Kofi, Austin Creed reveal they were blindsided by WWE, asked to take 'more than 50%' pay cut

AEW All In 2026 delivered as one of the year’s best professional wrestling events this past Sunday in London. On the grand stage of the world-famous Wembley Stadium, one of the annual spectacle’s biggest moments was the debut of Kofi and Austin Creed — now known as The New Level after spending years in WWE as Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods of The New Day.

The legendary duo wasn’t advertised for the pay-per-view event, but instead made their arrival as a surprise entrant in the promotion’s first-ever Trios Roulette Royal match for the AEW Trios Championships. Alongside Swerve Strickland, Kofi and Creed pulled off the win to become the new champions on only their first night on the job.

Kofi and Creed parted ways with WWE in a shocking development in May after a 12-year run teaming together, in addition to teaming with Big E. While Big E remained with the company as a retired wrestler-turned-analyst, Kofi and Creed were asked to take significant pay cuts when it came time to negotiate their contracts.

Speaking on Monday’s edition of “The Ariel Helwani Show,” they revealed that they only officially signed with AEW a day before All In. Regarding their WWE departure, the reported 50% pay-cut ask was incorrect: it was higher, according to Kofi.

“We just thought the terms that they wanted us to perform under were not fair based on what we brought to the table, based on what we’re worth, based on the knowledge and prowess we have as performers and wrestlers,” Kofi told Uncrowned. “What we can give back to the younger people and do in entertainment. Being able to go out there and garner a reaction as good guys or bad guys, no matter the situation. We took a lot of great pride in being Swiss Army knives. Whatever the situation was, we would make it great and make it entertaining. Compensation was definitely a big part, for sure, but more so, we wanted to work.

“I will say, it was more than 50%. It was more. The compensation is a big part of it, for sure, but the bigger part is being able to go out and live your dream in a way you want to live it out and be appreciated for it. We took it all into consideration, and we knew this was the only path to take.”

Creed chimed in afterward when asked if there were any farewell messages from his longtime wrestling home. “Nope,” he said when asked whether he received any thank-yous or calls upon leaving the company.

More on this story coming shortly …