The latest wave of WWE departures is centered around one of the most important tag teams and factions in modern company history: The New Day. According to Fightful, Bodyslam and Sean Ross Sapp, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have departed WWE, with Tonga Loa and JC Mateo also exiting the company in the same wave. The news immediately stood out because this is not just a roster move. This is the apparent closing chapter of one of WWE’s most decorated, influential and beloved acts.
For years, The New Day were one of WWE’s most reliable success stories. They started as a group that fans were not fully sold on, then turned themselves into one of the greatest factions in WWE history through timing, chemistry, creativity, crowd connection and consistently great work. Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E took something that could have been forgotten and made it unforgettable. Pancakes, trombones, cereal, comedy, elite tag team wrestling, emotional storytelling and real cultural impact all lived under the same umbrella. That is why this departure feels bigger than another name being moved off the roster. It feels like the end of a WWE era.
The exits of Tonga Loa and JC Mateo also matter, especially because both were tied to the Bloodline/MFT side of WWE television. But the centerpiece of this story is The New Day. Kofi and Woods were not just long-tenured WWE names. They were part of the company’s identity. Their departure lands as a major shift because WWE is losing two performers who helped define the tag team division, carried countless television segments, created genuine fan investment and built a legacy that will outlive whatever their final creative chapter looked like.
Quick Rundown Of The Departures
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston originally signed with WWE in 2006, giving him nearly 20 years with the company. That alone makes his departure massive. Kofi was not just a veteran presence. He was one of WWE’s most consistent performers across multiple eras.
His career highlight will always be KofiMania. At WrestleMania 35, Kingston defeated Daniel Bryan to win the WWE Championship in one of the most emotional world title victories WWE has produced in the modern era. It was not forced. It was not manufactured. It was the result of years of fan investment finally breaking through WWE’s usual creative ceiling.
Biggest WWE matches and moments:
- Kofi Kingston def. Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 to win the WWE Championship
- Kofi’s Elimination Chamber 2019 performance that launched KofiMania
- The New Day’s record-setting tag title run
- The New Day vs. The Usos rivalry
- Kofi’s annual Royal Rumble survival spots
Championships won in WWE:
- WWE Championship
- Intercontinental Championship
- United States Championship
- Multiple Raw, SmackDown, WWE and NXT Tag Team Championship reigns
Kofi’s WWE departure is one of those moments that does not feel real at first. He was the kind of performer who felt permanently woven into the fabric of the company. He gave WWE two decades of athleticism, credibility, comedy, emotion and history. However his run officially ends, his legacy is already locked.
Xavier Woods
Xavier Woods signed with WWE in 2010, meaning he spent roughly 16 years with the company. His departure is just as significant because Woods was one of the creative engines behind The New Day’s success.
Woods was never just the third man in the group. He was the voice, the chaos, the connective tissue and one of the reasons The New Day worked as well as it did. His trombone could have been a one-week joke. Instead, it became part of WWE’s modern fan culture. His energy made segments better, his in-ring work was underrated, and his presence helped The New Day feel alive even when the booking around them was not always strong.
Biggest WWE matches and moments:
- Winning King of the Ring in 2021
- The New Day’s 483-day tag title reign
- The New Day vs. The Usos rivalry
- Winning the NXT Tag Team Championship with Kofi Kingston
- Building UpUpDownDown into one of WWE’s strongest digital brands
Championships won in WWE:
- Multiple Raw/World Tag Team Championship reigns
- Multiple SmackDown Tag Team Championship reigns
- NXT Tag Team Championship
- King of the Ring winner
Woods leaving WWE hits differently because he represented more than what happened between the ropes. He helped bring gaming culture into WWE’s ecosystem, gave the company a major digital personality and proved that creativity can turn a midcard idea into a generational act.
Tonga Loa
Tonga Loa’s WWE career had two different chapters. His first run began in 2009, when he worked under names including Camacho, before leaving in 2014. He returned to WWE at Backlash 2024, joining Solo Sikoa’s version of The Bloodline.
