A lot has changed for The New Day Member Kofi Kingston in the past couple of weeks, and the former United States Champion has gained a lot of momentum in just a few days.
It all started when he was announced as Mustafa Ali’s replacement for the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match during last week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
He put on a great performance during the Gauntlet match on the show and while Kingston couldn’t win the title during the Elimination Chamber PPV, he won a lot of hearts with his performance in that bout as well.
These two nights were enough to get fans behind Kofi like never before. All this resulted in WWE announcing him as the challenger for Daniel Bryan’s WWE Championship at the upcoming Fastlane PPV.
Below is a video of Sarah Schreiber interviewing the New Day member after this announcement, where she asks him if Kofi Kingston is gonna walk out of Fastlane as the WWE Champion.
Replying to it, the former Champion said that he can’t make any guarantees but he has been ready for 11 years and he can’t wait for this shot:
Do you think WWE can do the unthinkable and make Kofi the WWE Champion at the upcoming show? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Following his impressive showing on Smackdown Live and the Elimination Chamber it seems that Kofi Kingston may still be in the WWE Championship picture.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Kofi was originally not in line to get the shot at Fastlane. However, plans as of Monday afternoon alluded to Kofi being heavily considered as the front runner for the WWE Title match. Dave Meltzer mentioned that Kofi’s performances in the Gauntlet match and Elimination Chamber essentially forced WWE’s hand.
The Q Arena has been advertising a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship at Fastlane in local markets. This match would’ve seen AJ Styles and Samoa Joe joining Daniel Bryan in the main event. There’s currently no information on what Styles and Joe will be doing at Fastlane as of writing.
There’s currently no concrete plans on how Kingston vs Bryan will affect WrestleMania. Kofi has impressing over the past few weeks. However it is highly unlikely that he takes the title off of Bryan this close to the big event. WrestlingINC have been reporting that Bryan is scheduled to face someone not on the full time roster. There’s no confirmation on who this may be, however the likes of Batista could be on WWE’s radar.
The performance that Kofi Kingston put on during this week’s SmackDown Live is still being talked about amongst his fans and peers. Kofi was revealed to be the New Day’s representative, replacing an injured Mustafa Ali. He has suddenly found himself with major momentum heading into this Sunday’s Elimination Chamber matchup.
However, it appears that Kofi’s booking during SmackDown’s Gauntlet match was also meant for Ali.
Reported by @WrestleVotes, it seems that the story that unfolded Tuesday night was originally intended for Mustafa Ali. WWE appears to have simply inserted Kofi Kingston into a storyline slated for the former 205 Live Superstar.
With Ali suffering from an injured tailbone and a concussion, as well as a black eye at the hands of Randy Orton, the Superstar has been the recipient of some heavy damage since moving up to SmackDown.
It’s been rumored that WWE will lean into the injury angle for when Ali is medically cleared. Given the black eye, this could lead into a natural feud against Randy Orton upon his comeback. There is always the possibility that WWE elects Erick Rowan instead, given how he slammed Ali’s head into the SmackDown announce table.
What do you make of this? Will Ali be majorly set back now because of it? Is it ‘fair’ that Kofi has stepped into a push designed for Mustafa Ali?
Unsurprisingly, Kofi Kingston’s Herculean effort hasn’t gone unnoticed by the WWE Universe. It also, rightfully, garnered a lot of attention from his peers backstage.
If you happened to miss it, Kofi Kingston was revealed to be New Day’s elected member to replace the injured Mustafa Ali. He would go on to compete in a gauntlet match for the main event of this week’s SmackDown Live. Kofi would valiantly battle through, surviving Daniel Bryan, Jeff Hardy, and Samoa Joe. He would then be eliminated by AJ Styles — but only after a further assault by Samoa Joe.
It would be Randy Orton, however, who would come out the victor of the gauntlet match.
Superstar Reactions
His stellar performance has been getting a lot of kudos from other WWE Superstars including Kevin Owens, Samy Zayn, and Big E to name a few.
Kofi would Tweet out himself looking towards this Sunday’s Elimination Chamber. Despite not coming away with the win on Tuesday, there’s an undeniable amount of interest and momentum now behind him.
“As we stare unto the horizon and observe the perils that lie ahead, we step forward, towards the danger…and we fight. Because we just do not know any other way. See you Sunday. #EliminationChamber”
As we stare unto the horizon and observe the perils that lie ahead, we step forward, towards the danger…and we fight. Because we just do not know any other way. See you Sunday. #EliminationChamber
“Sometimes you forget the dude you’ve goofed off with for the last 4+ years is a legend. Putting in an actual hour against (and DEFEATING) world champs & future HOFers was awe inspiring & humbling. Last night was one we will never forget.”
Sometimes you forget the dude you’ve goofed off with for the last 4+ years is a legend. Putting in an actual hour against (and DEFEATING) world champs & future HOFers was awe inspiring & humbling. Last night was one we will never forget.
