Former WWE Champion CM Punk appeared on Stadium’s Sauce & Shram show where he was asked a few questions about WWE.
Right off the bat, Punk was asked about WWE using the “Best In the World” nickname for former WWE SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon since November.
This is where Punk noted that the “funny thing about the company, is I could say, ‘Yea that’s a little shot at me,’ And you know, it probably is. But they’d deny it until the cows come home.”
He was also asked was about Kofi Kingston winning the WWE Title from Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 this past Sunday night, which marked his first major world title win under the WWE banner. Punk and Kingston have been good friends for years now.
Punk believes that WWE was too late and they should have put the title on Kofi 10 years ago. He also thinks that they should learn to be ahead of the curve in the future. He added that he’s stoked that it happened.
Punk decided to walk out of WWE on the Monday following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in 2014. Since he departed from the WWE, fans have wanted to see Punk compete in the squared circle again. Instead, he took his talents to the Octagon in the UFC.
The WWE Universe was completely behind Kofi Kingston all the way through his WWE Championship win at WrestleMania this past weekend (Sun. April 7, 2019). Kingston toppled Daniel Bryan to win his first major World Championship in WWE after 11 years with the company. Now, we get to see how Kingston’s first reign as WWE Champion plays out on tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live.
While many fans were behind Kingston during his Road To WrestleMania, he did have a few haters. One of them being WWE Hall Of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham. Graham voiced his displeasure with Kingston being booked in the main event of WrestleMania a little over a week ago. The Hall Of Famer takes issue with the booking due to Kingston’s size.
However, now that the title victory is official and in the books, Graham took to his official Facebook page to offer his thoughts. Graham actually adviced Kingston to take steroids to add 50 pounds of muscle to his frame. He also suggested that Vince McMahon would be happy with such a move.
Here’s what he had to say:
Graham’s Advice
“Kofi Kingston…. My Advice I am sure Vince will sit Kofi down and say, ” Now Kofi, you listen to every word the Superstar has to say about your run as the first African born WWE World Heavyweight Champion.” Congratulations to Kofi for winning the most important Title in pro wrestling history….sorry you NWA guys….
“Notice the word ” Heavyweight ” in his Title…so my man, I urge you to start doing some steroids and add about 50 pounds of solid muscle to your championship body. Vince wont care, honestly. Actually he would be quite pleased with the muscular transformation, as I predict that you young man will have the longest run as WWE champ in modern-day history.
“Then in just a short time while you are red hot and the fans are celebrating your win, your 2 former partners in crime, E and Woods get jealous and turn on you. In my day there would be some blood in that double cross on you but God forbid….not now. You then have Daniel Bryan for rematches and your two former partners as opponents.
“The final suggestion, is to get all of my promo material together that you can find in the WWE’s vast library and study my promos. You must be an entertainer as well as a wrestler my man and best of luck with your run !!! S.B.G.”
What do you make of Graham telling Kingston to take steroids?
Sunday’s WrestleMania 35 pay-per-view was full of memorable moments. From Seth Rollins’ Universal Championship victory to Becky Lynch standing tall at the show’s conclusion, Kofi Kingston capturing the WWE Championship was arguably the greatest ‘feel good’ moment of the marathon event.
On Monday morning, Kofi Kingston took a moment to address his supporters. In a message posted on Twitter, Kingston thanked everyone for their unwavering support. Kofi says he has achieved his childhood dream and he’s eternally grateful to have experienced that moment.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all.
Without your love & support, especially over the past couple months, none of this happens. You helped me achieve my childhood dream & I’m eternally grateful for each & every one of you.
Whether Kofi Kingston’s title reign lasts two months or 12, the fact remains that he won “the big one” at WrestleMania. He is forever etched into the history books and has no doubt inspired many young fans that their own dreams are worth pursuing.
Watch: The New Day reacts to Kofi Kingston winning the WWE Championship
After years of grinding in the WWE, Kofi Kingston has reached the mountain top and won the WWE Title.
He did so when he knocked off Daniel Bryan as the WWE Champion at the WWE WrestleMania 35 pay-per-view event. This marks the first time that Kingston has held the WWE Title or a major World Title under the WWE banner for that matter.
