Kofi Kingston and Austin Creed have seen the report about how they behaved backstage after arriving in AEW, and they’re a little confused about why it was news in the first place. As far as The New Level is concerned, introducing yourself when you walk into a new locker room is just what you’re supposed to do.
While speaking with SHAK Wrestling, Kofi and Creed were asked about PWInsider’s report that they made a point of introducing themselves to people backstage after their AEW debut. Before getting serious, the two decided to have a little fun with it.
“We didn’t speak to anybody. We walked right into the dressing room, got dressed, and left.”
Obviously, that wasn’t what actually happened. The New Level then addressed the report itself, which noted that they were respectful, approachable and never acted like their years of success in WWE made them bigger than anyone else in AEW. Kofi and Creed couldn’t quite understand why any of that was considered unusual.
“It’s such a weird thing to report. I’m like, man, out of all the things to talk about, I was like, ‘Yeah, Kofi and Woods—Kofi and Austin were really respectful and they introduced themselves to everybody. It didn’t seem like they were above anybody.’”
Their immediate question was pretty simple: what else were they supposed to do? Neither man walked into AEW expecting special treatment because of where they had been before. They joked that apparently they missed the memo telling them to arrive with huge egos and big-league everybody backstage.
“And I said, ‘What were we supposed to do?’ I said, ‘Did we mess up? Were we supposed to like come in with like big heads and like big league everybody?’ Oh, that—like, what do you mean, man? Of course.”
The interviewer pointed out that there are definitely worse things wrestlers could have reported about them, and they weren’t arguing with that. They were just surprised that showing basic respect in a new locker room stood out enough to become a story.
“True. True. It’s just so interesting to see that because that’s just—I don’t know. To us, that’s how you act.”
Creed and Kofi compared joining AEW to walking into somebody else’s home for the first time. They weren’t going to show up and immediately act like the place belonged to them. In their minds, you respect the house you’re entering before worrying about anything else.
“Like we’re walking into a house that, you know, doesn’t necessarily belong to us. You know, like you’re going to wipe your feet off, you’re going to take your shoes off, you’re going to hang your coat up. Like, what—what do you mean?”
More importantly, they actually want to become part of the AEW locker room. That’s why they went around talking to the wrestlers and crew after arriving. It wasn’t some calculated attempt to make a good first impression—they say they genuinely want everyone there to know they’re interested in becoming part of the family.
“It’s just surprising that we tried to talk to, like, the boys and the crew and, like—oh, we tried to make sure everybody knows that we want to be a part of the family because we really want to.”
PWInsider originally reported that several people backstage were impressed by how Kofi and Creed carried themselves following their arrival. The two were described as approachable and open to creative ideas, with neither acting like they were above anyone because of their long WWE careers.
That all happened after Kofi and Creed made their AEW debuts as The New Level at All In. They were revealed as Swerve Strickland’s mystery partners and somehow ended their very first night in the company as AEW World Trios Champions.
Bottom line: Winning championship gold on night one was apparently worth celebrating. Saying hello to their new co-workers? Kofi and Creed still aren’t convinced that part needed a report.
What do you make of The New Level’s reaction to the backstage report about their AEW arrival? 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.
