Sports

New Day's WWE exit ends historic run -- but could save tag team wrestling

By Tim Heaney Lindys Sports

It's a New Day ... well, unfortunately, not in the way many sports entertainment fans will like.

Roster cuts always plague pro wrestling news after WrestleMania, the official-unofficial end of World Wrestling Entertainment's fiscal year.

Adding to the released talent in the double digits -- Kairi Sane generated plenty of online sympathy early on -- Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods requested and were granted their releases from the company due to disagreements over new contracts.

One of the most beloved performing groups in recent pro wrestling history now comes to an end, at least in the form through which it grew popular.

Keep reading to relive The New Day's brilliant WWE run as we ponder their next steps in the pro wrestling world.

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Why is New Day no longer with WWE?

Even with the reported contract dispute being a major cause, we can infer several more reasons TKO, WWE's ownership group, wanted to part ways:

  • New Day wanting something new: As we'll get to below, Kingston and Woods may be ready to make history elsewhere, with familiar faces.
  • Booking decisions: The New Day's near-consistent presence near the top of the tag scene may not be receiving the same fan reaction as they did during their peak. As I'll talk about below, the WWE tag division is spinning its wheels once again.
  • Cost: As veterans formerly at the top of merchandise sales and many Premium Live Event (PLE) cards, TKO likely didn't want to pay top dollar for an act they weren't prioritizing.
  • Age: TKO may not want to spotlight them due to their ages. Kingston turns 44 in August, and Woods turns 40 in September.
  • New Day without Big E?: While the Kingston-Woods duo has succeeded on its own -- even as heels recently -- Big E's wrestling future following his 2022 neck injury remains cloudy, and they may not want to move forward without them becoming a trio again. The duo might've wanted to try their hand on their own if he's remaining behind the desk.

WWE loses one of pro wrestling's most popular all-time tag teams

While slotting the former trio alongside the likes of The Steiner Brothers, The Road Warriors/Legion of Doom, Harlem Heat, and the Hart Foundation might seem like recency bias, the combo of Kingston, Woods, and Big E Langston truly made WWE history and reinvigorated an entire division.

Three wrestlers with different histories faced a crossroads: Kingston was a veteran who mainly resided in the midcard. Big E was a former Dolph Ziggler/AJ Lee henchman pegged as a future world champion but faced booking stuck in neutral. Woods was mostly a character/comedy wrestler trying to prove he belonged in a higher status.

The trio formed The New Day as a takeoff on gospel preachers, complete with a backing chorus. A smiling babyface gimmick did not get over. They did when they decided to play ironically uplifting bad guys.

They force-fed fans the "New ... Day Rocks!" chant with pious attitudes while cheating.

As what often happens with "cool heels," they suddenly became un-booable.

Riding a wave of neon outfits, wild entrance graphics, dancing, trombones, Booty O's cereal, and pancakes -- trust us, it killed with the crowds -- they soon earned many, many, many tag team title wins.

Related: Brock Lesnar makes decision on pro wrestling future after WrestleMania 42 loss

New Day WWE career highlights

  • 12 tag team championship reigns as a group, combining WWE/World/Raw/SmackDown, using three-person "Freebird" rules
  • 483 days: longest reign of consecutive days as tag team champions (WWE Raw Tag Team Championships, 8/23/2015 to 12/18/2016). (Dark spot on this achievement, though: WWE pushed them so former legal opponents Demolition wouldn't have the record.)
  • Kofi Kingston: 15 combined tag team championships (most of any WWE wrestler)

KofiMania: The 2019 run by Kofi Kingston to eventually win the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan was one of the most uplifting wins in recent memory. (We will not mention how Kingston lost the title....)

Big E cashes in: Langston used his Money in the Bank contract to win the WWE Championship from Bobby Lashley in 2021.

Reveal surprise return of The Hardy Boyz at WrestleMania 33: As hosts of the show, they toyed with fans' emotions but delivered news that led to one of the biggest return pops of the past decade:

Tag team wrestling continues its slow death march in WWE

Along with duos and stables like The Shield, The Usos, and The Wyatt Family, The New Day helped save WWE tag team wrestling in the 2010s.

Along with The New Day, other recent departures include Tommaso Ciampa, who leaves behind well-estabilshed teammate Johnny Gargano (known as DIY and for their legendary NXT runs) and The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin), one of the indies' most popular duos in the past two decades.

While there's humor in Damian Priest and R-Truth, the division for men and women is hardly a priority, with just one tag match with established teams for a title taking place across two days of WrestleMania matches.

As it often was under Vince McMahon when he wasn't compelled to push certain acts, the tag division lies stagnant, even at a post-Mania window when it should gain more attention to help fill the six hours of televised WWE "action."

This downgrade of tag acts may prompt The New Day to look elsewhere if they want to add to their grappling legacy:

Will The New Day wrestle in AEW, TNA, or the indies?

No reports have "confirmed" or speculated on their next steps.

Big E's wrestling future remains uncertain, but the 40-year-old has established himself as a near fixture on broadcast teams like Premium Live Event pre-shows.

Of course, many are already speculating an AEW run, considering how frequently The Young Bucks have teased it over the years:

Plus, Woods is tight with indy, New Japan, and AEW legend Kenny Omega.

I wouldn't bet on them joining TNA, but maybe a lighter schedule and bigger spotlight could draw them there.

Either way, potential dream matches with the Bucks, MCMGs, and former WWE rivals FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) could inject new life into the tag team division across all of sports entertainment.

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 5:53 PM.

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