WWE went through several ups and downs for Kingston in this storyline that all started when Kingston had a great performance at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event. Moving along, Kingston was supposed to challenge for the strap at the WWE Fastlane pay-per-view event, but WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon announced that Kevin Owens would replace Kingston during a contract signing.
Bryan won the title on November 13, 2018, in St. Louis, Missouri, on an episode of SmackDown Live by defeating AJ Styles, which marked his fourth reign as champion.
Time will tell when WWE gives Bryan a rematch for the strap. It could come on an episode of SmackDown Live or the next pay-per-view event, Money in the Bank, that goes down on May 19th in Hartford, Connecticut at the XL Center.
TMZ Sports caught up with Kofi Kingston in New York City this week where they asked him about the support that he has received from fans regarding his next match under the WWE banner.
Kingston is slated to challenge WWE Champion Daniel Bryan for the title at WrestleMania 35 this Sunday night on Sunday, April 7, 2019 in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium.
Kingston called it amazing and didn’t realize how much they wanted him to have this as much as he wanted it. He called the support unreal and thinks the best way to pay them back is by beating Daniel Bryan this Sunday and becoming WWE Champion.
Kingston was also asked if he feels like the match with Bryan should be the main event of the biggest show of the year instead of the planned headliner, which is WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair.
“Honestly, I’m just happy to have a match at WrestleMania,” Kofi said. “For me to get on here, for me to complain about, ‘Oh, well I got a singles match for the WWE Championship, I’m not in the main event!,’ Like, nah, it’s not about that at all. And the women have done such an amazing job, they deserve everything that they are getting right now. To be in the main event, Ronda Rousey, arguably. I mean, she might’ve been the one that actually started the whole ‘Divas Revolution’ by being so awesome in UFC. And you have Charlotte, the daughter of Ric Flair, who does amazing things in the ring. You have Becky Lynch, who has grinded for so long and so hard, and now the people are behind her so hard. To have them in the main event is an amazing thing. I’m so proud of all of them and I can’t wait to watch.”
During the interview, he talked about his Road to WrestleMania storyline where he had to overcome several challenges put in his way by WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon before being allowed to challenge Daniel Bryan for the WWE Title at this show.
Kingston brought up how Bryan has been in the same situation that he finds himself in while battling with The Authority back in 2013 where they were trying to hold him down and he had to fight to get to the main event and win the WWE Championship. Kingston then revealed his lofty goal of trying to steal the show with this contest.
“Now, the irony that he is on the other end and calling me all the names he was called, it’s a great story. We will see what happens. The little time we spent in the ring together has been pretty special. I think we match up pretty well. I’ve been watching Daniel Bryan for years.
I’m sure he has been watching my stuff. We know each other very well. It’s going to be an amazing match. I’m definitely looking forward to it and looking forward to stealing the show.”
Kofi Kingston sees 11 years worth of gruelling work, commitment, and sacrifice culminate this Sunday. He will face off against the Planet’s Champion, Daniel Bryan, in a match for the WWE Championship. It’s been an arduous journey—a fact that isn’t lost on him.
Speaking with Yahoo Sports ahead of WrestleMania 35, Kingston shared that it is because his personal journey taking so long to arrive that he can appreciate it all the more.
“It’s pretty unique to have a singles match at WrestleMania, it’s rare to have it for the WWE championship and to have it be supported by the people at such a high level is also rare,” Kofi said. “I think the fact that I have been doing this for so long, I realize how big it is. I have also been around so long to know that as fast as it went from 0 to 100, it can go from 100 to 0, you just never know what will happen tomorrow. I’m not at that relaxation point yet. We still have a lot of work left to do.”
“I Am So Proud To Be A Beacon Of Light For People Who Look Like Me”
Recent weeks have seen Kofi and his partners in New Day tested, with obstacles thrown in their way at every opportunity by Vince McMahon. When Kofi was first cheated out of the opportunity during his Gauntlet match, both Xavier Woods and Big E teased quitting WWE. They have also leaned into race being a contributing factor, with Big E previously stating “people like us will only get so far.”
When asked about these racial undertones, Kofi highlighted the importance of representation.
“We always say that it’s very important to have representation,” Kingston said. “As a child, one that would be watching the WWE product, I think it’s very important for children to look at the screen and see somebody that looks like them doing incredible things. I am so proud to be a beacon of light for people who look like me.”
