WWE superstar Kofi Kingston was recently interviewed with Sports Illustrated where the New Day member recalled his historic WWE title reign that began at last year’s WrestleMania. Kingston would go on to lose the belt to Brock Lesnar on the very first Friday Night SmackDown on FOX, a decision he admitted wasn’t what he originally pictured.
I will say this: It was actually closer to eight seconds, not six,” Kofi corrected. “Those two seconds are a big difference in track and field [laughing]. I was in the same boat as a lot of people. When I found out that it was going to end the way that it did, I had a different version. But at the end of the day, we are charged with going out and playing the role, and that’s really all we can do. I was so blessed to have had the WWE Championship. The way that it came about, everything was just so serendipitous. From me having to wait 11 years to get a single title shot, then I was finally able to achieve the dream against a guy like Daniel Bryan, who was in the very same role as me five years before, when the people were demanding he become WWE Champion.
He later recalled his KofiMania journey, and states that at the end of the day his goal is always to push people to follow their dreams.
It was the year of returns. The President of Ghana named that year ‘Year of Return,’ and that happened to be the year I won the championship and could go back to Ghana with the championship. I was able to show that championship to children all over and show them the most prestigious title in the history of wrestling, and motivate people that way. People who had been through any kind of struggle were able to look at my story and really believe they could do something because I actually did it. People of color, same thing. It’s one thing to say, ‘Anything is possible,’ but it’s another thing to say it’s possible because it happened. I take a lot of pride in being the guy that everyone can look to. Yes, it ended in eight seconds. But I was thankful that everything unfolded the way that it did. It was picture-perfect from the gauntlet match to the Elimination Chamber, all the way through what people called ‘KofiMania.’ I try not to dwell on the way that it ended. Six months is a very long title reign in this day and age, and I was able to motivate people and push people to be the best version of themselves. At the end of the day, that’s really all I want to do in this industry. I want to push people to follow their dreams, and I feel like I did a great job of that in that title reign. That’s what I focus on. I would have liked for it to end differently, but at the end of the day, you go out and do the job you’re asked to do.
Check out the full interview here.
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