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When news broke recently that both Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods of the New Day were staying put in WWE, having agreed to new contract extensions, it came as little surprise. After all, the duo have been in the WWE system for 19 and 15 years respectively, and have been among the most consistent stables/tag teams during that time, with little reason to leave. And yet, at least one of them was keeping all of their options open.
Fightful Select reports that, while details surrounding Kingston’s negotiations with WWE aren’t clear, given his deal was reached quietly several months ago, that is not the case for Woods. Instead, the former King of the Ring winner’s extension with WWE was said to have “come down to the wire,” indicating that Woods was close to hitting the free agent market before agreeing to terms with WWE.
For those thinking this was a situation where Woods was potentially seeking leverage, that also doesn’t appear to be the case. While Woods’ preference was to remain with WWE, he also found himself in a position where he wouldn’t have to compromise regarding terms, allowing him to make a decision that would be “what was best for him.” In the end, Woods decided the best decision was to stay.
Given how close Woods got to becoming a free agent, it would suggest Woods may have had some interest in speaking with AEW, where Woods’ long-time frenemy Kenny Omega and long-time friends Adam Cole and Claudio Castagnoli work. However, there is no indication that Woods, nor Kingston months earlier, had any contact with AEW.
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