During Sunday’s Royal Rumble matchup, New Day members, Xavier Woods and Big E, paid homage to their stablemate, Kofi Kingston. Each member wore gear that showcased Kofi Kingston’s amazing Rumble moments from over the years, captured in comic book form.
Kingston has made a name for himself within the Rumble match, saving himself from elimination in different, unique ways to the point that the WWE Universe anticipate witnessing his next close escape each year.
Turns out, however, that another man inspired Kingston to begin his accidental tradition. Speaking with ‘The Sun,’ Kofi shared that he never intended for these near eliminations to become what he’s known for in the Rumble. He also directly credited former WWE Superstar, John Morrison, as his initial inspiration.
“Let Me Try To Fill This Void”
“I didn’t expect to become the guy who people look to do something cool in the Rumble in terms of avoiding elimination,” he admitted. “Actually, it was all started by John Morrison for me when he got knocked off the apron and jumped all the way to the barrier and parkoured his way back into the ring. Then the next year when it came to the Rumble he was not around so I was like, ‘Hey, let me try to fill this void’.”
“It became something cool and I tried to figure out something to do it again the next year and then all of a sudden everyone is like, ‘What’s Kofi gonna do now?’ Fast-forward a few years later and here we are,” he said.
“It’s cool and I couldn’t say exactly which one was my favorite, I just put them all out there and let the people rank and pick their best. It’s just cool to be in that spot,” he confessed. “The Royal Rumble is really about being the guy who survives 30-plus people and goes on to WrestleMania, then people are also looking at me. So it’s really great to be in that position.”
Whether or not the New Day should split up is a constant topic of discussion among wrestling fans and there are groups who oppose and support the breakup of the faction.
Kofi was recently interviewed by Argus Leader where he talked about his interest in wrestling while growing up, his early WWE career and more.
When asked if the New Day will ever break up, the former Champion said that it’s stereotypical for a group to break up after some time and a team typically breaks up to do better as singles competitors
However, continuing on the topic, Kofi said that they are doing better as a team then they were doing on their own and went on to explain why it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for them to split up:
“It’s kind of hard to justify (breaking up) that with the things we’re doing right now with our merchandise sales and all the products we’re coming out with, the fanbase that we have. We have a unique way of connecting with the crowd, so it doesn’t really make sense to split us up at all, even if we wanted to.”
In wrestling we can never say never so the possibility of the New Day breaking up somewhere down the line will always be there, but for now, it appears that the group will be sticking together and continue their stint for the foreseeable future.
Xavier Woods is having an interesting trip to Malaysia. Upon arriving in the country, Woods says he had a rather interesting interaction with a customs agent. Woods described the encounter on his Twitter account:
Landed in Kuala Lumpur
Customs agent: You're with WWE
Me: Yea
CA: Kofi Kingston
Me: Nah I'm the other black guy
CA: hmm, so you're not Kofi Kingston
Me: ?No
CA: (Takes me to a shady side room) Guys, pretty sure this is Kofi Kingston and he just doesn't wanna tell me
“Landed in Kuala Lumpur Customs agent: You’re with WWE Me: Yea CA: Kofi Kingston Me: Nah I’m the other black guy CA: hmm, so you’re not Kofi Kingston Me:
No CA: (Takes me to a shady side room) Guys, pretty sure this is Kofi Kingston and he just doesn’t wanna tell me”
It does appear Woods was allowed into the country without incident, however.
Xavier Woods Left Up To His Own Devices
Woods is an adventuristic superstar. On Friday WWE was in Manila in the Philippines. Woods did not take long to become enamored with the country:
JUST GOT OFF THE PLANE IN MANILA AND I ALREADY HAVE A PET CHICKEN AND A BAG OF SODA – DO NOT LEAVE ME TO MY OWN DEVICES @WWEpic.twitter.com/yX8dgMB4b5
“JUST GOT OFF THE PLANE IN MANILA AND I ALREADY HAVE A PET CHICKEN AND A BAG OF SODA – DO NOT LEAVE ME TO MY OWN DEVICES @WWE”
Xavier Woods On Survivor Series Raw vs Smackdown Scoring
Woods was not happy following Survivor Series recently. While the Smackdown tag-team division defeated the Raw tag-team division on the pre-show, WWE neglected to mention this when touting Raw’s “clean sweep” over Smackdown on the main PPV.
Woods sent out the following in regards to the controversial brand vs brand scoring:
Current SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions The New Day are arguably the best trio in professional wrestling today. The squad consisting of Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods have proven dominant over the past several years. The New Day have faced the best tag teams WWE has to offer.
However, there’s one team that sits above all that the three men have yet to share the ring with. That team being New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring Of Honor’s The Elite (The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega). The two teams had a run-in with one another at E3 earlier this year. Their chemistry as entertainers got fans excited about a possible professional wrestling program.
