Earlier this year it was reported that The New Day had parted ways with WWE after the company asked them to take a pay cut. Kofi and Austin Creed recently became free agents, and they wasted little time getting back into the ring as they debuted with AEW at All In on Sunday where they won the AEW World Trios Championship alongside Swerve Strickland.
During a recent appearance on the Ariel Helwani Show, Kofi was asked if reports regarding a 50% pay cut were true, and Kofi confirmed that they were asked to take more than a 50% pay cut.
“I don’t know exactly what’s out there. I will say, it was more than 50% which a lot of people don’t know. It was more. The compensation is a big part of it, for sure, but the bigger part is being able to go out and live your dream the way you want to live it and be appreciated for it.
We took it all into consideration, and we knew this was the only path to take. It was scary at times with the uncertainty and everything, but sometimes you just have to go through it.”
Kofi Kingston says WWE's offer would have cut pay by more than the reported 50%:
“It was more than 50%. More than a lot of people know.
The compensation is a big part of it, for sure, but the bigger part is being able to go out and live your dream the way you want to live it… pic.twitter.com/Yw4TPzyPGu
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 1, 2026
The New Day are now known as The New Level, and judging from her things played out at All In they’re going to be a big part of both the AEW trios division, and tag team division moving forward.