The New Day’s abrupt WWE exit shocked many fans, especially considering Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E were all prominent members of the roster for years and were assumed to be “WWE lifers.” Because of how talented they are, few people doubt they’ll find success outside of WWE, and Hall of Famer John “Bradshaw” Layfield believes The New Day will become even bigger stars.

“Maybe they want to just go off into the sunset. I doubt that’s true; I hope it’s not! They’re gonna be bigger stars in a year than what they are now,” JBL said on “Something to Wrestle.” “Those guys are going to draw money.”

JBL shared his belief that there will be a “bidding war” over the former New Day stars, and though he was surprised they departed WWE, JBL was happy to see Kingston and Woods betting on themselves. He spent a sizable portion of the podcast talking about the two performers, including compliments for their abilities as pro wrestlers.

“That Kofi-Mania was legit; I mean, he … is a freaking global superstar. So is Xavier Woods!” he expressed. “Those guys are talented. I worked with them a ton of times. I loved working with them.”

Kingston and Woods were informed of their release at the beginning of May. Assuming they have the standard contract terms for WWE performers, they’ll likely become free agents at the end of July or in early August.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Something To Wrestle,” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.