New Day member Kofi Kingston spoke about this on a recent media call to promote tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live. Here’s what he had to say:
“It would be The Elite. It would be The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. I think it’s something that from the moment we came out, people were like, ‘Oh, is this going to happen? I mean, The Young Bucks and Kenny, and The New Day, there are three of you’.
“They are so talented, and they’ve been able to do so many cool things all over the world, especially in Japan, which are… the way they’ve been able to do those cool things. I think it’s kind of a fantasy match-up that people have been waiting with bated breath to see.
“But, you never know what’s going to happen in the WWE. Never say never, and I hope that it does happen at some point in time, but I guess we will have to wait and find out.”
What do you think about a potential New Day vs. Elite match?
Kofi Kingston recently got his name written in WWE’s record books once again as he surpassed Billy Gunn and became the Superstar with the most days as a tag team champion in the company’s history.
Kingston recently set down with Renee Young to talk about his new record and what are the future goals for the New Day Member among other things.
Kofi first talked about his various tag team partners over the years and what he has learned from them. He said that CM Punk taught him how to be a top guy in WWE, and R Truth taught him to have fun in the ring while competing.
What Are His Future Goals?
When asked about his future goals, one half of the current SmackDown Tag Team Champions said that when he was a kid, his goal was to hold every single title in WWE.
Continuing on the topic, the former Intercontinental Champion said that he feels like he is on his way to achieving that but there are obviously a couple of titles that have eluded him and winning them is definitely a goal.
Kofi Kingston has won all the mid-card titles in WWE multiple times but he has yet to have a run with a World title in the company. At the age of 37, it’s safe to say that his road to a world championship won’t be an easy one.
You can check out his full interview in the video below:
Kofi Kingston has etched himself into the WWE record books. The New Day member broke WWE’s record for most days as a Tag Team Champion in history recently. He passed up Billy Gunn after racking up over 954 days reigning as a Tag Team Champion.
This is including all of Kingston’s combined days as ever holding Tag Team Titles. Over the years, Kingston has had partners such as The New Day, R-Truth, Evan Bourne, and CM Punk. Kingston spoke to ESPN recently to get his reaction to his record-breaking accomplishment.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I set the goal to be the longest-reigning tag-team champion,” Kingston said. “I’m lucky and blessed to have so many tag-team championships.”
More specifically, Kingston was asked about his days teaming with CM Punk. Punk is on the outs with WWE since walking out on the company back in 2014. He has since embarked on several new career paths, such as mixed martial arts (MMA), acting, and comic book writing.
In regards to what he was able to learn from Punk, Kingston said the former WWE Champion was a good example of how to be a star:
“I learned so much from him,” Kingston said. “Learned so much about what it takes to be a star.”
WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston has been named one of the Top 100 Coolest Dads In America by Fatherly.com. “Kofi is a fan favorite with adults who still keeps it PG for the kids,” the site wrote. “Part of this is no doubt because he’s a dad who wants to set an example for his two young sons, Khi and Orion, born in 2013 and 2016, who he’s raising with his wife Chi Chi in Tampa, Florida. Kingston has always played the good guy on the stage. We’re not sure he knows any other way.”
The listing of Kofi as one of the coolest Dads in America comes on the heels of him passing Billy Gunn as having held a WWE tag-team championship more combined days than anyone else in history.
The Dads which were named cooler than Kofi included:
LeBron James
Kelly Slater
Aaron Huey
Ashton Kutcher
Dwayne Wade
Neil Patrick Harris
Kofi will look to keep his string of accomplishments going when he travels to Australia early next month. Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods will be looking to defend their Smackdown tag-team championships at Super Show-Down against the Bar.
Nobody has held a WWE tag-team championship title for more combined days than Kofi Kingston. The 954 combined days Kingston has spent as a member of a WWE Tag-Team Championship team just surpassed the 953 days that Billy Gunn spent as tag champ throughout his career.
The number 3 ranked wrestler in this category is the WWE Hall of Famer, Mr. Fuji. Between reigns with Pat Tanaka and Mr. Saito, Fuji held a tag title for a combined 932 days.
Kofi Kingston – Most Days Spent As Tag Champion In WWE History
Kofi is one of the most decorated Superstars in WWE history to never win a world championship. He’s a 4x former Intercontinental Champion, 3x United States Champion, and an 8x WWE Tag-Team Champion. He also won a Slammy in 2012 for his Royal Rumble spot that year. Kingston received the award in the prestigious “Tell Me I Didn’t Just See That” category.
In addition to holding the tag titles with Xavier Woods and Big E of New Day, Kingston has had several other partners during his WWE tenure. CM Punk, Evan Bourne, and R-Truth have all won tag-team gold along with Kingston in the past.
Coming up at Super Show-Down in Australia, Kingston, and his New Day teammates will defend their titles against the Bar. Big E is scheduled to face Sheamus tonight on Smackdown.
Two matches for this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown Live in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the BOK Center on the USA Network has been revealed.
