Kofi Reveals Surprising Last-Minute Contract Detail Behind Historic AEW Debut

Kofi Credits Tony Khan’s Passion For AEW Atmosphere, Calls New Level Debut "Worst Kept Secret"

AEW World Trios Champion Kofi Kingston—now competing simply as Kofi—has opened up about his transition to All Elite Wrestling alongside Austin Creed, praising AEW President Tony Khan’s hands-on leadership and contagious enthusiasm for the business.

Kofi and Creed shocked the wrestling world at AEW All In 2026 by aligning with Swerve Strickland to form The New Level. The trio captured the AEW World Trios Championships in their debut match and has dominated the division ever since.

Tony Khan’s Infectious Energy Driving Backstage Culture

Speaking on The Mick and Kenny Show, Kofi reflected on his 22-year wrestling career and explained how the culture inside the AEW locker room has reinvigorated his passion for competing:

On Backstage Energy: “Yeah, well, about 22, almost 22 years in totality. But, like, yeah, it’s just, it’s different and in a good way. You know, it really makes you want to bring your best forward in a different way… the energy starts from the top down, you know.”
On Tony Khan’s Leadership: “So, when you see the person who is literally at the top, you know, as the boss exuding this energy, you want to match that energy, you know what I mean. Like it’s so contagious and infectious. So, yeah, man, we are really enjoying ourselves here thus far.”

Contract Ink Dried Less Than 24 Hours Before All In Debut

Despite heavy online rumors leading up to All In, Kofi revealed that their official AEW contracts were signed at the absolute last minute:

Last-Minute Ink: “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. However, we didn’t put ink to paper in terms of a contract until less than 24 hours before we went out. So it was never like guaranteed.”
Manifesting The Move: “But again, the theme is manifestation, right? This is where we wanted to be. We envisioned ourselves being here competing against all these great tag teams, all these great trios teams, and sure enough, it happened.”
History-Making Debut: “And as a matter of fact, we were the first people to win a title on our first night on AEW. 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.”

High-Stakes Title Defense Locked In For WrestleDream

The New Level won’t have much time to celebrate their record-breaking start. Their next major challenge is officially set for Saturday, October 17, when Swerve Strickland, Kofi, and Austin Creed defend their AEW World Trios Championship against Hangman Page and Brodido at AEW WrestleDream 2026, live from the Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida.