WWE apparently isn’t feeling great about letting Kofi Kingston and Austin Creed walk anymore. Just a day after The New Level showed up in AEW and immediately won gold, there is regret within WWE over how their departures were handled.
While speaking during a Q&A session, TC of WrestleVotes revealed that a WWE source told him this is the first time he has sensed genuine regret from WWE’s side about not bringing Kingston and Creed back.
“I did meet up with a source in WWE. He told me that this is the first time he thinks there is regret on WWE’s side of things for not having them come back. This is the first time there is a disconnect between TKO and WWE.”
The feeling apparently goes beyond simply watching two former WWE stars immediately become champions somewhere else. According to the source, there are people inside WWE who believe TKO may have mishandled the entire situation.
“The person I spoke to today said, ‘You know what? Maybe TKO mismanaged this one.’ People in WWE never wanted to see them leave.”
Kingston and Creed had also built up plenty of goodwill behind the scenes during their years with the company. WrestleVotes was told that the two were genuinely well-liked by the people who regularly worked with them. Their departures apparently even affected morale around WWE’s Stamford offices.
“A lot of people in that company had a lot of interaction with Kofi and Austin, and they loved them. They were beloved in that organization. Everyone in that office in Stamford—a lot of those guys who worked with them—felt that was a big loss. It was a morale loss to have those guys depart.”
Kingston and Creed parted ways with WWE in May before waiting out their 90-day period and eventually signing with AEW. Tony Khan has since revealed that he never expected the two to become available and didn’t originally have their signings planned or budgeted.
Their first night certainly gave WWE something to think about. The New Level debuted at All In on August 30, teamed with Swerve Strickland and immediately captured the AEW World Trios Championships. Later that same night, Kingston and Creed confronted AEW World Tag Team Champions Adam Copeland and Christian Cage alongside FTR and the Motor City Machine Guns.
Creed has since explained that there wasn’t some ugly falling out behind their WWE exit. He compared it to a relationship that had simply run its course, while Kingston said they came to AEW because they wanted to compete in what they believe is the greatest tag team division in wrestling.
Kingston and Creed seem pretty happy with where they landed. Back in Stamford, however, it sounds like some people are now wondering whether WWE should have ever allowed them to get away in the first place.
Do you think WWE made a mistake by letting Kofi Kingston and Austin Creed leave? Let us know in the comments.
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