"I try not to get my hopes up for anything" - WWE's Kofi Kingston on KofiMania and the potential of it happening again
The WWE Universe will never forget KofiMania. It was a moment that was never supposed to happen, but it did anyway and that moment at WWE WrestleMania 35 will live in the minds of wrestling fans forever.
Kofi Kingston was a guest this week on Instinct Culture by Denise Salcedo to talk about all things WWE. When the subject of KofiMania came up with the possibility of us getting a sequel this year, Kingston couldn't help but reflect on the first one that he didn't think was going to happen.
"It's funny because I feel like we're partially guilty of that because we said that in our segment the other day. But thinking about it, like KofiMania... and it's so uncool when it comes out of my mouth I say that every time like when you guys say it, awesome but come out of my mouth I just sound really silly, but it was a such an incredible moment, and not just the actual moment at WrestleMania but like leading up to it was just picture perfect, you know, I couldn't have asked for a better build to get to a WrestleMania WWE title match, and the support that I got from the fans was uncanny. I can't believe that even still to this day that so many people like wanted it to happen as badly as I did, and to hear the people chanting my name throughout the entire show you know on both shows on RAW and SmackDown, just in anticipation of me getting to have that match. And I think it was only like a week or two weeks before WrestleMania that we actually like Woods and E won the gauntlet match after I went through a couple, and then it became real. You know and even just like before the match, I still didn't fully believe like that it was going to happen, you know like I want it to happen so badly but I, whether it's because I'm jaded or not, I don't know, but I've been around the industry so long that I know things change at the drop of a hat. And, you know, I try not to get my hopes up for anything."
"I'm just so humbled that I was at the center of that moment" - Kofi Kingston on winning the WWE Championship at WWE WrestleMania 35
Kingston was quick to thank Big E and Xavier Woods of The New Day for helping this moment happen. He also thanked his family, who were there in person at WWE WrestleMania 35, as he defeated Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship.
"But when the moment happened, it was just like just provided so much hope for so many people. And I'm just so humbled that I was at the center of that moment. Obviously, a lot of people had a lot to do with it. The people, in general, the WWE Universe again without them and their strong desire for it to happen, it probably wouldn't have happened. Without Xavier and Big E supporting me and us forming The New Day and being able to go out and entertain on a weekly basis. If they're not there, it doesn't happen. You know my wife and kids were in the crowd. If they don't make the sacrifices that they made, then I'm not able to do any of this, so then it doesn't happen. There's just so many like serendipitous moments that all came together. And I think that really made KofiMania... hate saying it. It made it special it made it like really, really unique and special. So I don't think that anything. Whether I do it or anybody else does, it will ever really truly replicate what happened, you know, but I will say for myself. I'm always striving to become just a better performer. And, you know, at the end of the at the end of my career, I want to be able to look back and say that I did some really cool things with WWE and in this industry, and being a multiple-time world champion, I think would be a pretty cool thing to add to the list so I'm just always trying to climb and attain as much as I can, while I'm able to do it."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Instinct Culture by Denise Salcedo with a H/T to Sportskeeda for the transcription.