Kofi and Austin Creed arrived in AEW at All In: London with a new chapter in front of them, but the move also represented a major change for one of professional wrestling’s most enduring friendships. The pair, now known in AEW as The New Level, made the transition after departing WWE, ending a run that had long been defined by their connection with Big E.
For 15 years, the three men had been linked as teammates, friends and a defining unit across multiple eras of their careers. That history made the decision for Kofi and Creed to leave especially personal. Big E remains affiliated with WWE as a panel analyst and media spokesperson after the neck injury he suffered in 2022 ended his ability to continue wrestling. While he is no longer competing, his presence remains central to the story surrounding The New Level’s next phase.
Speaking on Close Up with Renee Paquette, Creed explained that he and Kofi spoke with Big E before making the move. The conversation, he said, reflected the depth of a relationship formed through years of constant travel, shared locker rooms and the pressures of life in the wrestling industry.
“We spent more time together than we did with our families. We’re on the road so much. 200-plus days a year, you know? And so, to go through that process of talking to ‘E’ about leaving and him not even letting us finish and saying, ‘I know, you got to go and it’s okay,’ like it’s happy, but it hurts ... Seeing people understand that in the way that they did was really meaningful to us because it means that you guys are locked in as much as we are to this.”
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Creed’s comments underline the emotional complexity of the situation. This was not simply a matter of two wrestlers pursuing an opportunity with another promotion. The New Level’s AEW arrival meant that, for the first time in a decade and a half, Kofi and Creed would be moving forward in a major on-screen capacity without Big E beside them.
Big E’s response, as described by Creed, was immediate: he understood why they needed to go. That support does not remove the sadness of the separation, but it helps frame the move as one made with mutual respect rather than a break in the bond that connected the trio for so long.
A New Presentation, With Big E Still Part Of The Story
The New Level’s debut at All In: London gave Kofi and Creed a fresh platform in AEW. Their arrival brought two experienced, highly decorated performers into a different environment, but it also raised a natural question among fans: what does this new identity mean for the legacy they built alongside Big E?
Thus far, the answer appears to be that Big E has not been erased from their history or their current presentation. Earlier this month, Kofi revealed that Big E contributed to the creation of the theme song The New Level used for its All In debut. The involvement is significant because it demonstrates that Big E remains connected to the creative spirit of his longtime partners even while his WWE role and their AEW careers keep them in different places professionally.
The detail also gives the group’s entrance music additional meaning. In wrestling, a theme song can quickly become an important part of a team’s identity. For Kofi and Creed, having Big E involved in shaping that piece of their AEW presentation creates a direct line between their shared past and the future they are trying to establish.
That continuity matters because the three men were never merely occasional allies. Their association spanned years of television, live events and international touring. Creed’s description of spending more time together than with family is a familiar reality for many wrestlers, but it carries particular weight in this case. Their bond was built through the routine of being on the road more than 200 days each year, facing the same professional challenges and developing a shared rhythm as performers.
As a result, fans have had ample time to invest in the connection among Kofi, Creed and Big E. Creed acknowledged that recognition, saying it was meaningful to see audiences understand the mixture of happiness and hurt behind the move. The emotional response is not based only on nostalgia. It is rooted in the knowledge that the trio’s long-running partnership had become a genuine part of their public identities.
Swerve Strickland Does Not View Himself As Big E’s Replacement
There is another important piece to The New Level’s AEW direction: Swerve Strickland. Strickland currently holds the AEW World Trios Titles with Kofi and Creed, placing the three men at the center of the company’s trios division.
Given Kofi and Creed’s history with Big E, comparisons were inevitable when Strickland joined them as a championship partner. However, Strickland has made clear that he is not approaching the arrangement as an effort to fill Big E’s spot. He has said he has no intention of replacing Big E and instead wants the group to offer wrestling fans something new.
That distinction is important. Big E’s place in the history shared by Kofi and Creed cannot be duplicated, particularly considering the time they spent together and the circumstances that changed his in-ring career. Strickland’s role is not to recreate the past. The current AEW trio is intended to develop its own chemistry, goals and identity while respecting what came before it.
Holding the AEW World Trios Titles gives that process an immediate sense of purpose. Kofi, Creed and Strickland are not being presented merely as a sentimental reunion-adjacent act or as an extension of an older group. They are champions, and that status places expectations on them to define what The New Level represents in the ring and on AEW programming.
Strickland’s stated desire to build something different also fits the broader reality of the situation. Kofi and Creed are entering a new promotion, working alongside a new partner, and operating under a name that signals a fresh stage in their careers. There can be acknowledgment of Big E’s importance without making every part of the act a recreation of the trio’s former dynamic.
The Weight Of A 15-Year Partnership
Professional wrestling is full of teams and alliances, but relatively few partnerships maintain the same emotional resonance over a 15-year period. Careers change quickly. Promotions change. Characters evolve. Injuries can alter every plan. The fact that Kofi, Creed and Big E remained so closely associated for that length of time is why this moment carries unusual weight.
Big E’s 2022 neck injury is an unavoidable part of that context. His inability to return to the ring changed the possibilities for all three men, even though he has continued to work in WWE as an analyst and spokesperson. Kofi and Creed moving to AEW creates a further physical separation in their wrestling careers, but the available details suggest it has not broken their personal connection.
Instead, Big E’s support appears to have helped Kofi and Creed make a difficult professional choice. Creed did not portray the discussion as easy; he explicitly described it as both happy and painful. Yet Big E’s willingness to encourage them before they could fully make their case offered an indication that he recognized what the opportunity meant to them.
For audiences, the story offers a reminder that career decisions in wrestling often involve far more than contracts, television appearances or title opportunities. They also involve relationships built during years of travel and sacrifice. Kofi and Creed’s AEW move may be a new beginning, but it is also an evolution of a friendship that remains meaningful despite the change in companies.
What Comes Next For The New Level
The New Level now has the opportunity to establish itself as an AEW championship unit alongside Strickland. Its immediate challenge will be balancing that new direction with the enormous history fans associate with Kofi, Creed and Big E. The group’s presentation has already indicated that there is room for both: a forward-looking trios act can still honor the person who helped shape the journey that led to it.
Big E’s input on the All In theme song is one example of that balance. Creed’s recollection of their conversation is another. Neither suggests that the current AEW act is trying to present Strickland as a substitute. Rather, the picture is of longtime partners carrying their shared history with them while accepting that their careers have taken different paths.
For Kofi and Creed, that path began publicly at All In: London. For Big E, his continued work outside the ring keeps him active in wrestling even as he remains unable to compete. And for Strickland, the AEW World Trios Titles provide a chance to create a championship legacy with two men whose partnership has already stood the test of time.
The New Level’s future will be shaped by what Kofi, Creed and Strickland accomplish together in AEW. But the foundation of the story is clear: before Kofi and Creed took that step, they spoke to Big E. His answer gave them the encouragement to move ahead, even as all involved recognized how much the moment would hurt.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.