Austin Creed and Kofi made their AEW debut in memorable fashion on Sunday (August 30) at All In London, and the duo have since opened about their highly-publicized departure from WWE after a long run as one of the company’s most successful tag teams.
The New Level appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show on Tuesday (September 1) to discuss their triumphant return to wrestling as well as the various factors behind their decision to leave WWE.
While they acknowledged that money was a big reason for their departure,
Creed (fka Xavier Woods) also spoke about an uncomfortable reaction his son had to a moment involving fellow New Day member Big E. According to Austin, the moment made him realize that “we have to go.”
When news broke in early May that The New Day was walking away from WWE, there were rumors that the company had asked them to take a 50% pay cut. Kofi clarified to Helwani that the cut they were actually asked to take was more than 50%.
Creed said after WWE spoke to him about taking less money, he said to Kofi, “Hey, we gotta go, right? This doesn’t work for us.”
Even still, The New Level said a bigger factor for leaving was that they weren’t being utilizing to the full extent of their capabilities.
“Compensation was definitely a big part, for sure, but more so, we wanted to work,” Kofi said.
But Creed also indicated that the storyline with Big E also made it clear that they needed to make a major change.
With Big E, The New Day cemented their status as one of the most popular teams in WWE history. However, the strongman had to step away from the ring after suffering a major neck injury in 2022. When the team celebrated their 10-year anniversary with WWE in December of 2024, the two remaining members turned on E.
He said the angle resulted in a tough moment for him he had to avoid Big E on the red carpet at WrestleMania to maintain kayfabe. His three-year-old son also took notice.
Creed recalled his young boy asking: “Why didn’t E talk to us?”
“I said, ‘I cannot do that. We cannot do that. We have to go,” Austin said to Helwani, while becoming visibly emotional. “That’s not okay.”
He continued, “Being able to leave and be in a space where we will never do that again feels awesome.”
“These are my legitimate brothers. Like that’s not a gimmick,” Creed said of Kofi and Big E. “And I want to make sure that my son understands that this is how you are with your brother. You don’t turn your backs on them.”
What do you think of Creed’s story? Did WWE go too far by alienating Big E from the other New Day members? Let us know in the comments.