He extrapolated his point, highlighting that their message extends past a singular community:
“They can look to TV — regardless of race — as a human and that it is possible to overcome impossible odds,” Kingston said. “I take a lot of pride in being the center of all of that and being the representative for all of that. Being able to identify with so many people, I think that’s the reason why this movement has been so powerful. It’s more than just race, or one particular thing. It’s so many different things, so many elements of hope that we’re able to provide.”
This Sunday, Kofi finally gets his single greatest opportunity on the “Grandest Stage Of Them All” as he attempts to turn WrestleMania into KofiMania.
WWE has announced that there will be a contract signing this Tuesday. The Daniel Bryan vs Kofi Kingston match for WrestleMania will be made ‘official’ on Smackdown Live. The WWE Championship match for WrestleMania has been locked in for quite some time backstage, but on television Kingston has been made to work for it.
Kofi was added to the Elimination Chamber match earlier this year when Mustafa Ali was unable to compete in the structure. Fans rallied behind Kofi who appeared to once again be in his “good hand” role for the evening. Kingston had stolen the show in a gauntlet match on the Tuesday night prior. The winner of that bout would be entered into the Chamber last, Kofi was eliminated by AJ Styles after an incredible showing. Randy Orton went on to win the bout and enter the Chamber last, but fans were right behind Kingston.
This spot had originally been slated for the aforementioned Ali, who if reports are to be believed would’ve faced Daniel Bryan at Fastlane. Kevin Owens would then have gotten the Championship bout at WrestleMania. Owens ended up facing Bryan at Fastlane, giving Kofi the opportunity to challenge for the belt at WrestleMania.
What is intriguing is that Kofi is one of the only performers who could’ve had this run. Ali, whilst an impressive performer does not have the tenure that Kingston has, not even close. Kingston is also in that class of ‘never used to their potential’ in WWE and he has seen many Superstars come and go. Kofi is the ‘Royal Rumble spot guy’ and nothing more…until the fans got right behind him.
WWE has no intentions on slowing down with their recent clothing collaborations. The company recently partnered with New Era Cap to release a range of Superstar specific caps. Now, WWE Superstars announced their partnership products with Foot Locker and FILA.
This deal sees a limited number of sneakers available for purchase at footlocker.com and the Foot Locker store in New York’s Time Square. The shoes will launch on April 4th—so just in time for wrestling fans descending upon New York for WrestleMania 35.
WWE x FILA
Two Superstars, in particular, have shared their collaboration shoes, inspired by their character and gimmicks.
“The Boss” Sasha Banks shared an image of her golden sneakers inside a locker, writing that:
“Sasha Banks Edition part of the Fila x @WWE collab, launching on 4/4, exclusively on , and available at the Footlocker times square location. Just in time for you to rock them at the grandest stage of them all, WRESTLEMANIA!!!
Sasha Banks Edition part of the Fila x @WWE collab, launching on 4/4, exclusively on https://t.co/oGotyhTQPA, and available at the Footlocker times square location. Just in time for you to rock them at the grandest stage of them all, WRESTLEMANIA!!! pic.twitter.com/qDEs7WKTvg
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) March 31, 2019
It’s Limited Edition, Yes It Is
New Day’s Kofi Kingston, on the cusp of Kofi-Mania, also hyped his FILA x WWE collaboration, sharing that the Kofi/New Day shoe is limited to only 483 pairs. The number is representative of the New Day’s 483-day tag team title reign.
He wrote:
“Ya boys done came up…We got our own sneaker! ? Only 483 pairs made in honor of our record tag title run.”
So if you’re a wrestling fan, a sneakerhead, enjoy collecting, or just like the look of these shoes, be sure to grab them as soon as they become available. The New Day ones, in particular, may not be around for long.
Kofi Kingston is headed to WrestleMania 35 to challenge for the top title on the blue brand.
