How The New Level Succeeded Where AEW’s Hurt Syndicate Stalled

AEW’s locker room has quietly produced a tale of two WWE imports, and the contrast between them has become hard to ignore. While Bobby Lashley, MVP and Shelton Benjamin’s Hurt Syndicate has spent much of the past several weeks off television amid growing questions about its future, Kofi Kingston and Austin Creed’s New Level have slid into the promotion with a fluidity their predecessors never quite managed.

The New Level debuted at All In London 2026 alongside Swerve Strickland, and the pairing clicked almost instantly. Kingston and Creed — former New Day stablemates with a decorated WWE run behind them — have spent their opening months in AEW working across Dynamite, Collision and pay-per-view, taking on opponents as varied as The Rascalz, Lee Moriarty, The Demand and The Conglomeration. That willingness to work with nearly anyone on any show stands in contrast to persistent chatter that Hurt Syndicate preferred to work selectively, reportedly favoring certain pairings over others since arriving in the company back in the latter half of 2024.

Timing matters here too. When Hurt Syndicate landed in AEW, the promotion was still finding its footing in the aftermath of CM Punk’s 2023 departure, a period widely regarded as one of creative uncertainty for the company. It wasn’t until 2025 that AEW’s storytelling identity sharpened into something more consistent. New Level, by comparison, walked into a promotion that already knows what it wants to be — and that difference in institutional footing may explain a lot about why one trio has struggled to find traction while the other has looked comfortable from week one.

There’s also the matter of legacy. Kingston and Creed don’t need AEW to validate their standing in the industry; their work as part of New Day already cemented them as one of the most accomplished tag acts of their generation, freeing them up to simply have fun and adapt. Hurt Syndicate, born out of the original Hurt Business in WWE, never got that same extended runway — the group was broken up before it could fully build its legacy, and that unfinished business may be part of why Lashley, MVP and Benjamin have seemed to be chasing something in AEW rather than simply building on an established foundation.

None of this means Hurt Syndicate is finished in AEW, but the group’s recent absence from weekly programming has only amplified the comparisons to New Level’s hot start. For a promotion that has leaned heavily on former WWE talents looking for a second act, the divergent paths of these two groups offer a useful case study in what makes those transitions work. Fit, timing, flexibility and a settled sense of legacy all seem to be playing a part — and right now, New Level is checking every box that Hurt Syndicate has struggled to check.

Whether AEW finds a fresh direction for Lashley, MVP and Benjamin remains to be seen, but New Level’s smooth integration suggests the blueprint for a successful WWE-to-AEW crossover is already sitting right in front of the company.