Xavier Woods lipoma removal sidelines him from Worlds Collide

Xavier Woods, a member of WWE’s New Day, disclosed this week that he underwent surgery to remove a benign lump from the back of his head, a procedure that kept him out of WWE x AAA Worlds Collide on Friday. Woods publicly confirmed the operation in a backstage segment on the program and later shared before-and-after photos on social media, saying the mass had been “carved out of the back of my head.” He was replaced on the card by Grayson Waller, who teamed with Kofi Kingston in a loss to AAA Tag Team Champions Pagano and Psycho Clown.

Woods initially described the growth as a lymphoma in an online post but corrected himself in a subsequent message, clarifying that the removed tissue was a lipoma. Medical experts commonly describe lipomas as benign fatty lumps that form between the skin and muscle and are typically harmless, though they are sometimes removed if they cause pain or other symptoms. Reports conflicted slightly on the timing of the procedure, with some accounts saying Thursday and Woods’ own posts indicating the surgery took place on Friday morning.

In keeping with WWE storyline conventions, Woods blamed the injury on rival wrestler Penta, accusing him of repeatedly...