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Kofi and Austin Creed Debut in AEW and Win Trios Title After Saying WWE Offered Steep Pay Cut

A last-minute AEW signing that ended with an instant Trios championship win changes the balance of tag-team options between the two promotions.

Overview

  • Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods debuted for AEW Sunday at All In: London as The New Level and teamed with Swerve Strickland to win the AEW World Trios Championship in their first match.
  • The duo say they officially signed their AEW contracts less than 24 hours before the show after talks with AEW president Tony Khan finalized the deal.
  • They told multiple interviews that WWE asked them to accept a pay cut of more than 50 percent and proposed reduced on-screen roles, and Austin Creed said they received no call or thank-you from WWE higher-ups when they left.
  • AEW has immediately booked the New Level into trios and tag programs, scheduling a Trios Championship defense on the first Dynamite after All In against The Rascalz.
  • Their surprise switch underlines AEW’s deep tag and trios offerings, has produced reported regret inside WWE, and is likely to reshape near-term rivalries and title plans across both companies.