"He always remembered that" - Teddy Long recalls heartfelt gesture by former WWE Champion (Exclusive)

Former WWE manager Teddy Long recently recalled when he was first introduced to Kofi Kingston in Deep South Wrestling.

Kingston signed with the global juggernaut in 2006 and was assigned to its then-developmental brand, Deep South Wrestling. After a few months, he was called up to the main roster, and there has been no looking back since then.

Kofi Kingston is one of the most experienced athletes in the company today, whose list of accomplishments speaks volumes about his abilities as a performer. Speaking on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine hosted by Mac Davis, Teddy Long recalled meeting Kingston in Deep South Wrestling.

Long revealed that he had suggested the former WWE Champion keep working hard. He added that after Kofi Kingston had made it big, he would always remind him of his kind words whenever they bumped into each other.

"Kofi is a great guy, man. I wish him a speedy recovery. I remember when he first was in Deep South (Wrestling), and I was down there too. I had a chance to speak to Kofi, and Kofi would tell you it was anything ever happened to him. I saw him working down there, and I told him, you're gonna be okay; just pay attention. And he always remembered that. He'd come back and always remind me of that," said Teddy Long. [5:11 - 5:42]

Check out the full video below:

Kofi Kingston is gearing up for a return to WWE

Kingston has been absent from WWE's programming since March 2023, owing to an ankle injury he sustained during a brawl where Drew McIntyre landed on his leg. He's now inching close to full recovery and could make a comeback on TV anytime now.

A few weeks back, on a podcast, he even discussed that he was doing great after undergoing surgery and that he was working hard to get back in the ring.

"I'm fantastic, man. I can't complain. I'm actually in Orlando right now doing some rehab on my ankle. I had ankle surgery to remove a bone chip and fix a ligament after the massive Scottish behemoth of a man Drew McIntyre landed on my leg and my body went east and my leg went west. And my ankle was completely sprained but they took out some bone chips and fixed the ligament and now I'm on the mend, you know, somewhere in between a robot and a zombie, and, you know, somewhere in between. I'm working my way back to the fold. So, it's all good. Life is great," he said.

Kofi Kingston’s ankle surgery was successful 🙌 pic.twitter.com/6dS784h9ie

Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were drafted to WWE RAW in the 2023 Draft, and fans are eagerly waiting for the duo to show up once the former is fit to compete.

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