Opinion: Kofi Kingston's WrestleMania Moment Was The Culmination of His Eleven Year WWE Journey
This past Sunday, an absolutely rabid crowd at MetLife Stadium (myself included) gathered to witness the culmination of Kofi Kingston's eleven year WWE journey.
Treated to a seemingly endless chorus of cheers from the live audience, it was hard to imagine a time where the WWE title wasn't something that was within the veteran's grasp.
However, there was, unfortunately, a lengthy period where the idea of Kofi Kingston leading WWE as a world champion was nothing but a fantasy.
Since making his debut back in 2008, Kingston has been a consistently great worker, but it wasn't until recently that a main event run was considered for him.
Yes, back in 2009 he had a significant career push against Randy Orton, but it never felt as though WWE Creative had fully invested in him.
That all changed in 2015 when Kofi Kingston reinvented himself and showcased the charisma and personality he had possessed all along.
Alongside fellow WWE superstars Big E and Xavier Woods, Kingston grabbed the brass ring and dominated the tag team division for well over three years, becoming part of the longest reigning tag team champions in the process.
Battling against the likes of The Club, The Dudley Boyz, & The Bludgeon Brothers to name a few, this trio known as the New Day established that they were the banner carriers for WWE.
When the time came for the New Day to allow other teams such as The Usos to carry the tag team division, Kofi Kingston wasted little time in chasing his main event aspirations.
2019 was going to be his year, and he would stop at nothing to accomplish his goal of becoming WWE Champion. However, Kingston was no doubt unprepared for just how difficult of a journey he was in-store for.
Onscreen, the tyrannical WWE Chairman Vince McMahon wasn't going to tolerate talent trying to disrupt his vision for the future of WWE.
Continually placing hurdle after hurdle in front of Kingston, McMahon's hope was that the veteran would eventually simply crash and burn. As we all know though, the spirit that exists within Kingston isn't something that you can extinguish.
Despite coming up short in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match, that fateful night showed that if given the opportunity, Kofi Kingston had what it took to beat Daniel Bryan for the gold. The only problem was getting said opportunity, but uphill battles aren't new for Kingston.
At the conclusion of a brutal and lengthy gauntlet match on the March 19 episode of SmackDown Live, Kofi thought he had finally earned his WWE title shot. While he was in the middle of celebrating his win, Mr. McMahon revealed that Kingston had one final opponent; Daniel Bryan himself.
The Planet's Champion was able to defeat his exhausted adversary, but his vision of avoiding Kingston at WrestleMania 35 wouldn't come to be.
Due to the efforts of his fellow New Day members, Kingston was given one final chance to earn his WrestleMania title match.
The only problem; he would have to sit on the sidelines to get it. His hope of competing for the WWE Championship rested on the shoulders of Big E and Xavier Woods, as the duo had to face every challenge Mr. McMahon could throw at them.
Somehow, Big E and Woods managed to survive, gifting their friend one final chance at Daniel Bryan.
This brings us to WrestleMania 35, where Kofi Kingston used the same passion that made him so popular with the WWE Universe to overcome the challenge of both Daniel Bryan and his henchman Rowan at ringside.
Striking the champion with an opportunistic Trouble in Paradise, Kingston pinned Bryan clean in the center of the ring, realizing his dream and the dreams of anyone who has ever faced adversity in their life.
He conquered the WWE mountain, and on that night completed an incredible journey to the WWE Championship. Basking in the glory with his children and fellow New Day members beside him, no one could have asked for a better WrestleMania moment for Kingston.
While Kofi Kingston still has plenty of gas left in the tank and will no doubt entertain WWE fans for years to come, his career journey felt complete by the end of WrestleMania 35.
No longer clawing his way to the top, Kingston can sit comfortably on top of the SmackDown Live ladder as he leads the Blue Brand to even greater heights. Congratulations Kofi Kingston; you deserve your time in the spotlight.