The New Level Reveal WWE Offered “More Than 50%” Pay Cut, Discuss Receiving TKO Phone Calls

Austin Creed and Kofi have opened up for the first time about leaving WWE, revealing more about their departures.

When Creed and Kofi were announced to be departing WWE this past May, no one could truly believe it. Many felt that the then “New Day” trio would be lifers in the company, given all they had done and the moments they imparted on the company. Then, rumors started to swirl that, signing contracts last year, they were asked by TKO to take a 50% pay cut despite signing new deals last year, leading to them turning it down and securing their release. Now, the duo have revealed more on their WWE exits.

In a chat with Ariel Helwani, Kofi and Austin revealed just how deep the cuts went before and during their departure, including that it was more than a 50% pay cut they were asked to take.

“We just thought that 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 that we have as performers, as wrestlers, what we can give back to the younger people, what we do from a point of entertainment, being able to go out there and garner a reaction as good guys or bad guys. Compensation was definitely a big part, but more so, we wanted to work. We wanted to go out there and showcase our skills and showcase our talents. We wanted to do what we love. We love going out there and messing with fans and threatening to ground kids and really garner reactions to people, and send them home with incredible memories they’ll never forget — I don’t know exactly what’s out there. I will say it was more than 50%. A lot of people don’t know. It was more.”

-Kofi

However, that isn’t the end of the story, as both Creed and Kofi revealed when they got word about the pay cut ask.

“I’m at my kid’s football game, and my phone rings. It’s a 203 number. I’m like, ‘Why would I not have this number in my phone? That’s weird. I haven’t seen a 203 number that I don’t have in a long time.’ Maybe like 15 minutes later, my brain goes, ‘Hmm, it’s very close to after Mania. Usually, there’s like releases, but we’re not getting released. We’ve been helping out. We’ve been pulling our weight and doing all of this stuff.’ So that was a flicker of a thought in my mind that it would be a negative conversation. And then I end up getting a call from Kofi, and he’s like, ‘Hey, they just called me, and they said this, this, and this.’ I was like, ‘… How was that the conversation?’ It doesn’t make sense to me because of what we’ve been able to do, what we bring to the table, how much we have left to provide for what we believe the landscape of pro wrestling is. So I called them back, and then I end up calling Kofi. That was the first time that we had the conversation. We realized, ‘Hey, we got to go, right? This doesn’t work for us. This isn’t what we want to be doing.’”

-Austin Creed

For Kofi, it was his kids’ birthday when he found out.

“The world had just been flipped upside down getting a call that you never thought you would ever have to field or make a decision with, but it’s my son’s day. So I can’t emotionally let myself go or fall apart or be pissed off because it’s his day.”

-Kofi

Infamously, during a New Day celebration on Monday Night Raw, Kofi and Creed turned against their third member, Big E, who was out with an injury and wouldn’t return to the ring.

This kicked off what was perceived as the first major heel arc for the New Day in many years, and yet, it came at a cost, including a personal one for Creed, as he had to try and defend what was happening in kayfabe to his son.

“He was remembering at Mania because we were [fighting in kayfabe]. We walked past E on the red carpet and I pulled my family along… he’s three… I cannot do that. We cannot do that. We have to go. That’s not okay.”

-Austin Creed

And to put a capper on things, when asked by Ariel if anyone in WWE reached out to them after they were released, Creed said, “Nope,” but he made it clear that he wasn’t bitter about all that went down.

“I don’t want to set the tone that we’re so mad and angry and pissed. It is what it is. It happened, and then we move on. We can’t dwell on the past. I would never allow anything to have that kind of power over my emotional psyche, where I’m brooding and thinking about the bad times when 99% of the time there was great. I’m super thankful for that part of our career, but very, very excited for the future. It’s all good. It’s all love. It’s all gravy, and we’re happy to embark on the next chapter.”

-Austin Creed

The New Level’s exits highlight a continuing trend in WWE following its buyout from TKO. Their approach became more financially driven, having a knock-on effect on many talent. With several wrestlers asked to take pay cuts in recent months, the latest star to leave WWE due to a pay dispute was Ilja Dragunov, who the company were unable to agree new terms with. You can read more about that here.

Furthermore, there has been a decided lack of focus on wrestling on the weekly shows, and even the PLEs, with time being given away to ads and commercials. In contrast, All Elite Wrestling focuses more on the wrestling, and Tony Khan noted that when Creed and Kofi asked to come to AEW, they wanted to be on TV every week to show that they still had it. You can read more about that here.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on Austin Creed and Kofi’s move from WWE to AEW as soon as we hear more.