Kofi Kingston and Austin Creed were reportedly asked to accept a huge 75% pay cut before leaving WWE.

The pair, formerly known as The New Day in WWE, made their AEW debuts at All In: London under the name New Level. They have since spoken openly about the circumstances surrounding their departures.

During an interview with Ariel Helwani, Kofi confirmed that WWE’s proposed reduction was greater than the previously reported figure of 50%.

“I will say, it was more than 50%. It was more,” Kofi said.

Conrad Thompson has now claimed that the actual figure discussed was as high as 75%.

Speaking alongside Jim Ross on the Grilling JR podcast, Thompson explained that he had heard the higher number from sources.

“More than 90 days ago when we found out that New Day was no more in WWE, and there was lots of rumors and innuendo at the time that they were [offered] a 50 percent pay cut,” Thompson said. “The rumor and innuendo that I’ve heard is it was actually a 75 percent pay cut. And some of that was confirmed on an interview with Ariel Helwani. Now, they didn’t say 75, but that’s the number I’ve heard bandied around.”

The 75% figure remains unconfirmed, with Kofi only stating publicly that the proposed reduction exceeded 50%. It was also reported that WWE intended to give both men smaller roles if they remained with the company.

Kofi and Creed have already made an immediate impact in AEW. They joined forces with Swerve Strickland at All In: London and won the AEW World Trios Championship in the first Trios Roulette Royale.

The new champions defeated six other teams during the match, including former titleholders Adam Page and Brodido.

New Level then made their AEW Dynamite debut alongside Strickland, successfully defending the championship against The Rascalz trio of Dezmond Xavier, Myron Reed and Zachary Wentz.

What do you make of the reported 75% pay cut, and did Kofi and Creed make the right decision by joining AEW? Let us know in the comments.