Summary

Bobby Lashley believes WWE made a major mistake by letting Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods leave the company.

While speaking on Good Karma Wrestling, Lashley said The New Day members had earned the kind of status that should have carried them through the end of their runs. News of Kingston and Woods leaving WWE first emerged on May 2, and both men later confirmed their departures in public statements. Kingston had been with WWE for two decades, while Woods spent about 16 years with the company.

Their exit has already sparked a wider reaction across wrestling, including Big E's message to both men after their departure.

Quote from Bobby Lashley

Lashley did not hide his feelings when asked about Kingston and Woods leaving WWE:

"Oh man. It’s one of those things where it’s like, that was a fumble. That was a fumble. You retire those guys. You take those guys to the end and give them whatever they want, because they’ve given the business everything. I don’t think there’s a person in the business that says, ‘Aye man, I don’t like those guys,’ or, ‘Those guys treated me wrong,’ or, ‘Those guys weren’t good to me.’ There’s no one, and we saw that one time before when somebody else got released. When somebody else got released, they had to bring him back because they were like, oh! This is a bad move. Well, this is a horrible move also. But it can be a great move for someone else. So at the end of the day, we might see some different mix-ups and the tag team division might (become) really, really, really strong and interesting in AEW and if so, a tremendous amount of fans will go over there because they’ll start kind of saying, what’s going on? Isn’t this business built on respect? And if you have respect for the business, you have respect for the people in the business, and these guys should have a lot of respect in the business. So what’s going on?"

What Kingston And Woods Could Mean For AEW

Lashley directly tied Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods to AEW's tag division, and that raises the stakes around where both men land next. If they do end up in AEW, the promotion would be adding one of the most decorated teams of the modern era to a division that has already been central to its identity.

Just as importantly, Lashley's comments show how much of the fallout is about perception. WWE losing two longtime New Day pillars has become a story about respect as much as roster movement, and that is why every next step for Kingston and Woods will be watched closely.

Sources

Bobby Lashley while speaking on Good Karma Wrestling