But they will be free agents in three months I believe, as their situation is different from the other roster cuts.
— The one incorrect narrative going around is that what has happened is something different than in the past. This happens every year. There are always lots of cuts, and always a few surprises such as talented people who were in stories that end up cut. Most of the cuts are people in the middle of contracts. There may be one or two no-cut contracts but for 99 percent of the talent they can be cut at any time. The cuts are more roster size than anything else and Vince McMahon did the exact same thing. Now, restructuring of contracts in the middle was not common, but it did happen under McMahon many times., Nothing is new here.
— Regarding Roman Reigns being pulled from June TV dates that were announced, the reason we were told is that he’s not going to be on the Saudi Arabia PPV and thus there was no reason to do the TV’s building that show. If he loses the title next week, of course that would be a change and there will be more to the story. If he retains, that’s probably all it is. But Reigns is no longer scheduled for any television in June.
— We haven’t gotten much on great weekend matches. Shane Haste’s GHC tite win over Yoshiki Inamura was 30+ minutes and if you like that kind of match, very solid, world title style working, it was a great version of that match, particularly Haste. Haste’s first title defense is 5/13 at Korakuen Hall against Kenta.
— Andrade beat Yota Tsuji earlier today to win the Global title in Fukuoka.
Mistico & Desperado & Taiachi & Yuya Uemura b Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson & Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita. Mistico & Desperado vs Eagles & Fujita tomorrow is now an IWGP jr. tag title match.
Will Osperay & Great O’Khan & Henare b Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi & Tatsuya Matsumoto
Shingo Takagi & Drilla Moloney & Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X & Daiki Nagai b CallumNewman & Jake Lee & Francesco Akira & Jakob Austin Young & Zane Jay
Aaron Wolf b Don Fale
Ren Narita b Oleg Boltin to retain the Never title
Andrade b Tsuji with the message.
Andrade will be defending next against either Umino or Moloney next, or in a three-way against both.
The second show starts at 1:40 a.m. Eastern tonight. Key bouts are:
Newman vs. Takagi for IWGP title
Goto & Yoshi-Hashi & Boltin defend the trios titles against Ospreay & O’Khan & Henare
Tsuji & Moloney & Robbie X & Hartley Jackson vs. Lee & Akira & Young & Jay
Eagles & Fujita vs. Mistico & Desperado for the IWGP jr. tag titles
Uemura & Taichi vs. Hartley Jackson & Oiwa
Takeshita vs. Owens for the TV title
— Templario beat Kushida on Friday night at Arena Mexico to win the MLW middleweight title. They didn’t sell out for CMLL vs. MLW but it was a very big crowd. Donovan Dijak & Trevor Lee both remarked it was the loudest in the case of Lee and one of the two loudest in the case of Dijak crowds they had performed in front of. Angel de Oro & Soberano Jr. beat Lee & Austin Aries. Dijak & Bishop Dyer kept the MLW tag titles over Euforia & Averno. Shotzi kept the MLW women’s title over Garra Negra.
— Jack Perry vs. Mascara Dorada and the ten-man tag match with The Rascalz & Top Flight vs. Death Riders & Dogs from Peoria last night on Collision were also great.
— I would have thought due to the time slot that the UFC show would not have done well, but it was reversed. UFC was the No. 2 television show on Paramount + yesterday worldwide, as well as No. 2 in the U.S. even though the show aired early in the morning from Australia.
— As far as Google searches for the weekend:
David Benavidez had 200,000
UFC last night was 310,000
Kofi Kingston was 100,000 (Roman Reigns not listed)
The Rock (for being pulled over) was 20,000
Ricky Saints was 5,000
— I saw nothing for Naoya Inoue, whose boxing match at the Tokyo Dome drew a reported 55,000 fans (sounds high to me but it was sold out way in advance) and a $32 million gate. It was the largest combat sports gate ever in Japan by a wide margin In the all-time rankings, it was behind Mayweather’s fights with Pacquiao and McGregor, Alaverez vs Crawford and both nights of the 2025 WrestleMania. Not sure what the 2026 Mania gates were so it’s possible it could be above that but don’t think so because WWE did not announce a record gate and this number was just underneath the $33 million each night from last year.
— AJPW Champion Carnival update:
A block
Kento Miyahara 7
Rei Saito, Kengo Mashimao, Oddyssey, Go Shiozaki, Talos and Kuma Arashi 6
Yuma Anzai 5
B block
1. Ren Ayabe and Daisuke Sekimoto 8 3. Hideki Suzuki and Yuma Aoyagi 7 5. Madkota Kikuta and Ryuki Honda 6 7. Xyon 5 8. Jan Saito (injured)
— Tom Aspinall said that things with his eyes are progressing well now and he hopes to be cleared for contact training soon. He said he is training, but not sparring, but said if things continue to improve, he’s back. He said he’s looking to fight the winner of Cyril Gane vs Alex Pereiera, who fight in June for the interim title.
— Dwayne Johnson turns 54 today. Pat McAfee turns 38. Wild Bull Curry was born on this day in 1913. Don Kernodle was born on this day in 1950. Randy Culley/Moondog Rex was born on this day in 1950. Ray Traylor aka Big Bubba aka Big Bossman aka The Boss was born on this day in 1963. Sammy Steamboat, who got canoeing into Hawaiian high school sports and was a legit legend of the 60s, passed away 20 years ago today at the age of 71.
