Swerve Strickland has shed more light on one of the biggest presentation details surrounding New Level’s AEW All In appearance: the group’s entrance music was not secured until roughly a day before the show.
When Austin Creed and Kofi arrived at All In and assisted Strickland in winning the AEW World Trios Championships, they entered to “New Level,” the 2015 A$AP Ferg track featuring Future. It was a striking choice for a stadium-scale debut, immediately connecting the act’s name with a recognizable hip-hop anthem and giving the moment an extra layer of energy before the action continued.
AEW has previously made notable use of licensed music, but major clearances can still be complicated and time-sensitive. Strickland explained that this particular approval came down to the wire, with the relevant permission arriving only about 24 hours before New Level stepped out in front of the All In crowd.
“They got that song about 24 hours beforehand from Ferg’s team,” Strickland said during an appearance on Hot 97. “And they were like, ‘Yeah, we approve it.’”
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That late approval meant an important piece of the group’s AEW presentation remained uncertain until shortly before the event. For performers, production staff, and the audience, entrance music can be much more than a background element. It establishes identity, creates anticipation, and can determine the first emotional reaction a new act receives. In this case, “New Level” was an especially direct fit for the arrival of Creed and Kofi under the New Level name.
The song’s use also gave the Wembley Stadium moment an immediate sense of scale. “New Level” remains closely associated with its explosive hook and high-energy production, qualities that suited an All In entrance and helped turn the debut into a major visual and audio statement. Strickland described the circumstances that brought the music and the appearance together as a “perfect world storm.”
A Last-Minute Detail With Major Impact
Securing the track so close to the event underlined how quickly a major wrestling presentation can come together behind the scenes. A televised or stadium event requires numerous pieces to align, from match layouts and travel to video packages, production cues, music, and the timing of surprises. Even when the performers and creative direction are in place, a key licensing decision can alter the final form of an entrance.
Had the clearance not been granted, New Level’s debut would have needed a different musical identity on one of AEW’s largest stages. Instead, the group walked out to a song whose title perfectly reflected the message attached to the moment. The creative fit was obvious: Creed and Kofi were presented as New Level, while Strickland was moving into a new championship situation alongside them.
The choice was also effective because it did not feel disconnected from the participants. Rather than merely selecting a popular track for atmosphere, the entrance tied the group name, its public introduction, and the song itself into a single idea. That made the presentation easy for a live crowd to understand immediately, even amid the scale and noise of Wembley Stadium.
Creed and Kofi have since supported the account that the music clearance arrived at the last minute. Their entrance ultimately helped frame an important result for Strickland, who captured the AEW World Trios Championships with New Level involved in the outcome.
Strickland Sees Value for Every Side
For Strickland, the impact of using “New Level” went beyond a successful entrance. He argued that the selection offered a benefit to all the parties connected to it: the artists behind the song, Creed and Kofi as a newly refreshed act, and Strickland as he enters another phase of his own AEW run.
“It helps both sides,” Strickland said on Hot 97. “It brings ASAP Ferg right back right there. ‘New Level’ to the forefront of things, and then it brings New Level, you could say, like Kofi and Creed was like an older act. It brings them, it’s refreshed.”
Strickland’s point speaks to the reciprocal relationship between wrestling and music. Wrestling promotions use songs to heighten entrances and make personalities feel larger than life. At the same time, a prominent placement can introduce a track to fans who may not have heard it recently, or can restore a familiar song to a central place in popular conversation. A stadium appearance tied to a surprise arrival is particularly capable of generating that kind of renewed attention.
“New Level” was released in 2015, but its central hook and intense pace have allowed it to retain cultural familiarity. By choosing it for the All In presentation, New Level was able to draw on that existing recognition while attaching a fresh wrestling context to the record. The music did not simply accompany the group; it became part of the announcement of what the group represented.
Strickland also viewed the choice through the lens of renewal for the wrestlers themselves. New Level’s arrival placed Creed and Kofi in a new setting and aligned them with Strickland at a pivotal championship moment. The act was not being introduced as a nostalgia exercise. The branding, the song, and the All In stage all pointed toward a reset.
A New Chapter for Swerve and New Level
Strickland has been a fixture in AEW for four years, and he contrasted that established presence with the feeling of beginning something different through the trios championship picture. His own history at Wembley Stadium added another dimension to the All In moment, as he previously main evented the venue in 2024.
“Swerve’s been around in AEW for four years. I main evented Wembley Stadium the last time we were there in 2024,” Strickland said on Hot 97. “I’m joining a trios for the Trios Championships. I’m new and refreshed, so it just brings new life to the whole thing, full circle.”
That perspective helps explain why the song mattered so much to Strickland. Winning the AEW World Trios Championships represented a change in direction from the role he held during his prior Wembley main event. Instead of returning to the same stage in the same context, he appeared as part of a new unit and pursued a different prize. The New Level entrance served as an audible signal that this was not simply a continuation of a familiar story.
For Creed and Kofi, the appearance similarly established a new identity in AEW. Their involvement in Strickland’s title win immediately positioned them around one of the promotion’s championships rather than easing them in through a lower-profile introduction. The decision to use a song with the group’s name as its title further strengthened the connection between their branding and their first major AEW moment.
All In has become a setting where presentation matters as much as the in-ring stakes. The size of the venue, the international audience, and the expectation of landmark moments place added importance on entrances, surprises, and championship outcomes. New Level’s debut had all three elements: a surprise appearance, a recognizable licensed song, and a direct role in the AEW World Trios Championships changing hands.
The Sound of a Stadium Moment
In professional wrestling, an entrance can permanently shape how a crowd remembers a debut. The right music gives fans an instruction before a wrestler says a word or throws a punch: it tells them whether to react with excitement, intimidation, celebration, or curiosity. “New Level” gave Creed and Kofi an unmistakable soundtrack, and the last-minute approval allowed the All In presentation to reach its intended form.
The tight turnaround also adds an unusual behind-the-scenes wrinkle to what played out as a polished stadium spectacle. Fans saw the completed moment, with the music helping drive the crowd response and emphasizing the scale of New Level’s arrival. Strickland’s comments reveal just how close that detail came to changing.
Ultimately, the successful clearance made the entrance feel tailor-made for the group and the occasion. Strickland believes the result gave fresh life to a decade-old song while also refreshing Creed, Kofi, and himself as part of a new AEW trios championship chapter. For a moment built around elevation, the fitting theme was secured with almost no time to spare.
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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.