Austin Creed and Kofi’s move into AEW required more than preparing for a major stadium debut and finding their place alongside Swerve Strickland. The newly formed New Level also needed an entrance song that matched the scale of the moment. As it turned out, the group’s use of A$AP Ferg’s “New Level” was not settled until just before they were set to walk into Wembley Stadium at All In: London.
During an interview with Renee Paquette on Close Up, Creed explained that the process to clear the track came together in an extremely limited window. The song has since become central to the group’s presentation in AEW, but the team was working against the clock in the days leading up to their debut.
“We had, what, in total ... four or five days to get the music cleared,” Creed said.
Creed said the eventual breakthrough came through a personal connection. New Level was able to reach A$AP Ferg and his management through a friend, allowing the necessary approval process to move forward. The timing remained tight all the way to the end, with the clearance finally arriving on the Saturday before the group’s anticipated appearance.
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“[We] ended up calling in a favor to a friend who knew Ferg and knew his manager,” Creed continued. “So we pushed through that way. And then Saturday, we finally got it.”
The result was an entrance that immediately gave Creed and Kofi’s next chapter its own identity. Having departed WWE in May following a long and decorated run there, both men arrived in AEW in August after months of speculation and rumblings surrounding their futures. At All In: London, they did not simply make an appearance. They entered a championship situation with Strickland and left Wembley as AEW World Trios Champions.
From last-minute clearance to a Wembley title win
The significance of the music approval is easy to understand when considering the scale of the setting. All In: London is one of AEW’s largest annual events, and Wembley Stadium provides a stage where presentation can define a debut as much as the match itself. For Creed and Kofi, “New Level” was not just a recognizable track selected for a walkout. Its title directly aligned with the identity the wrestlers were introducing to AEW audiences.
That choice also gave the group a clear distinction from the work that made Creed and Kofi household names during their WWE careers. Their history together is extensive, but their AEW arrival represented a new act, a new environment and a new partnership with Strickland. Securing the song before their appearance helped ensure that the debut had a finished, deliberate feel rather than looking like a work in progress.
The quick turnaround underlines one of the less visible demands surrounding a major wrestling debut. Entrance music can be an essential part of a performer’s character, but using a commercially released track involves rights issues that can be difficult to resolve in a short period. In this case, Creed said New Level had only four or five days to get the matter handled. A relationship with someone who knew Ferg and his manager ultimately proved critical.
Once the group reached All In, the focus shifted from the entrance to the competition. Creed, Kofi and Strickland took part in AEW’s first-ever Trios Roulette Royale. The trio emerged from that match with the AEW World Trios Championship, turning the new alliance into titleholders on the same night that Creed and Kofi made their major AEW arrival.
Winning championships immediately placed New Level at the center of AEW’s trios division. Rather than spending months establishing itself before entering the title picture, the trio began with the responsibility of carrying the division’s top prize. That accelerated start has continued in the weeks following Wembley.
Two defenses have followed the title victory
Since capturing the AEW World Trios Championship, Creed, Kofi and Strickland have successfully defended the belts twice. Their first defense came against The Rascalz, providing an early test for a champion team still developing its chemistry under the pressure of title matches.
The second successful defense took place on the September 9 special edition of AEW Dynamite: Rebel Heart. On that show, New Level and Strickland retained against The Conglomeration’s Kyle O’Reilly, Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong. The challengers brought significant singles and tag team experience into the contest, but the champions were able to preserve their reign.
Those victories have made the group’s All In success more than a one-night surprise. Creed and Kofi entered AEW with years of championship experience behind them, while Strickland came into the partnership as one of the promotion’s established headline-level competitors. The early defenses have allowed the trio to begin converting that combined background into a sustained championship run.
They have also given AEW audiences a clearer sense of the roles within the act. Creed and Kofi bring their long-standing familiarity as partners, while Strickland adds another major dimension to the unit. The World Trios Championship provides the natural arena for those pieces to come together, especially with a division built around teams that must balance individual ability with coordination and cohesion.
For New Level, the immediate objective now is straightforward: keep winning long enough to reach All Out in Chicago as champions. However, there is one more important defense standing in the way.
The Demand await on the extended Dynamite and Collision
Next week, AEW will present a three-hour edition of Dynamite and AEW Collision. On that program, Creed, Kofi and Strickland are scheduled to make their third defense of the AEW World Trios Championship against The Demand.
The stakes extend beyond the championship match itself. The team that leaves the three-hour television event with the titles will advance to All Out in Chicago, where the AEW World Trios Championship will be on the line against former champions “Hangman” Adam Page and Brodido, the team of Bandido and Brody King.
That structure gives the upcoming defense a particularly high level of importance. New Level cannot look ahead to Page, Bandido and King without first getting past The Demand. At the same time, the possibility of a championship match at All Out means the champions will have to manage the pressure of defending the belts while knowing a major challenge is already waiting if they survive.
Page and Brodido represent a formidable potential opponent for whoever holds the championship after next week’s match. As former Trios Champions, they already know what it takes to carry the division’s titles. Page’s standing as a former world champion, combined with Bandido and Brody King’s contrasting but highly effective styles, creates a dangerous trio on paper. But their opportunity is contingent on the outcome of the title defense against The Demand.
For Creed, Kofi and Strickland, the route to Chicago is therefore clearly defined. Beat The Demand, retain the AEW World Trios Championship for a third time, and move on to a match with former champions at All Out. A loss, however, would change the entire championship picture and send a different trio into the pay-per-view showdown.
A presentation built for the next phase
The story behind “New Level” adds another layer to what has already been a fast-moving opening chapter for Creed and Kofi in AEW. Their debut was the product of months of anticipation, but one of its most memorable details was still in doubt just days before it happened. The group had the name, the Wembley stage and the championship opportunity, yet needed to complete the music clearance before everything could come together as intended.
By Saturday, the permission was in place. By the end of All In: London, Creed, Kofi and Strickland were champions. Since then, the trio has built on that start with victories over The Rascalz and The Conglomeration representatives O’Reilly, Cassidy and Strong.
Now the New Level entrance is no longer simply part of a debut reveal. It accompanies reigning champions heading into another pivotal defense. What began as a last-minute effort to secure a song has become an important component of a group that rapidly moved from speculation to championship status.
With The Demand next on the schedule and Page, Bandido and Brody King waiting in the wings for All Out, New Level’s momentum will be tested again quickly. Creed and Kofi’s first AEW months have already involved a tight turnaround, a stadium arrival and two successful championship defenses. Their next match will determine whether the group’s rapid rise continues all the way into Chicago.
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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.