Kofi Kingston is getting much more specific about why he and Austin Creed walked away from WWE. According to Kofi, they didn’t believe WWE’s proposed terms were fair for what they brought to the company—and money was only part of the problem.
While speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Kofi explained that he and Creed knew exactly what they could offer at this stage of their careers. Whether WWE needed them as wrestlers, entertainers, veterans helping younger talent or guys who could switch between babyface and heel, Kofi felt they had repeatedly proven their value.
“We just thought the terms that they wanted us to perform under were not fair based on what we brought to the table, what we were worth, and the knowledge and, you know, prowess that we have as wrestlers. What we can give back to the younger people, what we can do from an entertainment standpoint, being able to get reactions as good or bad guys. We were Swiss Army knives. Whatever the situation was, we would make it great and entertaining.”
Compensation absolutely played a role in their decision, and Kofi didn’t try to hide that. At the same time, he said there was another frustration building—they wanted opportunities to actually wrestle and show what they could still do.
“The terms, the compensation, was a big part for us, sure, but we just wanted to work, man, and go out there and showcase our skills and talent and do what we love. We really take a lot of pride in giving people their money’s worth. We wanted to work.”
That brought Kofi directly to WWE’s tag team division. In his view, tag team wrestling simply wasn’t being treated as a priority there, while he and Creed could look over at AEW and see exactly the kind of matches they wanted to be having.
“When it came to tag team wrestling, you know, it wasn’t a priority. So we look across the pond and we see The Bucks, FTR, we see Cope, Christian, Private Party, The Dogs. We see all these tag teams having bangers. I’m just sitting there thinking, ‘Man, what if we can get involved in that?’”
For Kofi, that became the real deciding factor. He and Creed wanted to feel passionate about wrestling again instead of showing up frustrated with what they were being given.
“That was really the determining factor. Like, ‘Hey, let’s go and try to do what we love to do, and let’s feel passionate about our craft and feel like we are able to give in a way that is significant, that matters, to be able to have bangers every night.’”
Kofi also doesn’t think wrestling should feel like a job where you’re constantly unhappy with the situation. At this point in their careers, he and Creed wanted the time and opportunity to put together matches they could actually be proud of.
“That’s what this is supposed to be. You’re not supposed to go to work and be frustrated with what’s going on. You want to have time to have matches that are incredible and entertaining.”
That adds quite a bit more detail to what Creed previously said about their WWE departure. Creed compared it to a relationship that had simply run its course, saying there wasn’t necessarily a “bad or good” side to the split, but Kofi has now made it clear there were real issues behind their decision.
Four months later, Kofi and Creed are already AEW World Trios Champions after making their surprise debut alongside Swerve Strickland at All In. Kofi sees that move as another example of the two veterans being willing to bet on themselves despite already having careers where they arguably shouldn’t need to prove anything.
“So that’s what the goal was, and four months after that, here we are. Manifesting and believing in yourself—that’s the major message. When you have the career that we have, you don’t have to be put in a position to go out and bet on yourselves again, but here we are doing it again.”
Kofi and Creed could have looked at everything they accomplished in WWE and decided they had already done enough. Instead, they wanted better terms, more wrestling and a tag team division they could sink their teeth into—and now they get to find out whether betting on themselves one more time was worth it.
Do you think Kofi Kingston and Austin Creed made the right call by leaving WWE for AEW? Let us know in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
