Kofi Kingston takes pride in WWE pushing forward amid COVID-19 concerns [Exclusive]
I know what you're thinking. "Great, another reaction article to the COVID-19 pandemic." I get it. You're tired of it. I'm tired of it. I desperately want life to get back to normal and in a relatively short amount of time. The unfortunate truth is, we're most likely just in the beginning of all of this.
Our entire way of life has been turned upside down in just a matter of weeks. However, one thing has remained a constant, at least for me. I know that every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night I can tune in and watch WWE programming.
That comfort is exactly what the company is aiming for, although not all fans have been on board. WWE has always has the mind set of "the show must go on" but this time around, that philosophy has garnered mixed reactions from the members of the WWE Universe. A particular hot topic of discussion has been the decision to move forward with WrestleMania this weekend, instead of postponing to a later date when it could be held in front of a live audience.
I had a chance to talk to one of the men on the WrestleMania card on my radio show this week in Kofi Kingston. I asked the former WWE Champion what his thoughts were on the company not cancelling shows like the rest of the sporting world has:
"Number one I wanna say that, you know, WWE has done a great job in terms of following like CDC guidelines. In terms of people being in close contact. Number one having the matches and the shows without fans in the crowd. We also only had essential personnel in the building. We have taken all the proper precautions to kind of, you know, protect ourselves and the people that we hold dear - the WWE Universe."
Many of us are currently under some form of Government issued stay-at-home order, with not much to take our mind off of the unfortunate events taking place outside our doors. However, Kingston says he's proud that the WWE has been able to stay on course and give the audience some form of escape.
"One of the greatest things about WWE, and I take so much pride in being a WWE Superstar for this reason, is that we do push through and we put genuine smiles on people's faces."
Kofi compared these last few weeks at the WWE Performance Center to a Tribute to the Troops Tour. The New Day member says WWE stars travel overseas to put on a performance for the soldiers in order to give them some kind of relief from the unbelievable amount of stress they endure. The goal is too give the troops some a sense of what it's like to have a normal life - even if it's just for a couple of hours.
Well right now, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we're all suffering for varying levels of stress and fear. Kingston says that's why WrestleMania is still going on this weekend. To give us wrestling fans something to enjoy, even if it isn't exactly the WrestleMania we wanted.
"We're in a state of incredible uncertainty, where there are so many people around who are... they're scared, they're nervous. They don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. We're kind of all in the same boat. But like I said, as WWE Superstars we want to be people that can provide the audience with a sense of relief - A time period, even if briefly, where you don't have to worry about what's going on in the world."
This weekend Kofi Kingston and Big E will once again try to capture the SmackDown Tag Team Championships when they take on Miz and Morrison and the Usos in a Ladder Match at WrestleMania 36. The event kicks-off at 7pm EST on the WWE Network.
Disclaimer: This article was written exclusively for Sportskeeda. Follow me on Twitter.