Xavier Woods may be dealing with a legitimate injury following his match this past Monday on WWE RAW. A report from Fightful Select indicates that Woods stated backstage his neck was “messed up” after his bout with Penta El Zero Miedo. The severity of the issue is currently unknown.
One source noted seeing Woods in a neck brace later that evening. Despite the potential concern, he was able to leave the arena under his own power, and his condition did not initially appear to be serious based on his ability to carry on with his evening plans. Complicating the matter is the fact that Woods has a history of feigning an injury each year as part of a recurring bit leading into the DragonCon event.
The potential injury occurred after Woods took a “Mexican Destroyer,” a variation of a piledriver, from Penta during their match. In a video released on his social media, Woods appeared in character wearing the neck brace and blamed RAW General Manager Adam Pearce for the incident. “Adam Pearce sent his masked mercenary to attempt to shatter every bone in my neck, all because he doesn’t want to give The New Day our well deserved rematch for the Tag Team Championship,” Woods stated.
He continued his promo by questioning WWE management’s handling of the situation, pointing out that piledrivers have been banned for years due to the inherent risk. “I was assaulted with a pile driver. Where was my care? Where was my Jason Jordan, where was my Shane Helms? Where was my Jamie Noble? Where was my general manager?” he asked, comparing his treatment to that of Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes in past incidents. While the promo serves to advance his storyline, Woods has also been seen wearing the brace and selling the injury at restaurants after the show, leaving the true nature of his condition ambiguous.
Looking ahead, Woods announced that his New Day partner, Kofi Kingston, is scheduled to face Penta on the next episode of RAW. He framed the match as a chance for retribution, declaring, “Kofi is going to avenge me by beating Penta so bad that he won’t be able to damage the neck or well being of anyone else on the roster.”
More information on Woods’ status is expected during the upcoming broadcast.