Big E Opens Up on New Day Leaving WWE and Reveals Scrapped Plans for Royal Rumble Return amid Injury

WWE's Big E addressed several topics during an appearance Thursday on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, including Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods' WWE departure, canceled plans and his future in wrestling.

On May 2, Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp shockingly reported that Big E's longtime New Day teammates, Kingston and Woods, had mutually agreed to part ways with WWE.

It was later reported by Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live (h/t WrestlePurists) that Kingston and Woods were asked to take a pay cut and refused, which led to their departure.

In speaking to Van Vliet (h/t WrestleTalk), Big E seemingly confirmed rumors of Kingston and Woods being asked to take a pay cut, and he supported their decision to stand firm on their value.

"There are things out there about pay cuts and whatnot. I just know, look, this ownership is not the same ownership that existed when we first signed to the company," Big E said. "It is their company, it is not ours. So they make their decisions with how pay goes, and ultimately, we all have to abide by that, and you understand that it is not your ball. It was not our ball when we first signed to the company. It is not our ball now. It is someone else's ball to determine when you get in the game and how many carries you've got. So they made a decision, and I just kind of want to leave that in their hands to be able to decide.

"I can't fully speak to a lot of that, but I think we, as performers, we all want to feel valued, you want to feel like people want you here, there's a plan for you, and we're going to compensate you accordingly. When you feel like that plan is not in accordance with your plan, or the money doesn't line up with the way you see yourself valued, you have to make a decision on whether you're going to say, 'Yes, this is what I will accept,' or 'No, this is not what I'm going to accept.' So they made a decision to step away, and I respect [that]."

Prior to Big E suffering a significant neck injury in 2022, he was part of New Day with Kingston and Woods for about eight years, as they formed the group in 2014.

During that time, they established themselves as one of the greatest tag teams in WWE history, as some iteration of New Day held the tag titles a record 12 times.

Given their history and friendship, Big E noted that he will always love and support Kingston and Woods regardless of what the future holds for them.

"Those guys will always be my family, regardless of what company we're in, regardless of how old we are," Big E said. "What we built is bigger than companies, it's bigger than our industry. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be in the financial position I'm in. I wouldn't have the breadth and myriad of incredible experiences, even just getting comfortable in my own skin. I credit those guys for so much of that. ...

"So those guys are family, and will always be family. And I will always root for their prosperity. I will always, always root for their fulfillment. I just want them to be happy. So, if they're happy at home, if they're happy wrestling in VFW halls, if they're happy doing conventions, gaming, whatever it is that they want to do with their lives that fulfills them, as long as they ain't hurting anyone, I fully support it."

The last on-screen interaction between Big E, Kingston and Woods in WWE came in December 2024 when they celebrated the 10-year anniversary of New Day.

That served as a vehicle for Kofi and Xavier to turn heel by denouncing Big E and claiming that he hadn't been there for him while he was on the shelf with a neck injury.

There was never a true payoff to that storyline, as Big E never confronted them, and Kingston and Woods remained heels until their departure.

However, Big E told Van Vliet (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) that there was a plan at one point for him to play a role in Kofi's elimination from a Royal Rumble match.

"And, you know, there was the plan," Big E said. "I loved the idea of me sitting for the Rumble. Imagine Kofi does a save where he ends up on the barricade. There's some dude with his hat low because they were taking shots at my fiancée at the time, too. So I loved the idea that maybe our hats are real low at the time. Kofi lands on the barricade, we tilt our heads up, take our hats off, and then maybe there's a swipe with a foot, and we cost him the Rumble. He goes out, something like that."

While Big E wasn't cleared to wrestle at the time and still isn't, having him mess up one of Kofi's signature Rumble spots could have been a fun way to get him involved, while also giving New Day their comeuppance.

It never came to fruition, but Big E suggested that the situation wasn't all bad, saying, "So unfortunately, the follow-up of that turn didn't go the way we wanted, but we were proud of the initial heel turn."

In terms of whether Big E ever sees himself getting back in the ring as an active wrestler after breaking his neck in 2022, it sounds as though that is highly unlikely.

During his conversation with Van Vliet (h/t Upton), Big E noted that WWE producer and former Superstar T.J. "Tyson Kidd" Wilson referred him to a spine expert who strongly advised against ever wrestling again.

"He connected me with Dr. Juan Uribe, who did his neck surgery, I believe, but just a spine expert," Big E said. "And he looked at my scans and man, it was almost a tone of, 'Please, even if they clear you… please consider being done.' And I talked to a few other doctors who looked at my scans as well, and they felt the same.

"When you hear that you were this close to having a stroke in your mid-30s, or being paralyzed, or dealing with even if it's just atrophy or constant headaches… it feels like living in a dangerous neighborhood and you always hear gunshots going off, but finally there's one that whizzes right by your head and you're like, 'Okay, it's time to move now.'"

Big E added that his upcoming marriage also plays a big role in him not necessarily pushing to get cleared, saying, "I think just knowing that people who do this for a living, some of the best spine specialists in the world, have implored me to hang it up or to consider hanging it up, I think that's enough for me. I'm 40 right now. There's so many other things in my life that I'm excited about that I want to do. I'm engaged, I'm about to get married in a few months. I can't fathom telling Kristen I'm going to roll the dice with my health and my life again like that. I can't do that to her."

While wrestling may not be in the cards, Big E is still part of the WWE family as a host on the premium live event pre-show and post-show panels in addition to serving as an ambassador for the company.

His status as a beloved figure in WWE suggests many more opportunities will be open to him in the future as well, meaning he can continue to contribute to the wrestling business in different ways.