The longtime WWE star has received the confirmation by WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon that he’ll be challenging Daniel Bryan for the WWE Title at this show. He got this match booked after Big E and Xavier Woods won a tag team gauntlet match on Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 35 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 7, 2019 in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium that will air on the WWE Network. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE WrestleMania 35 Card
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair – Triple Threat Match
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston
Batista vs. Triple H – No Holds Barred Match with Triple H’s career on the line
Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin – Angle’s Farewell Match
Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles
Shane McMahon vs. The Miz – Falls Count Anywhere Match
Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax & Tamina vs. Beth Phoenix & Natalya vs. The IIconics – Fatal 4-Way Match
WWE United States Champion Samoa Joe vs. Rey Mysterio
WWE Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Finn Balor
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy vs. Tony Nese
6th Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal: Braun Strowman, SNL’s Michael Che and Colin Jost
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
Kofi Kingston has reacted to WWE advertising him against WWE Champion Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35.
As noted, one fan shared on social media of an advertisement from WWE that shows a graphic for Bryan vs. Kingston for the WWE Title, which you can see here.
Obviously, WWE has yet to formally announce this match due to the ongoing storyline involving Bryan, Kingston, and Vince McMahon that has been played out over the last few weeks on television.
The belief is that this match will indeed take place at WrestleMania with the company making the announcement shortly. Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live should be interesting due to the fallout from the gauntlet match featuring Kingston that took place last week.
The longtime WWE star attempted to downplay this advertisement that has been making the rounds online. He did so in this post on his official Twitter account where he wrote the following:
Last week the gauntlet match was also advertised to kick off the show. It did not. Vince has been messing with us for a while now. Wouldn’t be surprised if this was just more of the same. https://t.co/txc08S3aEZ
WWE presents the WrestleMania 35 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 7, 2019 in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium that will air on the WWE Network. WWE RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair will headline the show.
What do you think about this feud and WWE advertising Bryan vs. Kingston at WrestleMania before the match being made official?
One of the most highly-anticipated matches at WrestleMania next month has yet to be made official. It’s expected that WWE Champion Daniel Bryan will defend his title against Kofi Kingston at “The Show Of Shows.” However, Kingston has been screwed out of every opportunity to punch his ticket to WrestleMania by Vince McMahon.
Although it’s still expected that the match will happen, with just two weeks to go until WrestleMania, the bout is not yet confirmed on TV. However, WWE seems to already be advertising Bryan vs. Kingston for the WWE Title at MetLife Stadium. One fan shared on Twitter an advertisement from WWE that shows a graphic for Bryan vs. Kingston for the WWE Title:
Perhaps tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live will finally clear things up. There’s a chance Kingston is able to punch his ticket to New Jersey and get past Vince McMahon’s roadblocks once and for all. Or WWE could decide to hold off on making the match official until the go-home episode of SmackDown Live before WrestleMania.
What do you think about WWE advertising Bryan vs. Kingston at WrestleMania before the match being made official?
Kofi Kingston recently did an interview with The Independent where he talked about a wide range of topics including which WWE stars he thinks should be pushed more on WWE television.
This is where the longtime WWE star named Apollo Crews and brought up how he’s super athletic and talented.
“There are a lot,” Kingston said. “I am happy to see Apollo Crews getting some time [on television]; he had a real good match with Kurt Angle on Raw. He is super athletic and super talented, so for him to get a chance to shine is awesome.”
Kingston also praised the 205 Live brand and talked about how he thinks WWE should use some of the stars on the cruiserweight roster to get opportunities on a bigger stage.
“I’ve always said that 205 Live is one of the best-kept secrets in WWE,” stated Kingston. “If you watch that show, and see the quality and caliber of athletes on that show; it’s amazing, the things they can do and the stories they can tell in the ring.”
Kingston would add how there’s a lot of talent out there but it’s tough as oftentimes not all of that talent can get used. He noted that he’s happy to see guys that don’t get used a lot and get a chance to really show their abilities on television.
WWE has a lot of talent coming in from different backgrounds and styles and the roster is full of newcomers impressing the audience with their skills.
Kofi Kingston, an eleven-year WWE vet, gave his thoughts on this wave of newcomers in the company and said that the old-timers still have a lot they can give to the fans.
Speaking to The Independent, Kofi said, “AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton… you forget how long they’ve been doing this for.”
“I don’t think there’s a person watching them that would say ‘they need to hang up their boots’ – they’ve got a lot more gas left in the tank.
“That’s just a testament to how good they are, and how good they’ve been over time.”
