WWE contracts to Randy Orton/New Day extended due to injury

[The Rick Jericho]

TKO Holdings Group is currently signing many WWE Superstars to new long-term contracts, as a number of wrestlers who were re-signed in 2019 are set to join the free agency. However, according to a new report, the newly-merged company won't need to worry about re-signing several stars in 2024.

Fightful Select is reporting that Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E are all expected to be signed through 2024, as time has been added to the five-year contracts they signed in 2019 due to injury. Orton was famously out of action for over a year, returning weeks ago at Survivor Series: War Games. Woods has been riddled with injuries over the course of the past year, even now being currently on the injured list due to unspecified maladies. Big E suffered a broken neck in March 2022 and is not expected to return to action any time soon, if at all. Kingston has been wrestling singles matches recently, but was also out with injury in March of this year, missing WWE WrestleMania 39 due to ankle surgery.

When Orton and The New Day signed their contracts, WWE was simply WWE, with the company merging with UFC earlier in the year, forming TKO Group Holdings under UFC's parent company Endeavor. TKO has already re-signed Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Dominik Mysterio, and WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio to long-term contracts, and is reportedly working on locking down Cody Rhodes to a new long-term contract.

Wrestlinginc.

It seems with the recent re-signings plus the original end date for Orton and New Day, feels like WWE went on a signing spree in 2019 and gave everyone the same 5 year length deals.

So that's 4 less free agents off of Hunter's list for 2024.

I guess based on the guesses, Orton goes to 2025 as well as Big E. Kofi and Xavier, I am not sure how much time they missed.

[darbus alan]

Feels weird to do it with Big E since he's effectively retired.

[The Rick Jericho]

Dec 26, 2023 13:03:07 GMT -5 darbus alan said:

Feels weird to do it with Big E since he's effectively retired.

At this rate with him probably never returning and WWE constantly extending it.

It's like a LIFETIME contract for E now.

[fg]

Dec 26, 2023 13:04:58 GMT -5 The Rick Jericho said:

Dec 26, 2023 13:03:07 GMT -5 darbus alan said:

Feels weird to do it with Big E since he's effectively retired.

At this rate with him probably never returning and WWE constantly extending it.

It's like a LIFETIME contract for E now.

With Big E retired, it basically means that the New Day are a shell of what they once were.

On the plus side, the 2015-2022 version (remember they had a short lived version in 2014) are the longest lived faction in WWE history.

[CMWaters]

I wonder if this will be some last hurrah runs for these guys (save Big E obviously).

I highly suspect Orton/Reigns happening before Reigns finally is allowed to drop the title, so that covers what he does.

As popular as New Day have been, I'm starting to wonder if it's finally time to split them. Either put them on separate brands, or turn one to give Kofi a last hurrah singles run (I mean, Kofi going for the World title since the WWE/Universal is tied up could work as a "last glory" thing for him, and we could get Xavier some singles credit aside from his King of the Ring win).

[A Platypus Rave is Correct]

Dec 26, 2023 14:30:39 GMT -5 CMWaters said:

I wonder if this will be some last hurrah runs for these guys (save Big E obviously).

I highly suspect Orton/Reigns happening before Reigns finally is allowed to drop the title, so that covers what he does.

As popular as New Day have been, I'm starting to wonder if it's finally time to split them. Either put them on separate brands, or turn one to give Kofi a last hurrah singles run (I mean, Kofi going for the World title since the WWE/Universal is tied up could work as a "last glory" thing for him, and we could get Xavier some singles credit aside from his King of the Ring win).

There's no real reason they can't have Kofi and Woods still the new day and go after single titles.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

These clauses in their contracts aren’t really a story unless the talents are healthy and want to leave. This is the precise purpose of them, so the injured talents aren’t left out on their arses if their contracts expire while seriously injured and they’re unable to work ANY job, let alone wrestling. The fact that Vince would use them as a hostage-holding tool was just him being a freak.

[OGBoardPoster2005]

Dec 26, 2023 19:58:35 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

These clauses in their contracts aren’t really a story unless the talents are healthy and want to leave. This is the precise purpose of them, so the injured talents aren’t left out on their arses if their contracts expire while seriously injured and they’re unable to work ANY job, let alone wrestling. The fact that Vince would use them as a hostage-holding tool was just him being a freak.

In business language, its a deal designed to protect both sides. The wrestler from losing out to more due to injury and the promoter so a talent doesn't fake an injury and collect a check at home til the deal expires.

I'd imagine there would be a lot of wrestlers who the moment they get dissatisfied would run with an injury for the rest of their deal just to get out while getting paid. On the flip side, the wrestler is able to make up the time lost in the ring and fulfill the original deal. But isn't done in other sports. You couldn't do that in American pro sports for instance, but thats because free agency doesn't exist in wrestling the same way it does in professional American sports.