Eric Bischoff has praised Kofi Kingston and Austin Creed following their AEW arrival, but believes the former WWE stars would benefit from making a cleaner break from The New Day.

Kingston and Creed made their surprise debuts during the All In: London Buy In. They entered the Trios Roulette Royale as the wild cards, joined forces with Swerve Strickland and captured the AEW World Trios Championship on their first night.

The duo are now known as New Level and have been using a licensed hip hop track for their entrance.

Speaking on 83 Weeks, Bischoff initially shared his excitement over their arrival.

“Look, those guys bring so much energy to the party. It’s just inevitable, and it’s great to see. I loved it. I’m happy for them. Two great guys, happy that they’ve got an opportunity to continue to do what they love to do, and wish them nothing but the best,” he said. “They brought a ton of fresh energy, a ton of fresh energy, and I was happy to see it.”

However, Bischoff was later asked whether AEW should create completely new identities for recognisable former WWE acts or continue using names inspired by their past.

New Level, The Hurt Syndicate and The Undisputed Kingdom were all mentioned as examples.

“I would rather try something completely different. I know why they’re doing it, and there’s an argument for that. There’s probably some logic to it that we can’t totally dismiss, but it’s like a hangover that won’t go away,” Bischoff said.

“I think breaking clean from a previous character and establishing a new character, in this case characters, with New Level, is a smarter long term approach than hanging on to the past, which is what they’re doing. They’re trying to draft off of the equity that the former New Day had in WWE, which I understand. I’m not criticizing it. I completely understand it from a business perspective. I prefer not to have to do that.”

Bischoff believes wrestling fans are more likely to connect with something original than a concept that reminds them of another promotion.

“Given a choice, if I think I have the option of creating something really new and unique and powerful, or effective at least, I would opt to do that before I would take the easy way out, the cheap way out, and try to come up with something that’s a derivative,” Bischoff said.

“People don’t like derivatives. They like authenticity. They like originals. When you have to be a derivative, it suggests that you don’t know how to become unique.”

The former WCW executive was also asked whether AEW’s crowded roster could prevent Kingston and Creed from maintaining their early momentum.

Bischoff said their future will depend on how strongly AEW President Tony Khan supports the team creatively.

“So much of it has to do with creative, what Tony’s willing to commit to long term or even mid term, short term. If all you’re going to do is pop the guys out there a couple times because they’re the bright new shiny objects that you get to play with, this is the pattern for former WWE stars when they make the transition,” he said.

“They show up. It’s a big damn deal. Everybody’s excited, and three months later, they’re in a witness protection program.”

Despite his concerns, Bischoff believes New Level could become a major success if AEW gives the group enough time and consistent television exposure.

“If we get a chance to see what New Level is all about and they establish it themselves, then I can see it absolutely working, because they bring so much energy to the dance and they’re great inside of the ring. It could be really good,” Bischoff said.

“But the pattern that’s been established for the last six or seven years has been, let’s just wait and see what happens.”

Bischoff also compared the situation to his experience in WCW. He admitted that, before he took control, the promotion often felt like a cheap imitation of WWE and lacked both the budget and expertise needed to develop characters in the same way WWE had during the 1980s.

Do you agree with Eric Bischoff, or is New Level the perfect name for Kofi Kingston and Austin Creed? Let us know in the comments.