The grueling nature of professional wrestling often forces competitors to take unexpected breaks from the ring. WWE fans have not seen Xavier Woods for weeks as he has been sidelined with a frustrating shoulder injury since January. The veteran tag team specialist is hoping to make his return to action in the not-too-distant future.
Woods recently provided a detailed update on his physical condition during a discussion with Bill Pritchard of WrestleZone. The conversation took place at the WWE 2K26 Creator Fest. “I feel ok. Lifting things with my shoulder doesn’t feel ok,” Woods said, highlighting the lingering issues affecting his mobility.
He painted a grim picture of the damage he sustained in the ring before taking a leave of absence. “I kind of put it through like a meat grinder, so we’ll see how it is,” he explained. Despite the pain, he remains focused on his rehabilitation process.
“Hopefully, it’s a few weeks of physical therapy, and then we’ll be back at it,” Woods said. He promised to keep his supporters informed if the recovery timeline changes in any way. “But if not, I will let everybody know. But yeah, it’s alright. We’re just staying positive.”
Woods’ last televised contest was a chaotic four-way tag team match. He and Kofi Kingston—along with American Made and Los Americanos—lost to the Alpha Academy on the January 26 episode of Monday Night Raw. He also appeared at the Royal Rumble on January 31, teaming with Kingston and Grayson Waller in a dark match.
On February 16, Kingston and Waller appeared on Raw and broke the news that Woods had been dealing with a shoulder injury for several months. Woods later appeared on Raw to complain that the company was paying tribute to AJ Styles instead of honoring his own contributions to the tag team division.
While Woods recovers from injury, another superstar recently returned from a planned absence. Tiffany Stratton says her recent hiatus from WWE programming came at the perfect time in her career. During a recent interview with Denise Salcedo, Stratton made it clear that her time away was entirely focused on resetting her life outside the squared circle.
“I feel like I did a lot of working out. I actually just bought a house recently. I’ve been furnishing it and getting everything situated,” she shared. The break allowed her to achieve significant personal milestones while resting her body. “I also just bought a puppy. He’s about eight or nine months old now.”
Although Woods is currently unable to compete physically, he has remained highly productive behind the scenes. He and fellow superstar Tyler Breeze served as official consultants for the MyGM mode in the upcoming WWE 2K26 video game. The widely expected title releases globally on March 13, giving fans a chance to experience the features Woods helped design.
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