The New Day Breaks Silence on Their WWE Departure

The New Day's Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have broken their silence on their recent WWE departures.

The WWE Universe was rocked on Saturday morning when it was announced that The New Day had mutually agreed to depart the company. It later emerged that TKO asked the duo to take a pay cut on the new deals both men signed in 2025; both Woods and Kingston declined the request, which led to their departures from WWE.

Since then, there has been an overwhelming amount of support from not only fans, but the entire wrestling industry as a whole, voicing their support for Kingston and Woods. Oddly enough, both men had remained silent on the matter over the course of the weekend. But both men took to social media this afternoon to address their WWE departures in a very reflective manner.

Xavier Woods thanks his fans

The former Xavier Woods addressed his departure on social media first, noting that WWE has been his home for the last 16 years. Woods reflected on his time in FCW and the bond he formed with Kingston and Big E, calling it something he'll cherish for the rest of his life.

Woods thanked the fans for believing in The New Day even when their ideas were wild. He also put over the creation of UpUpDownDown, the video game channel he launched that became extremely successful during his time at WWE.

He would wrap things up by thanking everyone who has believed in him and that they have given him the confidence to walk away from WWE as Austin Creed. You can read his entire statement in the embedded post below:

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
— Austin Creed (@AustinCreedWins) May 4, 2026

Kofi Kingston says do not ever compromise

Minutes later, Kingston took to social media to comment on his WWE departure as well, noting that it's taken him two days just to respond to all the text messages he's received since the announcement happened on Saturday morning. Kingston revealed he hadn't been on social media until today and was overwhelmed by all the support he's seen.

Kingston would also bring up Big E, noting that most people go their whole life without experiencing a love that he's been able to share with Woods and Big E, making it clear that the bond alone makes his entire WWE experience worth it. The Former WWE Champion also offered some valuable advice to anyone reading his message:

"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. 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."

You can read Kingston's entire statement in the embedded post below.

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…

My story has been nothing short of remarkable and I am… pic.twitter.com/Tw7ZTpg9Q3
— Kofi Kingston (@TrueKofi) May 4, 2026

Stay tuned to The Takedown on SI for the latest news on what's next for The New Day in the world of professional wrestling.

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