WWE TKO Pay Cut Offer Kofi Kingston And Xavier Woods Turned Down Revealed

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods left WWE rather abruptly earlier this year. Despite their tenure and their contributions, there was no big goodbye. One day they were there; then they weren’t. That’s due to the fact they were asked to take pay cuts by WWE’s parent company, TKO. Now, just how significant those suggested pay cuts were has potentially been revealed.

Kingston And Woods Reportedly Asked To Take A 50% Pay Cut

According to the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it’s believed the New Day members were offered contracts that would have seen their pay drop by 50%. How much they were earning before and subsequently what they would have been earning after wasn’t a part of the report. Kingston, in particular, would have been on big money, and the pay cut would have almost certainly seen the veteran lose out on millions of dollars each year.

Regardless of how much the new dollar amounts would have been, a pay cut that would result in you earning half of what you used to is not one many would willingly accept in almost any walk of life. Think about your job. If you were presented with a new deal that would cut your wages in half or leave, I’d hazard a guess most of you would leave. I know I would.

Kingston And Woods Can Now Sign With Whoever They Like

It has now been more than 90 days since news broke revealing Kingston and Woods were leaving WWE. If they were bound by a 90-day non-compete clause, that clause has now expired, freeing them up to sign with any promotion they like. The frontrunner still seems to be AEW, although there have been rumblings that some in the promotion aren’t all that keen on even more WWE alumni being welcomed aboard.

Those reports came after Kingston and Woods left WWE. They were born from Sheamus following in their footsteps. The Celtic Warrior was reportedly among others to have been offered a new deal that would have resulted in a significant pay cut. Whether or not Sheamus would have also been earning half of what he used to remains unclear.

The rumblings that came after Sheamus’s departure were that some in AEW were against eventually signing him if and when the opportunity should arise. The roster is looking very full in AEW with some talented stars unable to get on TV all that often. Those wrestlers must feel pretty deflated every time an ex WWE Superstar walks in and pushes them even further down the pecking order.