Kofi has opened up about the unusual circumstances surrounding The New Level’s first night in All Elite Wrestling, describing the group’s expected appearance at AEW All In as an open secret while also revealing just how close to showtime the deal came together.
At All In earlier this year, Kofi and Austin Creed arrived in AEW as The New Level and immediately made a major impact. The pair joined forces with Swerve Strickland in Trios Championship competition, leaving the event with the titles in a debut that instantly became one of the most notable first-night accomplishments in company history.
The appearance had been widely anticipated ahead of the event. Speculation around Kofi and Creed heading to AEW had circulated, and their arrival did not come as a surprise to many viewers. Yet Kofi explained that public expectation did not necessarily reflect certainty behind the scenes. While fans may have believed the debut was inevitable, the contractual reality was still unsettled until the final stages before All In.
“So I think it was like the worst kept secret on the Internet because everyone seemed to know that we were going to be here,” Kofi said on The Mick and Kenny show.
For more background on this topic, read David Finlay Explains the AEW Adjustments Still Shaping His Transition From NJPW.
That assessment captures the contrast between the conversation surrounding The New Level and the actual status of its AEW agreement. Wrestlers can be strongly linked with a promotion for weeks or months, particularly when a major event is approaching, but a deal is not complete until it is completed. Kofi said that The New Level did not put “ink to paper” until less than 24 hours before they went out at All In.
“However, we didn’t put ink to paper in terms of a contract until less than 24 hours before we went out,” Kofi said. “So it was never like guaranteed.”
That timing adds another layer to an already memorable AEW debut. It is one thing to enter a new company with advance preparation and a clearly established launch plan. It is another to have the formal agreement finalized within a day of stepping in front of the audience, then immediately be placed in a championship situation alongside a featured AEW name in Strickland.
For Kofi, however, the outcome fit a mindset he identified as central to the moment: manifestation. The New Level had a clear idea of where it wanted to compete, and the group’s hopes ultimately aligned with its opportunity. The debut was not simply a surprise appearance or a short-term cameo. It marked their entry into an AEW environment filled with tag teams and trios they wanted to face.
“But again, the theme is manifestation, right? This is where we wanted to be,” Kofi said. “We envisioned ourselves being here competing against all these great tag teams, all these great trios, teams, and sure enough, it happened.”
The result made that arrival even more significant. Kofi and Creed, alongside Strickland, captured the Trios Championships on their very first night in AEW. Championships are often used to establish a new act quickly, but the situation described by Kofi stands apart because of the immediacy of it. The New Level did not need weeks of televised buildup before entering the title picture. They walked into AEW at one of its major events and departed as champions.
Kofi also drew a distinction between The New Level’s achievement and other rapid title wins in AEW history. He acknowledged that some wrestlers have won gold in their first AEW match, but noted that those cases have involved a second overall appearance. In The New Level’s case, the title win happened on the group’s first night with the company.
“As a matter of fact, we were the first people to win a title on our first night on AEW,” Kofi said. “There have been people who have done it in their first match, but it’s been like their second appearance. For us to do that on the first night was record-breaking. No one’s ever done that before.”
The distinction is an important one in the way AEW debuts are remembered. A first match and a first appearance are not always the same thing. A wrestler may appear in a segment, be revealed in a storyline, or make an initial non-wrestling appearance before later competing for the first time. Kofi’s point is that The New Level’s All In title victory came during the group’s initial night in the company, making the accomplishment especially immediate.
A High-Stakes Introduction at All In
All In is the kind of stage where a promotion can use a debut to create a lasting impression. The event brings heightened attention, and any wrestler making an entrance there begins with an audience prepared for major developments. The New Level received more than a standard debut slot. By teaming with Strickland and competing for the Trios Championships, Kofi and Creed entered directly into a meaningful part of AEW’s competitive structure.
That placement also positioned The New Level within both the tag team and trios landscape Kofi referenced. AEW’s trios division gives teams and alliances an additional avenue beyond conventional two-person tag competition, and the decision to place Kofi and Creed with Strickland immediately provided an established unit with championship stakes. It also leaves The New Level connected to a division full of potential opponents across the roster.
For a newly arrived act, winning a championship can generate momentum, but it can also establish expectations. The New Level is no longer approaching AEW as an outside possibility or a rumored addition. The group’s first night made it a titleholding presence, and its future performances will be viewed through the lens of what it accomplished at All In.
The late contractual timing makes the scale of that debut feel even more remarkable. Kofi was careful not to portray the move as guaranteed before the paperwork was signed. Rumors, predictions, and apparent creative direction may have made an AEW arrival seem likely to the public, but the final agreement remained the decisive step. Until then, the anticipated debut was still an outcome that had not been secured.
From Internet Speculation to a Championship Moment
Kofi’s comments also offer a straightforward reminder about how wrestling news cycles operate around high-profile events. Fans often piece together clues, discuss likely outcomes, and reach a consensus about what may happen. In this case, Kofi said nearly everyone seemed aware that The New Level was headed to AEW. The eventual debut confirmed those expectations, but his account shows that widespread anticipation and a signed contract can exist on very different timelines.
That does not lessen the impact of the moment. If anything, it emphasizes how quickly the final phase of the move developed. Less than 24 hours after formalizing the contract, Kofi and Creed were part of a championship victory on a major AEW card. The speed of that transition—from unsigned to debuting champions—made the first night distinctive even within an industry where surprise appearances are a regular part of the presentation.
Kofi framed the story positively, returning to the idea that The New Level had envisioned competing in AEW. His focus was not on the uncertainty that preceded the signature, but on the fact that the group reached the destination it wanted and achieved something unprecedented as soon as it arrived.
There is also a practical value in beginning with a clear achievement. The New Level’s AEW story now has a defining opening chapter: a heavily anticipated arrival, last-minute contract completion, a partnership with Swerve Strickland, and a Trios Championship win on the first night. Those details give the act an immediate identity within the company.
What Comes After the Record-Setting Debut
With the All In arrival now behind them, attention turns to how The New Level builds on its early success. Kofi made clear that he and Creed see AEW as a place with a deep collection of tag teams and trios to test themselves against. That ambition gives their championship run a natural competitive direction. The titles place them at the center of a division rather than at its edge, with every prospective challenger seeking to take away the accomplishment that defined their introduction.
The alliance with Strickland remains central to that picture as well. Their All In victory established the three wrestlers as a championship unit from the outset. Any future defenses will carry the history of that first-night win, while also determining whether the group can convert an unforgettable debut into a sustained position near the top of AEW.
For Kofi, the story of The New Level’s arrival is ultimately about more than online speculation. It is about an opportunity that was desired, nearly came together at the last possible moment, and produced a record-setting championship result. Fans may have seen the destination coming, but the path to it was not officially complete until the day before All In.
That makes The New Level’s first AEW night difficult to separate from the timing behind it. What appeared to be the “worst kept secret on the Internet” still required a final agreement, and once that agreement was in place, Kofi and Austin Creed wasted no time making history alongside Swerve Strickland.
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.