For the past 16 years, WWE has been my home. It’s where I grew up, found myself, failed, learned, and got to live out things the younger version of me could only dream about. When I first walked into FCW, I just wanted a chance to prove I belonged and to bring something different to professional wrestling. That chance became a life full of moments I’ll carry with me forever — WrestleMania, championships, King of the Ring, arenas around the world, and the gift of connecting with all of you by being myself.
The New Day gave me a bond with Kofi and Big E that I’ll cherish for life. You believed in us, even when our ideas were wild, and because of that, we got to show people that being unapologetically yourself is a strength. UpUpDownDown became another piece of that same mission: a place for joy, friendship, and humanity. I’m so thankful to everyone, past and present, who helped build it brick by brick. To the locker room, producers, trainers, crew, camera teams, ring crew, everyone behind the scenes, and the props department - thank you. WWE has the most special and hardest working props department that youll ever find. Love you guys and none of this happens without you. And to everyone who has been part of this ride: thank you for believing in me. Thank you for letting me be Xavier Woods. Thank you for giving me the confidence… to walk away as Austin Creed.
It’s taken me two full days to respond to all my texts. I hadn’t been on social media until today and I’m overwhelmed by all the messages here too. So much love.
So I can’t help but to be filled completely with gratitude…
My story has been nothing short of remarkable and I am truly blessed to have had such an illustrious, accolade-laden and, most importantly, fun-filled career. I made my childhood dream become the most wonderful reality.
Throughout this journey, I’m so thankful to have been surrounded by great friends and to have built so many unbreakable connections with people that I’m very proud to call my family.
Most people go through life without ever experiencing a love like I have for Woods and E. That bond alone would have made this whole experience worth it.
There are far too many people to mention by name here, but to everyone who has ever supported me, guided me, helped me, taught me, cheered for me, praised me, stood up for me, and even rooted against me: Thank you. I appreciate you more than words can say.
My main mission has always been a simple one: To provide a comfortable life filled with heartwarming memories for my family. And, largely in part to all of you, I can proudly say that I have achieved that goal and more.
I love you @earthmamarising . We could never have gotten this far without your unending love, support and sacrifice.
This wasn’t supposed to be a novel, so let me wind it down with some advice:
Do your best to live a life without regrets, control what you can control, always give it your all, and fight hard for what you believe in.
Do not ever compromise or accept less than your due when it comes to your worth.
Find the courage to believe in yourself and fearlessly pursue your goals and dreams, because anything is possible.
The kid that was too small, short, skinny, and scrawny was never supposed to make it in this land of giants…yet here we are.
And so…
…as the sun sets on one chapter, so too must it rise in another. Tomorrow is indeed…a New Day. ☀️
But wait there’s more….
🚨LAS VEGAS🚨 In celebration of WrestleMania 42, Culture Kings will be hosting Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, IYO Sky, Rusev, Maxxine Dupri, and Xavier Woods in store this Thursday 4/16! Capacity is extremely limited and RSVP is required!
More details included in the flyer!
(Post 2 of 2)
This is the follow-up post featuring the second mural that @heatherclementsart created for me. This time, I wanted a tribute to some of my favorite villains from gaming, cartoons/anime and pop culture. I had a list of 25+ that I narrowed down to these 10. That was VERY difficult and viscerally painful. I guess the affinity to my childhood memories is still strong, lol.
Let me also take a brief moment to say that in my humble opinion, Heather is the best muralist in Asheville. The absolute BEST. Her style is so detailed, unique, fun and moving; ESPECIALLY her interactive wall art.
She has an interactive book out called “Pull Me Apart”, as well as “Pull Me Apart Volume 2” coming soon (live now on kickstarter). Absolutely stunning work.
I’m super grateful that she took a departure from her norm to do my wall and bathroom! It really was a pleasure having her presence in our home for a few weeks.
Big shout out to @mckenzienmitchell ! She’s been working on Threads of Triumph for a couple years now and it’s finally out. It details some of the most iconic looks in wrestling history… and you know DAMN well we’re in there. It’s a fun read and very well done! 👏 👏 👏
Post 1 of 2:
I found @heatherclementsart ‘s page on IG and I was simply blown away. (Check out her work!)
I contacted her, gave her my ideas for a couple of murals in my home gym space, but due to slowwwww renovations taking place on my house, it took us almost a full year to finally begin. I must say, it was well worth the wait!
This is the first mural. It’s in my home gym bathroom:
A bright, guiding light and bearer of 3 children naturally, my wife as Wonder Woman might be the most accurate depiction of the five. I find myself often in awe of her daily heroics.
My eldest son is a competitive lad and absolutely loves the Harry Potter series. Naturally, we had to put him on the broomstick in the quidditch game.
My younger son is a skateboarder and a fan of Back to the Future. Moreover, he’s a really creative and dedicated problem solver, just like Marty McFly.
My daughter, like a mythical fairy in the clouds, brings an extraordinary and overarching sense of joy to our family. Her stature is small, but her presence is immense and powerful. Her essence is truly magical.
I’ve been blessed to live a highly improbable life symbolically comparable to riding on the back of a Luckdragon. Let the NeverEnding Story continue…
(Part 2 of 2 coming)