Kofi was asked who he would like to see given a chance to shine in the company. He said, “There are a lot.I am happy to see Apollo Crews getting some time [on television]; he had a real good match with Kurt Angle on Raw last week. He is super athletic and super talented, so for him to get a chance to shine is awesome.
“I’ve always said that 205 Live [one of WWE’s other weekly programmes] is one of the best-kept secrets in WWE.If you watch that show, and see the quality and calibre of athletes on that show; it’s amazing, the things they can do and the stories they can tell in the ring.
“There’s a lot of talent out there, man. It’s tough because, oftentimes, not all of that talent can’t get used, so I’m always happy to see guys that don’t get used a lot, get used and get a chance to really show their abilities on television.”
Kofi Kingston has been the center of attention because of his championship pursuits the past few weeks. On the last episode of SmackDown, Kofi was asked to defeat Randy Orton, Samoa Joe, Cesaro, Sheamus, and Rowan in a gauntlet match to receive a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 35. Kofi won the match, but was screwed over by Mr. McMahon who then forced him to also face WWE Champion Daniel Bryan. An exhausted Kofi was unable to win against Bryan.
Kofi Kingston was recently screwed out of an opportunity to face Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35. This led the team to briefly discuss the idea of quitting — an idea that Kofi quickly nixed.
Big E, however, chose to vent his frustrations. In a video uploaded to Twitter, he sadly states that “people like us will only get so far. […] You can climb the mountain. They’ll let you climb the mountain, but as far as getting to the peak and staying at the peak – it’s not a thing that people like us, historically and moving forward clearly, can only get so far.”
Now Xavier Woods has provided his thoughts on their current situation.
“Its Definitely Showed Me Which Direction I Need To Go In”
Speaking from the Game Developers Conference (GDC), Woods addresses the unfair actions of Vince McMahon from Tuesday night. He also highlights that, like Big E, he needs to do what’s best for him and his family. He’s just not sure WWE fits into that anymore.
“I’m sure you guys saw what happened this past Tuesday to Kofi. You probably watched the video that [Big] E did and he, kind of, said it best, so I’m just gonna echo those sentiments,” he said.
“We have other things that we enjoy doing. We have other skills. Me? I love video games. I’m a part of this community and I love this community with all of my heart, and this community loves me back. That’s a relationship I’m willing to be in.”
“Constantly being treated in the way that we, New Day, has been treated and will most likely be treated from here on out…I just want to say that I appreciate what you did Vince, thank you very much. Because its definitely showed me which direction I need to go in to take care of myself and to take care of my family.”
With the New Day teasing quitting, and both Xavier Woods and Big E uploading videos to their personal accounts to address the unfair situation, this blending of reality and fiction adds a new dynamic to the story as people continue to clamour for Kofi-Mania on April 7th.
Daniel Bryan proved to be too much of an obstacle for Kofi Kingston this past Tuesday on SmackDown Live. After having endured a gruelling gauntlet match against five of SmackDown’s top Superstars, Vince McMahon would then insert “The Planet’s Champion” as a surprise sixth entrant.
It was just too much for an exhausted Kofi who, in losing the gauntlet match, has now lost his opportunity to face Bryan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35.
The New Day regrouped backstage on Tuesday night, with Big E and Xavier Woods discussing quitting WWE — an idea that Kofi shot down.
Big E recently took to his Twitter account to upload a video of his thoughts on the situation. The video covers a lot of ground, with Big E lambasting WWE as he says that The New Day finally “understand the game.”
“If This Is All We Will Ever Be? I Don’t Know If It’s Worth It”
Big E believes that it doesn’t matter how good you are, how much your hone your craft and “jump through all the right hoops,” or how respectful you are as a professional and individual — to him the idea that if “You do everything, you check all the boxes, you show up in shape—you do everything that’s asked of you in this business —that if you do all those things you have a good chance of making it to the top” is a lie.
He goes on to say that “people like us will only get so far. […] You can climb the mountain. They’ll let you climb the mountain, but as far as getting to the peak and staying at the peak – it’s not a thing that people like us, historically and moving forward clearly, can only get so far.”
Clearly deflated from all these challenges being placed in front of his friend’s dreams, Big E would tease the idea of leaving WWE, contemplating whether all this hard work and being away from family for “250 days plus a year is worth it.” He ends the video by stating, |[…] obviously proud of Kofi, proud of us as a trio, proud of what we’ve done, but if this is all we ever be? I don’t know if it’s worth it.”