First up is Shinsuke Nakamura defending the United States Title against Rusev,which was announced by SmackDown General Manager Paige. The second match will see WWE Champion AJ Styles battle Andrade “Cien” Almas in a non-title bout. Paige wrote the following about the US Title match:
“Last night at #HIAC was absolutely amazing but I know one #SDLive title wasn’t represented…SO @ShinsukeN will defend his #USTitle tomorrow night … and it just so happens to be on #RusevDay!”
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston is closing in on a WWE record, according to a user on Reddit. The post stated that Kingston is close to becoming the longest-reigning tag team champion in WWE history as that record is currently held by Billy Gunn, who held it at 953 days while Kingston is 946 days. Thus, if The New Day can hold onto the titles over the course of a week, then he’ll surpass the record by next week.
The New Day made their most recent title defense over Rusev Day (Rusev & Aiden English) at Sunday’s (September 16, 2018) Hell in a Cell pre-show in San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center on the WWE Network.
– This past Tuesday on SmackDown LIVE, The Bar beat Gallows, Anderson and The Colons in a Triple Threat Match to move one step closer to a SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match against The New Day at the WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event on September 16.
WWE.com has announced that Sheamus and Cesaro’s opponents will be determined in a Triple Threat Match on next week’s episode of SmackDown LIVE. The teams that will be facing off are The Usos, SAnitY and the tandem of Rusev and Aiden English.
– Tino Sabbatelli, who is currently sidelined after tearing his pectoral muscle during a match in April, revealed on his Instagram Story earlier this week that he underwent another procedure.
There’s no word on how long the NXT star will be out of action, but this type of injury generally requires a six to nine month recuperation period following the initial surgery.
On another note, Sabbatelli turned 35 years old on August 24.
For several years now the team of Woods, Big E and Kofi Kingston have been going strong in WWE. Usually a faction will split up after a good run of several years – if not shorter. Woods recently addressed this in an interview with GiveMeSport.
Woods said that he has no intentions of coming to work and not working with his friends. While he knows some fans might think he’s saying this because it’s going to happen – Woods shut that down as well.
He seemingly went out of character, saying he’s speaking as Austin Watson now (his real name). He proclaimed that what he’s saying is the truth, and The New Day are not breaking up:
“I don’t remember a group in wrestling that hasn’t turned on itself, or they’ll turn, then come back and be a group again. New Day – I’m telling you this right now – New Day will never turn. Ever. And that’s because we have zero desire to ever do that. I have zero desire to go to work and not work with my friends.”
“People say on Twitter, ‘New Day is doing this, Big E is going to turn, this is happening. Oh, Woods is the snarky one, he’s going to turn. Oh, Kofi’s been up at the top of the mountain before, he’s gonna turn!. It’s like, why? We are having the most fun we’ve ever had in our careers.
“It’s not like someone’s like, ‘Oh, I need to sabotage my friends to be champ.’ What is it to be champ when you’re a champ by yourself? You’re standing up there alone on this cold mountainous castle? That’s not fun. I’d rather be up there with my friends.
“Especially, if Kofi wins the Heavyweight Title, I’m also the Heavyweight Champion because we have ‘The New Day Rule’ and we share it. Just basic mathematics, we have a better chance of becoming Heavyweight Champion if we stay a group and we just share it.”
“So, there’s your answer, internet. We will all retire before we turn. That’s a legitimate answer, this is not some, ‘Oh! He’s saying this because it’s happening!’ No, my government name is Austin Watson. Austin Watson is telling you that is the truth. Thank you.”
Discussion: What do you make of Woods’ comments? Do you think The New Day will split soon? Sound off in the comments section!
Here's a snippet of my chat with @XavierWoodsPhD at #insomnia63 and he addresses the internet's speculation on when the New Day will break up and which member of the group will turn on the group first. @TrueKofi? @WWEBigE? Himself? Just watch. #WWEpic.twitter.com/LK8lTWRR5B
When The New Day first formed back in 2014, the group wasn’t exactly met with open arms from the WWE faithful. Largely billed as a heel faction, The New Day struggled to gain a foothold with audiences but the talent possessed by the three members — ‘Big’ E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods — was undeniable.
While ‘Big’ E had tasted some success as a singles wrestler while previously holding the Intercontinental title, Kingston was by far the most established superstar of the group after a long run as one of the WWE’s top performers.
It turns out when The New Day first came together, The Big Show actually pulled Kingston aside and told him that he’d be better off without ‘Big’ E and Woods because he deserved to be competing for world titles, not mired in a three-man faction.
“So ‘Big Show’ when we were trying to get off the ground, ‘Big Show’ would pull Kofi to the side — like legit pull him [nearby] so we’re within earshot — and say ‘what are you doing with those two? They’re bringing you down. You should be in the world title picture’,” ‘Big’ E revealed when speaking to “Open Late” with Peter Rosenberg. “And this is [not] at a time when it’s ‘oh ‘Big Show’ it’s all fun and games’.
