Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, now working as Kofi and Austin Creed in AEW, did receive a WWE offer that included a major pay cut before they left the company. The reduction, however, was reportedly not the 75% figure that has been circulating.
That number picked up steam after Conrad Thompson said on Grilling JR that 75% was what he had heard backstage. Thompson was clear that Kofi and Creed never confirmed that percentage themselves.
Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer has since pushed back on the report, saying the cut WWE put in front of the pair was only slightly more than 50%, which lines up with what the two had already said publicly.
Kofi addressed the topic in a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, where he noted that the early rumors of an exact 50% cut were also off. According to Kofi, WWE’s offer called for a reduction larger than that.
The story gained more context when Luke Menzies, formerly Ridge Holland, revealed he was also asked to take a 56% pay cut during his final contract talks with WWE.
Kofi and Creed still have not disclosed the exact percentage. Alvarez has indicated the figure was just above 50%, while another update tied the team’s offer to something close to the 56% Holland described.
Money was not the only factor. Kofi said the lack of chances to wrestle regularly also weighed on the decision to leave WWE, as both men wanted to get back to working on a consistent basis.
Now in AEW, New Level debuted at All In: London alongside Swerve Strickland and immediately captured the AEW World Trios Championship. The trio has since retained the titles on Dynamite.