Kofi Kingston is on a trajectory similar to that of Daniel Bryan’s journey leading into WrestleMania 30. With authority figures doing everything to stop Kofi getting his opportunity, it will be interesting to see how they eventually make Kofi vs Bryan official. One thing is for sure, however: the WWE Universe want Kofi-Mania.
The main event of this week’s episode of SmackDown Live saw Kofi Kingston defeating not one but five back to back opponents in a highly praised gauntlet match.
However, Kofi wasn’t able to earn his spot into WrestleMania even after this as Vince McMahon put him into a final match with Daniel Bryan which he lost.
After the show, WWE posted a backstage video of the trio of Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods talking about possibly quitting the company after the events of the show.
As seen in the video below, both E and Woods were convinced that they should quit but Kofi declined, saying that if they quit now then it will be a win for Daniel Bryan and Mr. McMahon:
What’s Next For Kofi Kingston?
After this week’s episode of the show, it appears that the company is going the same route with the New Day Member as they did with Daniel Bryan before WrestleMania 30.
Daniel was denied a World Heavyweight Championship match against the then champion Randy Orton at the show.
Though he fought his way to a world title victory and the current WWE Champion had to defeat Triple H in a one on one match during the opening bout of WrestleMania to earn his opportunity.
It’s likely that we will see something similar with Kofi. With less than 3 weeks remaining for the show, it’s possible that Kofi Kingston’s fate will be decided on the day of WrestleMania itself.
Kofi Kingston could make history in his next televised match under the WWE banner. The New Day member is slated to compete in a gauntlet match against Randy Orton, Samoa Joe, Sheamus, Cesaro and Rowan on next Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live.
Should he win this match then he’ll be allowed to challenge WWE Champion Daniel Bryan for the strap at WrestleMania 35. He’ll also make some WWE history as well.
According to WWE Stats and Info on Twitter, there’s never been a star who as ever eliminated more than four stars in a gauntlet match and went on to win the entire thing. This includes WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin. The company made this stat known when they sent out the following:
No @WWE Superstar has ever won a Gauntlet Match in which they were responsible for eliminating more than 4 opponents in a row all by his/herself.
The latest development in this storyline came during WWE Fastlane pay-per-view event where WWE teased Kingston challenging for the strap when Vince McMahon told him that he would be added to the WWE Title Match with champion Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens.
That didn’t happen as instead, he competed in a 1-on-2 Handicap Match with The Bar, which he lost. Later in the Mustafi Ali competed for the WWE Title alongside Owens in a triple threat match.
The WWE Universe has quickly invested in the concept of Kofi-Mania. His journey has famously taken him 11 years to scratch and claw to a main event spot. Now he’s on the cusp of finally competing for a major championship.
However, Vince McMahon has put another obstacle in Kofi’s way: a gauntlet match.
If Kofi is victorious, he will get a WWE Championship opportunity at “The New” Daniel Bryan. The men in his way include Randy Orton, Sheamus, Cesaro, Rowan, and US Champion, Samoa Joe. It’ll be no easy feat.
WWE has since uploaded a video with The New Day being interviewed by Kayla Braxton. She presses the point regarding his opportunity, which prompts Kofi to provide a passionate response:
“This is definitely a big mountain to climb, it’s definitely a big mountain to climb,” Kofi admitted. “But my entire career…I realized a very long time ago, that I was never going to be the guy who, ‘Oh, you look so big, let’s put him in the main event scene,’ ‘Oh, this guy’s got the best physique ever, let’s put him in the main event scene.’ For me, it was always going to be the hard way. It’s been hard getting here to this point,” he said.
“It’s been a battle, it’s been a struggle. I would expect it no other way to get to WrestleMania, but if this is the path that I have to take to get to WrestleMania, to fight for the WWE Championship title, I’m going to do it. I’m going to do it.”
B+ Player
When asked how he felt being called a “B+ player,” much in the way that Daniel Bryan was once referred to, Kofi replied:
“They’ll say anything, right? They’ll say anything. They know damn well I’m not a B+ player,” he said. “You can call me whatever it is that you want to call me, you just give me that match and I’ll have to show you otherwise.”