“We’re struggling to get on TV, me and [Xavier] Woods, thinking we’re about to get fired.”
Woods added that Big Show never tried to hide his contempt for the New Day when having conversations with Kingston backstage.
“He was legit concerned for me” ~ Kofi Kingston on The Big Show’s advice
“I had been on the road three months doing nothing,” Woods said. “So I had just come up from developmental like ‘oh everything is so shiny and new, I’m so happy to be here guys’ and then he’s just taking a dump on me like to my face.”
Kingston says Big Show wasn’t trying to be ill willed towards ‘Big’ E or Woods but rather was showing concern about his own individual future in WWE.
“I don’t think he cared that they were there at all,” Kingston said. “He was legit concerned for me.”
Obviously, The New Day stuck around past a rocky beginning and they are now one of the most marketable teams in all of WWE following multiple reigns as tag team champions. The New Day sell a ton of merchandise and are a massive hit amongst the WWE fanbase.
As it turns out, Woods says out of everyone who has ever talked bad about The New Day, Big Show was on the one superstar who came back around and apologized for what he had said previously.
“To his credit, for all the people who didn’t say things to our face, said things behind our back, he’s the one person who came up to us and said ‘I was completely wrong, you guys are awesome and you’re killing it and I’m glad that you didn’t listen to me’,” Woods stated. “He’s the only one.”
Kofi Kingston recently spoke to The Orlando Sentinel to talk about several professional wrestling topics. Kingston talked about his journey through the professional wrestling world and finally landing with WWE.
At one point, Kingston discussed the best part about being a WWE Superstar. He said that having the ability to inspire others and put a smile on children’s faces takes the cake:
“I’m just a guy. I happen to be on TV, which causes a lot of kids and even some adults to look up to me. … To see a child smiling because he met me is awesome, because who knows what it might inspire?
“It might inspire him to do something he didn’t think he was going to do, to become a wrestler or become a doctor or whatever he wants.
“To be able to put a smile on somebody’s face or bring joy to somebody’s life is probably the best part of being a WWE superstar to me.”
Kingston’s WWE Career
Kingston has been with WWE since 2006 where he worked for the company’s Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) territory. Upon being called-up to the main roster, Kingston has led a successful WWE tenure.
He is a several time Intercontinental, United States and Tag Team Champion. Kingston is also one-third of one of the most successful WWE tag teams off all time, The New Day.
The members of New Day have released a statement regarding Hulk Hogan’s reinstatement into the WWE Universe. The statement was released through Kofi Kingston’s Twitter account early this morning.
“To the WWE Universe and whoever else it may concern:
This will be the only statement we will make regarding Hogan’s reinstatement into WWE’s Hall of Fame. We do not wish to spend energy debating the point because between our kids, our external ventures, and this job, out energy is spread thin enough already, lol.
We are only writing this simply to provide an answer to the many who have bombarded us with questions on where we stand on the issue.
We preface this statement by emphasizing that this is our own opinion and may not necessarily reflect the opinion of anyone else affected.
How do we feel? Indifferent. We are not happy, or sad, or resentful. Who WWE puts into the HOF is totally and completely up to the company and from a career standpoint, there is no argument on whether or not Hogan should have his place. We have no problem with his re-induction in the slightest degree. It is impossible to even begin to mention the history and evolution of the business without mentioning his name and accolades.
On a personal level, when someone makes racist and hateful comments about any race or group of people, especially to the degree that Hogan made about our people, we find difficult to simply forget, regardless of how long ago it was, or the situation in which those comments were made. But we also do not respond with more feelings of hate. Instead, we just do not associate with the people who convey or have conveyed this negative and hurtful mindset. This instance will be no different. Perhaps if we see him make a genuine effort to change, then maybe our opinion will change with him. Time will tell.
Through the course of our lives, people have used racist comments towards us and it doesn’t feel good. But if we stopped moving forward every time we were met with prejudicial hatred, then we would have never achieved our current accomplishments.
We know we are worth it, we know our kids are worth it, and most importantly, we know that people that look like us are worth it and always have been. There isn’t a person on this planet who will ever be able to say anything to make us think otherwise because we believe in ourselves as a people and don’t need anyone’s approval on that, regardless of who they are.
Having said that, his reinstatement won’t change anything for us. It will have zero effect on our ability to perform or the level of effort we will put into doing what we love to do, and that is: To deliver an entertaining product each week for our fan base.
Kofi Kingston is still surprised that New Day vs. the Elite actually happened at E3.
The longtime WWE star recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illusrtrated.com on Wednesday at Fenway Park in Boston before the Red Sox hosted the Texas Rangers as he threw out the first pitch.
In this interview, he talked about the contest that was held at E32018 on June 14th, 2018 in Los Angeles that saw Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E take on The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega in Street Fighter V, which is a fighting video game, in front of a crowd of fans.