His second WWE run was built around family, numbers and faction warfare. Tonga Loa gave Solo’s group another body, another Bloodline-adjacent connection and another piece of the modern post-Roman Reigns power struggle.
Biggest WWE matches and moments:
- Returning at WWE Backlash 2024
- Helping Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga defeat Randy Orton and Kevin Owens
- Winning the WWE Tag Team Championship as part of The Bloodline
- Working inside the Bloodline/MFT story
Championships won in WWE:
- WWE Tag Team Championship
Tonga Loa’s departure matters because it trims down the Bloodline/MFT side of WWE’s current storytelling. His run was not perfect, and the fan reaction was mixed, but he still played a role in keeping that faction dangerous and fully stocked.
JC Mateo
JC Mateo, formerly known as Jeff Cobb, signed with WWE in 2025 and debuted at Backlash 2025, aligning with Solo Sikoa. Of all the names in this wave, his WWE run feels like the one that barely got started.
Before WWE, Mateo had already built a strong reputation as Jeff Cobb in NJPW, ROH, Lucha Underground and the independent scene. He came in with power, credibility and the kind of athletic style that should have made him an instant problem. WWE positioned him as part of the MFTs, but the company never really got deep into what he could become.
Biggest WWE matches and moments:
- Debuting at Backlash 2025
- Aligning with Solo Sikoa
- Entering the Bloodline/MFT story
- Working as one of Solo’s enforcers
Championships won in WWE:
- None during his short WWE run
Mateo’s departure is frustrating because WWE had a lot more to use. He could have been a dangerous midcard force, a monster tag team piece or a legitimate opponent for anyone on SmackDown. Instead, his WWE chapter ends before it ever really had the chance to breathe.
Why The New Day’s Departure Is The Real Story
Tonga Loa and JC Mateo leaving matters, but this story begins and ends with The New Day. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods departing WWE is not just a transaction. It is the loss of a team that helped reshape what tag team wrestling, comedy and long-term fan connection could look like in WWE.
The New Day were not supposed to become this. That is what made them special. They survived a bad start, turned crowd rejection into fuel, found their voice, became merchandise machines, delivered in the ring and eventually became one of the most decorated teams in company history. Their rivalry with The Usos helped define WWE tag team wrestling for a generation. KofiMania gave fans one of the most rewarding world title wins of the modern era. Woods winning King of the Ring gave the group another emotional milestone. Big E’s WWE Championship win later completed the larger story of all three members reaching major individual success.
That is why this departure should not be treated like a footnote in a larger release list. This is the headline. This is the story. WWE is saying goodbye to two-thirds of one of the greatest acts the company has ever created.
The sad part is that The New Day deserved a cleaner final chapter. They deserved the kind of sendoff that matches what they gave WWE. Whether the departure was mutual or part of a broader roster shift, the emotional weight is the same: fans are watching the end of something that mattered.
Final Thoughts
This new wave of WWE departures is significant across the board, but The New Day’s exit is the heart of it. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods leaving WWE marks the end of one of the most important runs in modern company history. They were champions, entertainers, storytellers, workhorses and culture-shifters. They turned a shaky idea into a Hall of Fame-level legacy.
Tonga Loa and JC Mateo’s exits also reshape the Bloodline/MFT picture, especially with both men tied to Solo Sikoa’s side of the story. But the emotional headline is The New Day. Kofi and Woods gave WWE years of moments that fans will actually remember, not because they were told to care, but because they genuinely did.
However WWE frames it, this is not just a release wave. This is a departure that closes the book on one of WWE’s greatest modern acts.
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I’m the quiet one until the bell rings then I’ve got takes. I live for WWE NXT and TNA, I want every promotion to succeed, and I will absolutely roast the bad decisions on sight (because someone has to). Anime taught me to respect long-term storytelling; wrestling taught me that sometimes the plan is “we panicked” and called it “unpredictable.” The Miz got me into all of this, so yeah I appreciate confidence, commitment, and the art of talking like you’re already the main event. Now I bring that same energy to the page as the main writer for Late Night Crew Wrestling because if you’re not here to be must-see and tell the truth, why are you here?!