Turning his thoughts to next week’s gauntlet match, Kofi reflected that he was happy to simply have the opportunity.
“That’s the first step, that’s all that I’ve ever wanted. I told you last time, I just need a chance and if it’s going to be through 5 different Superstars, then so be it, y’know. We just…we just got to make it happen.”
“Let’s Get Our Mountain Boots On And Get To Climbing”
Kofi Kingston would later post a tweet, capturing his feelings on this latest obstacle being thrown in his way.
“I’ve always known that my road to the WWE Championship was never going to be an easy one, but next weeks gauntlet match will be a tough and seemingly insurmountable mountain to climb…so let’s get our mountain boots on and get to climbing. #LFG”
I’ve always known that my road to the WWE Championship was never going to be an easy one, but next weeks gauntlet match will be a tough and seemingly insurmountable mountain to climb…so let’s get our mountain boots on and get to climbing. #LFG
With WrestleMania 35 now under a month away, and Vince McMahon allegedly undecided over what matchup to close the show with, could we be on the cusp of full-on Kofi-Mania, something that has been 11 years in the making?
Former WWE writer, Freddie Prinze Jr., says he pitched the idea for Kofi Kingston to run through a gauntlet of challengers over a decade ago. He noted that, at the time, the idea fell on deaf ears.
Prinze Jr. has done two tours of duty as a member of the WWE creative team. The actor first worked for the company from 2008-09 and then again from 2010-2012. Kofi Kingston was called up to the main roster in late 2007. He started off on the ECW brand airing on the SyFy Network at the time.
Prinze Jr. spoke to GQ Magazine in 2016 and described what led to him working for WWE.
“I think it was 2007 or 2008. I don’t remember the exact year, but I went to WrestleMania and I was speaking with a lady who worked for the company. She was asking what I liked about the show, what I didn’t like, and I was just very honest with her. She said, ‘I would love for you to have this conversation with Kevin Dunn or Stephanie McMahon'”
Kofi Kingston’s Path to WrestleMania
The Kofi gauntlet idea Prinze Jr. is referring to will take place next week on Smackdown. Vince McMahon closed this week’s episode by telling Kofi he’ll have the chance to qualify for a WrestleMania title match if he wins a gauntlet match next week.
The CEO of WWE will address Kofi Kingston’s warning on tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live.
For those who are unaware of what took place at Sunday’s Fastlane event (full results here), Kofi Kingston was told during the pre-show that Mr. McMahon wanted to talk to him about the WWE Championship match which was set to take place later in the night.
McMahon told Kingston that he would be added in the WWE Championship match between Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens (who replaced Kingston in the first place), making it a triple-threat match, with the condition that The New Day will be banned from ringside. When Kingston made it to the ring he was informed that McMahon actually lied and he was set up for a two-on-one handicap match against The Bar.
Needless to say, The Bar was heavy on Kingston as both Sheamus and Cesaro were allowed to be in the ring at the same time. Big E and Woods came out to the aid of The New Day member, but Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev stopped them. The Bar won by hitting a double White Noise on Kingston.
In what must have been very hurtful for Kingston, Mustafa Ali was later added in the WWE Championship match, making it a triple-threat. The arena was filled with “We want Kofi” chants during the majority of the beginning of the bout.
Kingston rightfully took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to tell McMahon that he is not going anywhere and he will see him on SmackDown. It was later confirmed by WWE that McMahon will appear on SmackDown to address Kingston’s warning.
I’m not sure what Vince was trying to accomplish last night, but one thing became very clear: He does not want to see me as WWE Champion.
After 11 years, I finally have your attention…and I’m not going away. See you Tuesday @VinceMcMahon 😉
The storyline involving Kofi Kingston’s chase to become WWE Champion will continue on Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown Live episode as he has sent a warning to WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.
The latest development in this storyline came during WWE Fastlane pay-per-view event where WWE teased Kingston challenging for the strap when McMahon told him that he would be added to the WWE Title Match with champion Daniel Bryan and Kevin Owens.
That didn’t happen as instead, he competed in a 1-on-2 Handicap Match with The Bar, which he lost. Later in the show, it was revealed that Mustafa Ali would be added to the WWE Title match and saw Bryan successfully retain his title. This comes after Kofi replaced Ali in the Elimination Chamber Match at last month’s pay-per-view event.