“I’m still baffled that that actually happened. Think about WWE, when was the last time you saw them do any kind of inter-promotional stuff? Not in this era, right? On top of that, with a group like The Elite, these guys are at the top of the independent scene right now. Since we became a trio, everyone’s been talking about us doing stuff with The Elite. And we came close.”
Kingston reflected by stating that once they got there and start interacting with the group, he got goosebumps and still does when thinking about. He hopes that it will open the doors for some things in the future and if it does then do it in the WWE or NJPW or ROH.
Kingston noted that they try to push that envelope and keep the wrestling business thriving to have people interested in the things that are out of the box. “That’s what wrestling is all about. This is a very special time right now. You’re seeing things in the industry you never thought you’d see. You never thought you’d see AJ Styles in the WWE or you never thought you’d see Kevin Owens or Shinsuke Nakamura or Asuka in a WWE ring, but yet here we are.”
Kofi Kingston thought WWE would cancel the New Day vs the Elite gaming battle at E3. The member of New Day recently spoke to the Unsanctioned Podcast about his experience at the event.
Kingston mentioned he is a big Kenny Omega fan. “To see where [Omega’s] career has gone, and to see him just rise over there in Japan has been awesome to watch,” Kofi said. “So I always regretted not being able to have personal interaction with him, so for me, it was kind of a dream come true.”
Kofi Kingston on WWE Promoting E3 Battle With Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks
Many were surprised when WWE got behind the event, even mentioning the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega on WWE.com.
“It was just great, man. And the Young Bucks are just so cool. It was just an instant vibe, just instant chemistry,” Kingston said. “We were all on the same page and just went out there. And honestly, the vibe in general like leading up to it was like, okay, this is probably going to get canceled because there’s no way that Vince knows this is happening. When was the last time you saw WWE doing anything inter-promotional? Granted it was on the video game stage, but still. Ever since we came out, there was talk of The Elite versus The New Day, all this talk on the internet, on social media. We get those comments every single day. And hopefully, this was like the first step to open up some doors to do more things in the future. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.”
WWE has shown more openness to working with different promotions as of late. The company recently reached a deal with Pro Wrestling NOAH to allow Hideo Itami to appear on an event for the promotion as well.
WWE Hall Of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin recently talked to The Big Show on an episode of his podcast, The Steve Austin Show, to talk about several professional wrestling topics. During their conversation, Show revealed that he actually advised former WWE Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston not to do the New Day gimmick with Big E and Xavier Woods.
He said he told Kingston he didn’t need to drag himself down with “a couple of NXT idiots right now.”:
“When Kofi told me he was doing that New Day gimmick, I pulled Kofi to the side about four feet from Xavier Woods and Big E and asked him, ‘what the hell are you doing?'” Big Show recalled, “because [Austin] know[s] how [he] would talk to me about business and Taker would talk to me about business.
“I’ve learned and I’ve passed that along to guys that I help. And I’m not polite about it. I’m blunt, direct, and to-the-point. When it comes to business, it’s serious. Do you know what I mean? So I pull Kofi about four feet to the side and [ask], ‘so what are you doing with these two numb nuts’ and he goes, ‘yeah, it’s a thing’ and I said, ‘damn, Kofi, you were Intercontinental Champion [and] you’re on your way to having a run with the big strap.
“You don’t need to drag yourself down with a couple of NXT idiots right now. You’re really probably going to hurt yourself. You’re pulling yourself out of that world title run. The Intercontinental Championship is a pretty big deal. You keep yourself in that loop and you’ll get a shot at the big one.’ He goes, ‘naw, I appreciate it, Show, but we’ve got a good thing going here.’ I said, ‘alright, man. I’m just telling you that running around with these two idiots isn’t going to help you get over.'”
A few weeks later, after seeing the three in action, Show admitted that his initial perceptions were wrong:
“I said, ‘forget every damn thing I said. What you guy’s’ve got is absolute friggin magic. I love it. Forget every damn thing I said.'” Big Show shared, “Woods loves that story. I call Woods my son now. I’ve adopted him as one of my wrestling sons, so he’s one of my sons now.”
You can listen to The Big Show on The Steve Austin Show by clicking this link here.
– Despite being at Alexa Bliss’ side this past Monday on Raw, Mickie James worked against the Raw Women’s Champion at last night’s WWE live event in Kalamazoo, Michigan at the Wings Event Center.
Working as a babyface in an 8-Woman Tag Team Match, James teamed up with Asuka, Bayley and Sasha Banks against Bliss, Nia Jax, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville (with Paige at ringside supporting her Absolution cohorts).
James turned on her partners during the match. Asuka, however, was able to secure a win for the team.
On Raw, Bliss gloated about her win in the Women’s Elimination Chamber Match with James by her side. Asuka then confronted the two, which led to an impromptu 6-Woman Tag Team Match. Bliss, James, and Jax lost to Asuka, Banks, and Bayley.
