Backstage WWE and AEW Rumors on Kofi Kingston, Santos Escobar and More

It's contract season in professional wrestling, with two long-time members of the WWE and AEW locker rooms earning new paydays with their promotions.

The latest on those deals, as well as an update on Santos Escobar and his status with WWE amid a tumultuous week, headline this collection of pro wrestling rumors from some of the most respected industry insiders.

Dive deeper into each topic to find out who is staying and who might be leaving.

Kofi Kingston Stays Put With New WWE Deal

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On the heels of a separate report that Xavier Woods had inked a new contract with WWE, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported his New Day teammate, Kofi Kingston, has also signed on the dotted line to remain with the company.

"Fightful Select is told that Kofi Kingston re-signed with WWE at some point earlier this year. WWE sources indicated that they were of the belief of that the deal would be a five-year contract, taking him into 2030, when he'll be nearly 49," Sapp wrote.

Kingston is a former WWE champion and has been a staple of the company's programming since his arrival on the main roster in 2008. He has accomplished everything there is to in the promotion, and he remains a valuable asset on Raw.

Kingston can be a beloved babyface or, as we have witnessed over the last year, a despicable heel, making him an adaptable performer.

The 44-year-old is over with fans and is a major part of the locker room, making him invaluable to the company beyond his ability in the ring.

For that reason, Kingston has more than earned his new contract and a chance to continue his career in WWE rather than starting over somewhere else.

Update on Santos Escobar's WWE Status

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Sapp reported on Santos Escobar for Fightful Select on Monday that, "In an update, WWE sources say that Santos' deal will be up at midnight. The company has made attempts to re-sign him, but he passed on the offers." The report cited creative dissatisfaction over money.

For all intents and purposes, it looked like Escobar could have been on his way to All Elite Wrestling.

Then, Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported two days later that the two sides agreed to a new deal after WWE considered the former El Hijo del Fantasma's creative frustrations and offered him a significant financial increase.

Bryan Alvarez echoed that report on Wrestling Observer Radio and added that the 41-year-old "got a lot of money" and "a lot of different perks" as part of the new contract and that he is making far too much to be relegated to catering.

It will be interesting to see how WWE reintroduces Escobar to relevancy and what's next for him. Does he get a sizeable push and become a regular presence on TV? Is he a bigger part of what the company is attempting to accomplish with AAA?

Previously, his biggest push came when he betrayed Rey Mysterio and feuded with the Hall of Famer. That program ended with a whimper, though, and Escobar never really recovered.

Latest on Hikaru Shida's New AEW Deal

Sapp reported that Hikaru Shida's recent contract extension is at least a multi-year deal.

He wrote: "She's really well liked in AEW and has been missed for a long time. When she wasn't at Worlds End last year, that raised eyebrows, because she lives in the area. But it looks like everything is smooth sailing now and she will be with the company for years."

Shida, 37, is one of the foundational pieces of the AEW women's division and one of its finest in-ring competitors. A three-time women's champion, she has been at the mountaintop on many occasions and delivered some of the best matches the division has produced in its six years.

More importantly, she works well with all styles and should be able to come back and be inserted into programs with the likes of Toni Storm, Kris Statlander, Mercedes Mone and the rest of the women's roster and pick up right where she left off.

A major retention for AEW and someone who will only benefit what it is attempting to do with the expansion of importance of its women's division, Shida stays put.