WWE Roster Cuts: The New Day, JC Mateo, and Tonga Loa Exit

WWE has announced the departure of several high-profile superstars, including the iconic tag team The New Day and key members of the MFT stable, as part of a broader series of roster changes following WrestleMania 42.

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, founding members of The New Day, have officially left the company. According to reporting from Fightful Select and Cory Hays of Bodyslam.net, the duo and WWE mutually agreed to the decision to part ways. Both performers have been moved to the alumni section of WWE.com, confirming their exits from the active roster.

The departure of Kingston and Woods is particularly unexpected given their recent contract status. Fightful reported that both men had signed new multi-year deals in October 2025, with Woods re-signing on October 7 and Kingston on October 8. Kingston’s extension was reportedly a five-year deal expected to keep him with the company through 2030.

An End of an Era for The New Day

The New Day stands as one of the most successful and enduring acts in modern professional wrestling. Kingston first joined WWE in September 2006, and Woods followed in July 2010. Throughout their tenure, often alongside partner Big E, the group captured the WWE Raw, SmackDown, and World Tag Team Championships a total of 12 times, in addition to winning the NXT Tag Team Championships.

The duo’s recent activity had been limited. Kingston’s final televised appearance occurred on the April 17 episode of SmackDown, where he teamed with Grayson Waller in a loss to WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and R-Truth. Woods had been sidelined with an injury and had not appeared on television since the January 26 edition of Raw, with his last in-ring action taking place during a dark match at the Royal Rumble.

MFT Roster Cuts

Alongside the departure of The New Day, WWE has released JC Mateo and Tonga Loa, both members of the MFT (My Family Tree) faction on the SmackDown brand. While The New Day’s exit was described as mutual, PWInsider characterized the departures of Mateo and Loa as roster cuts.

JC Mateo, known previously as Jeff Cobb in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, signed with WWE in 2025 and debuted at Backlash. He held the WWE Tag Team Championship with Tama Tonga before losing the titles on March 20. His final match took place on the April 24 episode of SmackDown in a tag team loss to Priest and R-Truth.

Tonga Loa’s exit marks the conclusion of his second stint with the company. After returning at Backlash 2024 to align with Solo Sikoa’s version of the Bloodline, Loa held the WWE Tag Team Titles from August through October 2024. His final appearance was on the April 13 episode of Monday Night Raw, where he teamed with Solo Sikoa and Tama Tonga in a losing effort against LA Knight and The Usos.

Broader Post-WrestleMania Roster Changes

These exits follow a significant wave of releases that occurred around April 24, after WrestleMania 42. Reports indicate that between 23 and 26 superstars were released during that period, marking a substantial shift in the company’s active roster.

Notable departures from the earlier April wave included:

• The entire Wyatt Sicks faction, including Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy), Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erick Rowan, and Dexter Lumis.
• Kairi Sane.
• Aleister Black.
• Zelina Vega.
• Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin.
• Santos Escobar and Zoey Stark.

Industry analysts and reports from F4WOnline suggest that some of these cuts were decided over a week prior to their announcement but were delayed due to contractual details that needed to be finalized. With the most recent moves, WWE has continued its trend of “spring cleaning” the roster to reshape its programming for the remainder of 2026.