– 205 Live’s Lince Dorado is working his first WWE live event tour this weekend, teaming with Mustafa Ali against Ariya Daivari and Gentleman Jack Gallagher.
3/2 RAW LIVE Kalamazoo, MI 3/3 RAW LIVE Chicago, IL 3/4 RAW LIVE Rockford, IL 3/5 RAW Milwaukee, WI 3/6 205 Live Green Bay, WI@WWEpic.twitter.com/VSsuvD1lzz
— “Lucha Lit” Lince Dorado (@LuchadorLD) March 2, 2018
At last night’s show in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Dorado and Ali beat Daivari and Gallagher.
— DaveOfTheFireflies (@NotTheDaveGlide) March 3, 2018
– NOLA.com has an article on WWE Superstars Big Show and Kofi Kingston, NXT Superstars Brennan Williams and Jessica Elaban, and WWE Ambassador Dana Warrior reading with kids at Woodland West Elementary School in Harvey, Louisiana on Friday as part of Read Across America Day.
“Knowledge is power,” Big Show said. “Read, read, read. The more you know the further you’ll go.”
@WWE and Kaboom partnered four years ago to build a playground for Woodland West Elementary School and today we came back to visit and read to the students! #WWE#Kaboompic.twitter.com/OKtATLtIpU
One third of former SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions, The New Day, Kofi Kingston recently did an interview with The Buzz Adams Morning Show to promote an El Paso live even in Texas. The former Intercontinental Champion discussed The New Day’s creativity and where they draw the inspiration from:
“It’s funny, going back, it was three guys just trying to save our jobs. At first there was a time when we would pitch ideas but they said they wouldn’t want to do certain things, but then it just got to a certain point where everything we do now is ridiculous and are just trying to find the line. With Francesca, it was actually right before a promo we had in New York. I think it was around Summer Slam 4 years ago, and Xavier Woods randomly said that he can play the trombone. Me and Big E didn’t even know he could play the trombone. We thought he could play one or two notes, but he said, no, he played in concerts in High School for all four years; so we had asked [WWE Management] if we can do that live and they said sure.
“The contrast is like, one day we are trying to ask for something standard to only get rejected, and the next we are asking if we can play the trombone and all of a sudden it’s like everything is okay, so we are trying to find things to do to get away with them. Francesca was born, pancakes were born, unicorn horns were born where to the point that they started selling unicorn horns. It’s all about doing something crazy that comes from our minds and where we can draw the lines, but we haven’t drawn the lines quite yet so hopefully there will be some fun stuff coming up.”
Kingston and The New Day have released some crazy merchandise over the years, including their own cereal brand “Booty O’s.” Kingston was asked what crazy merch the trio is coming out with next:
“Who knows. Right now, this is kind of like the ‘Pancake Era’ for us right now, so, the next merchandise idea is going to revolve around pancakes. Whether that’d be pancake batter, or a pancake shirt. The guy who makes our pancakes is known as Mr. Bootyworth. We haven’t revealed him yet to the world, so you are getting an inclusive during this interview right now that everyone has been let in on Mr. Bootyworth. We don’t have an idea of where he is going to go, but we don’t know, we will have to wait and see what comes to mind first.”
Kingston is notorious for having some ridiculous saves in the Royal Rumble match, preventing himself from getting eliminated. He revealed which is his favorite and, in his opinion, the most difficult he has ever done:
“Honestly, I don’t even like ranking them myself as far as favorite. I just try to come up with new ideas and throw them out there and allow the fans to decide what their favorite is. I think, for me, the toughest was the handstand one; because, if you watch that one, I was thrown out of the Rumble by Miz. My hands are thrown on the ground, but my feet are up in the air, so I am walking around and doing a handstand headed towards the stairs where my feet are on the stairs and they don’t hit the floor. I get a lot of credit now for doing these things, but if you play close attention it is the guys around me that are doing all the work.
“This year, I just got knocked out of the ring and Xavier [Woods] sacrificed himself and then him and Big E sacrificed themselves and threw me back into the ring. I didn’t do anything on that. I got thrown out of the ring one time by Adam Rose and then I landed on his Rosebuds, which they then threw me back in the ring, so again, I didn’t do anything with that. Another time, I was riding on Big E’s shoulders, so again, he’s giving me a ride, I’m not the one doing any of the work, but I get a lot of the credit, which should mostly go towards those that help me, but they are definitely a lot of fun during Royal Rumble season.”
Today (January 22nd) marks 10 years since Kofi Kingston made his WWE television debut.
After a series of memorable vignettes spotlighting his initial laid-back Jamaican charadter, Kingston made his debut on the 1/22/08 edition of ECW. It didn’t take long for the high-flying grappler from southern Ghana to become a fan favorite.
He’d go onto become one of the most decorated Superstars of his generation. Kingston is a 4-time Intercontinental Champion, a 3-time United States Champion and a 7-time tag team champion (with 5 different partners). At 36 years old, it’s safe to say Kofi Kingston probably even more championship gold in his future.
