Xavier Woods Replaces Injured Kofi Kingston In Upcoming WWE SmackDown Match

A member of The New Day will be competing in the Fatal 5-Way Intercontinental Championship Qualifying match on this week's episode of "WWE SmackDown," but it won't be the one that was initially advertised. WWE booked Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, L.A. Knight, Karrion Kross, and Kofi Kingston for the qualifying match, but now, WWE is being forced to make a change. On "Wrestling Observer Radio," Bryan Alvarez stated that Kingston suffered some sort of leg injury. Dave Meltzer clarified that it was an ankle injury, and Kingston's status for WrestleMania 39 is "touch and go."

One day before "SmackDown" emanates from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a preview of the show on WWE's official website revealed that Kingston has been replaced by his New Day brethren Xavier Woods. While Kingston wasn't mentioned in the preview, WWE did acknowledge that he was initially booked for the match. Woods was also part of the segment that set up the match during last Friday's episode of "SmackDown," so at the very least, his involvement makes sense. As of now, there are no further details on the extent of Kingston's injury.

The New Day has been without Big E since March 2022, when he suffered two fractured cervical vertebrae. During the former WWE Champion's appearance on "These Urban Times" late last year, he mentioned that he has to be cautious because his C1 vertebra is broken in two spots, and in the past, Big E said it wasn't healing optimally. With Kingston potentially on the shelf, Woods could end up being the lone New Day member on TV, at least for now.