Xavier Woods issued a heartfelt statement after his WWE tenure came to an end this month.
Woods and Kofi Kingston’s WWE tenures came to a surprising end this weekend, as the two came to terms with their respective releases. According to recent reports, WWE asked Kingston and Woods to restructure their contracts. However, the pair did not agree to the restructuring and instead asked for their release.
Now, Woods has issued a statement about his WWE tenure coming to an end. Woods reflected on the bond he formed with Kingston and Big E. He also thanked everyone for believing in him throughout the past 16 years he was in WWE.
Xavier Woods comments on his WWE departure
Xavier Woods’ full statement (via Twitter/X) is 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 different to professional wrestling. That chance became a life full of moments I’ll carry with me forever — WrestleMania, championships, King of the Ring, arenas around the world, and the gift of connecting with all of you by being myself.
The New Day gave me a bond with @TrueKofi and @WWEBigE that I’ll cherish for life. You believed in us, even when our ideas were wild, and because of that, we got to show people that being unapologetically yourself is a strength.
UpUpDownDown became another piece of that same mission: a place for joy, friendship, and humanity. I’m so thankful to everyone, past and present, who helped build it brick by brick.
To the locker room, producers, trainers, crew, camera teams, ring crew, everyone behind the scenes, and the props department – thank you. WWE has the most special and hardest working props department that youll ever find. Love you guys and none of this happens without you.
And to everyone who has been part of this ride: thank you for believing in me. Thank you for letting me be Xavier Woods. Thank you for giving me the confidence… to walk away as Austin Creed.”
According to Fightful (via Fightful Select) and Cory Hays of Bodyslam, both Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods will adhere to a 90-day waiting period before they can sign with other promotions.