Kofi posted the following on Instagram looking back on his WWE journey:
Reflection: 10 years…
I was just a skinny kid from a small town with aspirations of becoming a pro wrestler. On January 22 of 2008 in Charlottesville, Virginia, I officially became a WWE superstar. I didn’t know where it would lead, but I knew that it was the most important step toward accomplishing my childhood dream.
I’ve seen many people come and go. I’ve even seen a few come back! I’ve made many close friends along the way. Some who’ve been alongside me from the beginning as our careers progressed together. Some who were very close, but through circumstance I have regrettably fallen out of their favor. I’ve made close friends with many who weren’t as fortunate to make it to the grand stage, but I’ve also had the joy of watching other grind relentlessly on their journeys for years and finally get their opportunity to shine.
I’ve had so many great teachers, including the rare opportunity to benefit from the tutelage of many of the very people I watched on tv who motivated me as a child to believe that I could actually achieve this fantasy.
This career has led me to interact with a lot of great people; from the famous, to fans, to social media hecklers, to people I met as they were child fans that I’ve watched grow into adult fans, to crew and employees who don’t get enough credit for their role in making WWE operate behind the scenes.
I am thankful for my family, who has backed me throughout my quest despite it’s unorthodox nature. I have an amazing and gorgeous Superwife who has been as supportive of me now as she was the day I told her that I wanted to chase this dream. She has given me two beautiful, healthy sons and without her Super-Momnipotence, I surely wouldn’t have been able to reach this point.
A full decade later, here I am, alongside my two brothers, biting on Booty O’s, ingesting ice cream, feasting on flapjacks, preaching positivity, making magic, while we commute upon unicorns. For that I am eternally grateful and there isn’t a single day that I take any of this for granted.
No matter how large or small the interaction, everyone with whom I have crossed paths has been a part of this journey. Thank you all for these last 10 years.
– Former WWE Champion Chris Jericho recently did an interview with The Cult of Whatever and discussed his debut with the company. Back in 1999 the WWE had been airing a “Countdown To The Millenium” before the year 2000. On the August 9th episode of RAW in 1999, during a promo by The Rock, Chris Jericho came out to make his debut after departing from WCW. Jericho told The Cult Of Whatever that he believes he ‘definitely’ has one of the best WWE debuts ever:
“It was definitely one of the best debuts ever,” said Jericho. “I came up with the idea of the countdown clock and Vince McMahon came up with the idea of having the clock end right in the middle of Rocks promo. I think that is the biggest reaction I had ever got, a lot of people knew it was going to me but there were also a lot of people that didn’t have a clue. It was a different world back then, the internet wasn’t like it is today, these days you would just go online and you can find things out right away but it wasn’t like that then.”
You can read Jericho’s full interview with The Cult Of Whatever by clicking this link here.
– Today marks the 10 year anniversary that The New Day’s Kofi Kingston made his WWE debut on an episode of ECW with a win over David Owen. Kingston took to Instagram to reflect on the milestone:
“Reflection: 10 years…
•
I was just a skinny kid from a small town with aspirations of becoming a pro wrestler. On January 22 of 2008 in Charlottesville, Virginia, I officially became a WWE superstar. I didn’t know where it would lead, but I knew that it was the most important step toward accomplishing my childhood dream.
•
I’ve seen many people come and go. I’ve even seen a few come back! I’ve made many close friends along the way. Some who’ve been alongside me from the beginning as our careers progressed together. Some who were very close, but through circumstance I have regrettably fallen out of their favor. I’ve made close friends with many who weren’t as fortunate to make it to the grand stage, but I’ve also had the joy of watching other grind relentlessly on their journeys for years and finally get their opportunity to shine.
•
I’ve had so many great teachers, including the rare opportunity to benefit from the tutelage of many of the very people I watched on tv who motivated me as a child to believe that I could actually achieve this fantasy.
•
This career has led me to interact with a lot of great people; from the famous, to fans, to social media hecklers, to people I met as they were child fans that I’ve watched grow into adult fans, to crew and employees who don’t get enough credit for their role in making WWE operate behind the scenes.
•
I am thankful for my family, who has backed me throughout my quest despite it’s unorthodox nature. I have an amazing and gorgeous Superwife who has been as supportive of me now as she was the day I told her that I wanted to chase this dream. She has given me two beautiful, healthy sons and without her Super-Momnipotence, I surely wouldn’t have been able to reach this point.
•
A full decade later, here I am, alongside my two brothers, biting on Booty O’s, ingesting ice cream, feasting on flapjacks, preaching positivity, making magic, while we commute upon unicorns. For that I am eternally grateful and there isn’t a single day that I take any of this for granted.
•
No matter how large or small the interaction, everyone with whom I have crossed paths has been a part of this journey. Thank you all for these last 10 years.”