Kirk White’s Big Time Wrestling from Friday night at a sold out Newark, CA Pavilion: Jiah Jewell b Marcus Lewis, Satnam Singh b Ben Bishop, Viva Van b Simone, Los Suavecitos b All Day Kru, VertVixen b Indi Hartwell, Bad Dude Tito b Jordan Cruz, QT Marshall b Royce Isaacs with Tommaso Ciampa as referee, Aaron Solo b Tome Filip. Next show is 7/17 (thanks to Johnny Poon and Jim Davis)
With Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston gone from WWE, it raises the question of what potential dream matches could be waiting for them outside the company.
That is not to say it is a foregone conclusion that Kingston or Woods will continue their wrestling careers outside of WWE. However, if they choose to do so, there are numerous opponents out there for them and several potential dream matches that many fans would like to see.
Below, I’ve listed some of what I feel are the best potential matches awaiting Woods and Kingston.
Young Bucks social media screenshot (Image credit: Young Bucks social media screenshot)
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston)
There is no other way to start this list than with New Day vs. The Young Bucks.
Not only is this a dream match between two of the most successful tag teams in the history of professional wrestling, it’s actually about something far more important than that: It’s a match between quite possibly the two greatest merchandise-selling tag teams in the history of wrestling.
The Young Bucks, prior to AEW, sold so many T-shirts through Pro Wrestling Tees and Hot Topic that it helped spawn a wrestling promotion. The Elite’s merch sales were so strong that a company now employing quite possibly the largest roster of professional wrestlers ever assembled exists in part because of it.
As for New Day, there was a good 10-year period where you could not go to a WWE event without seeing people wearing their merchandise in the stands. Not to mention boxes of Booty-O’s and unicorn horns.
I can’t think of two other tag teams with such a history of fans wearing their merchandise.
Granted, the wrestling merchandise machine wasn’t exactly as much of an opportunity back in the Road Warriors’ or Rock ‘n’ Roll Express’ heyday, but still.
Adam Copeland & Christian Cage take in the crowd at Forbidden Door. (Image credit: AEW)
Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston)
I don’t know how much longer either Cage or Cope have left in their in-ring careers, but if they can hold out just a little longer, another dream match is now possible.
While Edge & Christian didn’t have the longevity as a team in WWE that New Day did, these are still two of the most famous tag teams in WWE history.
It’s definitely an era-spanning match, and one that didn’t happen in WWE simply because while New Day were at their peak, Edge & Christian were not active.
But finally, with Kingston and Woods’ WWE departures, this match can happen, provided Copeland doesn’t have to film Percy Jackson or something.
FTR make their entrance at AEW Revolution 2026. (Image credit: AEW)
New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) vs. The Revival/FTR…but in AEW
New Day and The Revival have wrestled before, but we’ve never seen New Day vs. FTR.
New Day and The Revival spent about half a year feuding in late 2019 and early 2020. Granted, most of those matches featured Big E teaming with Kingston, but we have technically seen this match before.
I think it’s fair to say that there would be fewer handcuffs on an FTR vs. New Day match in 2026 AEW than there were in 2019/2020 WWE. We’d get to see a bit more of what the two teams can do.
Both teams have further cemented themselves as the top teams of their generation in the years since then as well. It would feel far more like a “dream match” now.
Photo: JJ Williams (Image credit: Photo: JJ Williams)
New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) & A Partner vs. SkyTeam (Máscara Dorada, Místico and Neón) at Arena Mexico
I just kind of want to see what New Day would look like at Arena Mexico, and while perhaps not a likely occurrence, the possibility of it happening now exists.
There is something about the old, over-the-top, unicorn-loving, pancake-eating New Day gimmick that feels like it would translate well to that environment.
I’m not saying this would be a five-star match or anything like that. I would just like to see Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston under the old New Day gimmick in a venue like Arena Mexico. They could wear masks with little unicorn horns on them. I’m sure those would sell.
Ideally, they would wrestle either SkyTeam or Mistico and a partner, just so they’d be involved in something bathed in the sort of aura that Mistico creates in that building.
House of Torture njpw1972.com (Image credit: NJPW)
New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) vs. any combination of House of Torture members
Just give me a second to explain this.
Thank you. Okay, once again I am not saying this would be a five-star classic, I just think it would be fun to see Kingston and Woods, who can both be absolutely hilarious when the situation calls for it, responding to the blatant HOT interference.
Woods being incredulous that Hiroshi Tanahashi continues to allow House of Torture to do this could be pretty funny. Them coming up with ways to irritate Don Fale or Dick Togo? Come on, I can’t be the only one who sees this.
I just think New Day being in NJPW at all would be fun. An act you never thought you’d see outside WWE all of a sudden causing chaos in Korakuen Hall would be great.
Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods pose for a picture. (Image credit: WWE)
New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston) in an AEW Tag Team Continental Classic
This one might be a bit of a stretch.
I’m not certain this idea is appealing to a 44-year-old and a 39-year-old, but AEW has more than enough tag teams to do a really great tag league style tournament.
You could put New Day against any number of AEW teams like The Hurt Syndicate, JetSpeed or Gates of Agony.
I don’t know that older teams such as Cage and Cope or Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin would be into wrestling that often within a month either, but if AEW ever decides to do this, think of the teams that could take part:
The Young Bucks
FTR
Cage and Cope (if possible)
Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin (if possible)
New Day
JetSpeed
Gates of Agony
Rascalz
Top Flight
The Infantry
The Dogs
Eddie Kingston & Ortiz
The Outrunners
Grizzled Young Vets
Big Bill & Bryan Keith
Juice Robinson & Ace Austin
Some combination of Death Riders
Some combination of Don Callis Family guys
There are definitely some fun potential matchups there.
