Xavier Woods Gives Shoulder Injury Update

Xavier Woods isn’t planning on being out of action for long.

After Kofi Kingston revealed on the February 16 episode of WWE Raw that Woods has been dealing with a lingering shoulder injury and would need time off, the 13-time WWE Tag Team Champion offered a personal update during WWE 2K26 Creator Fest at WWE Headquarters.

Speaking with WrestleZone, Woods admitted the shoulder isn’t perfect — but he’s staying positive about the recovery timeline.

“I feel ok. Lifting things with my shoulder doesn’t feel ok,” Woods said. “I kind of put it through like a meat grinder, so we’ll see how it is.”

Despite the damage, Woods is hopeful the fix won’t require an extended absence.

“Hopefully, it’s a few weeks of physical therapy, and then we’ll be back at it. But if not, I will let everybody know,” he added. “But yeah, it’s alright. We’re just staying positive.”

For now, the focus appears to be rest and rehab rather than surgery, which is good news for New Day fans concerned about a lengthy layoff.

While at Creator Fest, Woods also reflected on another major part of his career — gaming. Through UpUpDownDown and WWE 2K partnerships, Woods has become one of the most recognizable gaming ambassadors in wrestling. He explained how video games create a shared bond inside the locker room.

“There’s definitely a ton of guys and girls in the locker room that play video games. So, it’s just another way for us to bond in the locker room, another thing for us to have a commonality on. For me, video games are like a safe space, just like wrestling was when I was little.”

For Woods, merging gaming and wrestling isn’t just branding — it’s personal.

“So the fact that I have the ability to not only see my two passions merge, but be one of the reasons that they have merged, it’s a really good feeling,” he said. “It makes me feel like I have really made my mark on wrestling while I’ve been a part of it, and made it a place where you can be more comfortable and be yourself, rather than climbing up and trying to be what everybody else thinks you should be and losing yourself in that.”

For now, Woods is focused on healing up — but if his timeline holds, fans may not have to wait long to see him back in the ring.

Do you think Xavier Woods should take extra time to fully recover, or return as soon as he feels ready? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.