The Day Everything Changed
The two wrestlers looked back on the day they received that famous WWE call. Creed was at his kids’ football game and didn’t answer the call:
“I was at my kids’ football game, and my phone rang with a 213 area code. I thought, ‘How could I not have this number?’ A few minutes later, I told myself, ‘We’re just after WrestleMania; it’s often the time for layoffs. But we’re not getting cut; we’ve helped the company and done our part.’ I had a brief doubt that the conversation could be negative. I got a call from Kofi who said, ‘They called me, they told me this and that.’ I asked, ‘How could there be a conversation like that?’ It made no sense to me given everything we’ve accomplished, what we bring to the table, and everything we still have to offer the world of wrestling.
I called them back, I called Kofi back, and that’s when we talked and realized: ‘We have to leave. This isn’t right for us. This isn’t what we want to do.’ We want to wrestle. We want to be able to have those matches and achieve these goals and these dreams. When we made that decision, we knew Kofi hadn’t really wrestled on the independent scene. He’s been in WWE for 20 years. I’ve known the indie world and TNA. Knowing that we could wrestle again in our own way and pull off some cool stuff felt good.”
On Kofi’s side, he says he received the call during his son’s birthday:
“When I got the call, it happened to be my son’s birthday. We were celebrating at RetroCade, and I thought, ‘Why is he calling me now?’ I answered; he told me what he had to say, offered renegotiation terms and everything else. I hung up, and I had the strange sensation that the world had just shifted. It was the kind of call you never expect to receive or have to deal with, but it was my son’s day. I couldn’t allow myself to crack, to lose it or worry, because it was his day.”
When I called Austin, we knew almost immediately. We have a real connection—if I think of something, he thinks of it too, and Big E thinks of it as well. We’ve always been in sync. We knew we couldn’t stay, but you need to do your homework and weigh the pros and cons. Am I financially secure? Is my family going to be okay? What do I need to do to make everything work? The following days were spent talking with our financial advisor to ensure everything was in order. Once we realized the freedom we’d just gained, the enthusiasm came very, very quickly.”
The decision-makers therefore chose to call them rather than discuss it in person during a WWE show.
An Unfair New Contract
Kofi notes that the offer they received was unfair considering what they had done for WWE, and what they could still bring to the table:
“We simply felt that the conditions under which they wanted us to perform were not fair given what we brought to the table. Given our value. Given the know-how and the expertise we have as wrestlers, what we can pass on to the younger generation, what we accomplish in terms of entertainment, and our ability to step into the ring and elicit a reaction, whether we’re babyfaces or heels.
The compensation was obviously a major factor, but more than that we wanted to work. We wanted to go into the ring, show what we’re capable of, and display our talent. We wanted to do what we love. We love stepping into the ring, energizing the crowd, provoking children, and creating real reactions in people to send them home with incredible memories they’ll never forget.
I don’t know exactly what’s circulating on the internet. I’d just say it was more than 50%. A lot of people don’t know. It was much more than that.”
The choice of New Level was clear.
The full New Level interview to watch here:
