Wrestling legends who left WWE after 20 years make shock debut for major rival

| Freelance WWE and Entertainment Reporter Published August 30, 2026 6:05pm Updated August 30, 2026 6:05pm The legendary WWE tag team made their debut moments into the live broadcast, revealing their new name(Picture: Getty) It’s a New Day for AEW as Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods have arrived. Tonight’s huge All In event at Wembley Stadium in London has got started with a bang as the legendary WWE tag team made their debut moments into the live broadcast, revealing their new name as The New Level. Fans inside the national stadium roared as the pair stepped out alongside Swerve Strickland as the wild cards in the Trios Royale Roulette, which started during the Buy In preshow and continued into the main broadcast. As some fans expected, the duo are now going by the names Kofi, and Austin Creed. They completed a stacked lineup, which also featured ‘Hangman’ Adam Page and Brodido, the Bang Bang Gang vs. The Conglomeration, Death Riders, The Demand and The Dogs. The big debut followed reports over the weekend from Fightful, who noted that the duo were set to sign with AEW, and debut at All In. New Day has announced a shock announcement (Picture: Getty) The outlet noted that the deal ‘came together in the last couple of weeks’, noting they weren’t under contract ‘as of two weeks ago’, but talks got underway over the last fortnight. All In marked New Day’s first appearance since it was revealed they were leaving WWE back in May. At the time, it was reported the duo left the company by ‘mutual consent’, having opted not to renegotiate their deals, instead choosing to part ways. Their departures meant Kofi, 44, and Woods, 39, called time on two glittering careers with the wrestling giant after 20 and 16 years, respectively. New Day career highlights in WWE Seven-time WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions Five-time World Tag Team Champions Former NXT Tag Team Champions Former WWE Champion (Kofi Kingston) Former WWE Champion (Big E) 2021 King of the Ring (Xavier Woods) WWE Men’s Tag Team of the Year 2019 That included 12 years as a team, coming together as a featured act for WWE Raw in 2014 alongside Big E, whose own career was tragically cut short by a broken neck in 2022. As New Day, the trio have won more WWE tag titles than any duo in history, with 13. The pair’s seven SmackDown reigns is also a WWE record – as is their 483-day stint as Raw champs. Kofi is also a former WWE Champion after beating Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson, who is also in AEW) at WrestleMania 35 in 2019. Two years ago, when New Day celebrated a decade as a tag team, Kofi spoke about the ‘special’ bond they share, and the influence they’ve had on the wrestling world. ‘It’s pretty incredible to have had that level of impact on the industry,’ Kofi exclusively told Metro. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The pair broke records as part of New Day (Picture: WWE via Getty Images) ‘I actually sent Woods a text this morning about how appreciative I was of him, of being my tag team partner. I never lose sight of how rare and special our bond is.’ Before All In, AEW boss Tony Khan wasn’t drawn on speaking about New Day or other incoming stars, but did discuss the constant act of adding fresh stars to an already top-level roster. ‘There are so many great wrestlers around the world, and so many of the very best professional wrestlers compete in All Elite Wrestling,’ he beamed. ‘I always say AEW is where the best wrestle, and I really believe that. I think that the very best wrestlers in the world are competing in AEW right now.’ Tony admitted that ‘it’s exciting that so many of the best wrestlers outside of the company are trying to get into AEW’, while also pointing to the company’s collaborations with the likes of CMLL and New Japan Pro Wrestling, which allow talent to ‘compete in multiple promotions’. Deals of the Day The viral LED face mask with over 350 lights that's currently discounted by £100 A friend said I looked 'snatched' – I credit this new Charlotte Tilbury powder Shop MySweetSmile's biggest Bank Holiday offers before they end Back-to-school shopping just got a lot cheaper thanks to Primark The back-to-school essential parents forget every year – and it could cost them Arrow MORE: AEW All In London 2026 UK start time and surprises for Wembley show Arrow MORE: Former champion leaves WWE after 7 years in a major ‘fumble’ Arrow MORE: Former WWE star earns more on OnlyFans than she ever did as a wrestler TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.