Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods’ exit from WWE sparked immediate buzz about what comes next, but fresh details have now shed light on why the longtime tag team chose to walk away.

While early speculation leaned heavily toward potential landing spots and interest from All Elite Wrestling, the real reason behind their departure was tied to contract negotiations rather than creative direction.

According to Bryan Alvarez, the situation unfolded after the duo were asked to transition their existing agreements into new deals under the TKO Group Holdings structure. Kingston and Woods ultimately declined those terms, leading to their release despite their contracts not being up.

“We can also confirm that in the case of New Day, it was their decision to leave based on what TKO was offering for a new deal. To be specific, New Day’s deals were not up. They were asked to restructure to TKO deals, they didn’t like the deals, so they were then granted their release.”

Interest in the pair is already building elsewhere. Within AEW, there is said to be significant internal excitement over the possibility of bringing in The New Day and integrating them into the roster.

"There is a lot of excitement in AEW circles about the potential of The New Day coming into the company, PWInsider.com can confirm."

One matchup continues to generate the most buzz behind the scenes. Sources have highlighted the long teased clash between The Young Bucks and The New Day, a dream match that has been hinted at for years across interviews and social media but never came to fruition due to promotional barriers.

"We've heard from a number of people connected to the company who pointed out that The Young Bucks and New Day have teased the idea of wrestling each other going many years back, but now everyone may finally be able to actually deliver that bout. That doesn't mean the team is coming in, but there are some who are excited about the idea of that match finally happening."