Kofi sent out the following warning on his official Twitter account when he wrote, “I’m not sure what Vince was trying to accomplish last night, but one thing became very clear: He does not want to see me as WWE Champion. After 11 years, I finally have your attention…and I’m not going away. See you Tuesday @VinceMcMahon”
For the last few weeks, the belief is that Kingston will indeed get his chance to challenge Bryan for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 35 next month.
Big E has made it known that he thinks Kofi Kingston will get his chance to challenge for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 35 despite the outcome at WWE’s next pay-per-view event. Kevin Owens is slated to challenge Daniel Bryan for the strap at the WWE Fastlane pay-per-view event.
This wasn’t the original opponent for Bryan at this show. Kingston was supposed to challenge for the strap but that all changed when Vince McMahon announced that Owens would replace Kingston during a contract signing.
While doing a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Big E stated that no matter who wins at Fastlane, Kingston will get his opportunity at Mania.
“That’s a diplomatic answer,” Big E responded to Kofi. “I was going to say I don’t care. I hope they beat the living heck out of each other because Kofi is going to get his opportunity at WrestleMania. That is the point. These are the people who are pawns. These are the people who are interchangeable faces. Of course they are tremendous talents. Daniel Bryan is arguably the greatest in-ring technician of all time. But it’s not about Daniel Bryan, it’s not about Kevin Owens. It’s about Kofi.”
Big E would continue by stating that Kofi has been in the WWE for 11 years and never got a WWE Title Match. This opportunity is for Kingston to fulfill his promise. He wishes Owens and Bryan well in their match but it doesn’t matter come WrestleMania.
Kevin Owens returned last night during SmackDown Live. He was introduced by Vince McMahon as Kofi Kingston’s replacement for WWE’s upcoming Fastlane event as a man “more deserving” of the spot than the New Day member.
The WWE Universe made their frustration known via social media after the announcement. This vocal disappointment was shared by fellow New Day members, Xavier Woods and Big E.
Both expressed their clear exasperation with the decision via Twitter, taking umbrage with Vince McMahon’s ruling.
Xavier, whose current Twitter name is #KofiVsBryan, said:
“So what else does @TrueKofi have to do? He’s a multi-time champion. He’s given 11 amazing years to this company. He’s pinned the @wwe champion. Kofi is more than good enough. Kofi is more than worthy. What else do you want from him? WHAT ELSE?”
So what else does @TrueKofi have to do? He’s a multi-time champion. He’s given 11 amazing years to this company. He’s pinned the @wwe champion. Kofi is more than good enough. Kofi is more than worthy. What else do you want from him? WHAT ELSE?
Despite this turn of events, Owens would eventually tag with Kofi Kingston in the main event of SmackDown. The two would defeat “The New” Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan after Owens hit a Stunner for the victory.
With WrestleMania edging ever closer, are WWE saving Kofi for a high profile title win? Could he finally do it on the “Grandest Stage Of Them All”?
Kofi Kingston was announced last night as Daniel Bryan’s opponent at Fastlane. His booking over the last couple of weeks has reminded some of the time from nearly 10 years ago when he also appeared to be in line for a major push. As it turns out, Randy Orton and Kofi Kingston may have referenced this time from 2009 last night.
In 2009, Kingston looked to be a breakout star. There are rumors his push was stopped after Orton was less than pleased with his performance during a match on RAW, however. Last night on Smackdown, that incident was referenced during the main event 6-man tag.
A user on Twitter put the two events back to back in the following video:
Tommy Dreamer commented on Edge and Christian’s podcast about Kofi’s lack of a push that year. He said it still bothers him.
“I am still angry about a few things in professional wrestling,” Dreamer said. “Great things which were either dropped or messed up. One of them being when Kofi Kingston send Randy Orton through the table at Madison Square Garden and they never went full board with it, am still upset about that”.
When asked about the incident from 2009, Kingston told Smack Talk Radio in 2012 he wasn’t too bothered by it. He said much of what Orton was doing was being in-character at the time.
“Everyone knows Randy kinda has an attitude,” Kingston said. “So that’s Randy being Randy. What everyone doesn’t remember is that we were in a heated rivalry so a lot of what you saw was him being his character and him kinda playing to that.”