According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, AEW stars Austin Creed and Kofi from The New Level have signed five-year contracts with the company. The report also noted that the licensing for their entrance theme, “The New Level,” wasn’t secured until the day of the 2026 All In pay-per-view (PPV), as it required clearance from Sony. Sources stated that it is quite common for music rights negotiations to go down to the last minute in similar situations.
The report indicated that the creative direction for Creed and Kofi was pitched to them “well before” their deal was finalized. Their trios run with Swerve Strickland was among the first ideas suggested. Although their run was never intended to be a long-term arrangement, they were encouraged to join AEW to collaborate with Strickland, who played a significant role in the initial discussions. AEW President and CEO Tony Khan has been transparent about his policy of not speaking to talent until they are free agents.
Creed and Kofi announced after their debuts at AEW All In that they had signed their contracts the day before the PPV. Recently, The New Level and Strickland lost the AEW World Trios Championships to “Hangman” Adam Page and Brody King at WrestleDream this past weekend.
