Every Original WWE NXT Black & Gold Roster Member - Where Are They Now?

9. Xavier Woods

Xavier Woods
WWE

What was he doing at the time?

Xavier Woods was Mr Ideas-For-Everybody-Else per just about every colleague he had back then, but he was still searching for the role that eventually made him a star. The big break was a couple of years away, but being well liked counted for something - he was victorious over Dean Ambrose and Corey Graves in the first few weeks even if the cameras were off on both occasions. 

What is he doing now?

As of writing he's seeing out a WWE no-compete, but as of your reading, who knows?

The world is Austin Creed's oyster after following his surprising WWE departure alongside Kofi Kingston in 2026. Alongside Big E, they'd done everything as part of the beloved New Day, including turning heel in an incredible 2024 angle that never once got the follow-up it truly deserved. 

The success of his UpUpDownDown side project speaks to his knack for collaboration outside of the industry as well as within it, and if his ambitions lay with that, more power to him for no longer bumping (incredibly well) for a living. He was the only man of the three not to score World Title gold in WWE, but there are other World Titles to win. Could that be a motivator?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.