Kofi Kingston has opened up about two defining moments of his WWE career: the magical road to KofiMania and the controversial 8-second loss to Brock Lesnar that ended his championship reign.
Speaking with Peter Rosenberg for Cheap Heat during Royal Rumble weekend in Saudi Arabia, Kingston reflected on what made the build to WrestleMania 35 so special.
Leading up to KofiMania was perfect. It was the one time we came into work and said, 'Hey, we want to do this. We think it would be great if we did it this way.' And everyone was on the same page," Kingston recalled.
"For four months, the booking was so good that I kept thinking, 'Something's got to give. Something is up.'
Kingston praised Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan) as the perfect opponent for that WrestleMania moment, crediting him as essential to the storyline's success.
No one could have been more perfect for the moment," Kingston said. "He was the perfect opponent. Without him, the whole thing doesn't happen. Everything was perfect.
When It Comes Crashing Down
The conversation shifted to the SmackDown Fox premiere when Brock Lesnar squashed Kingston in mere seconds to capture the WWE Championship. Kingston was candid about his feelings.
Leading up to it, when I was told what was going to happen, there were many different alternatives discussed," Kingston admitted. "That wasn't my choice. But obviously, that's our job.
Despite the disappointment, Kingston found a silver lining in the fans' reaction.
I'm glad people cared. If they didn't, there would have been a problem—maybe I didn't do my job the right way," he explained.
With nearly 20 years in WWE, Kingston reflected on defying the odds as someone who was told he was too small to make it.
When I was a kid and would tell people I was going to be a WWE superstar, I only weighed 98 pounds. In high school, I had to gain weight just to wrestle at 103," Kingston shared. "If I had listened to all those people who told me I couldn't do it, I'd still be in a cubicle being miserable.
