WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston addressed fan boundaries in an interview with Adrian Hernandez on “Unlikely” following a disrespectful encounter on an airplane.
“Don’t think that because you bought a ticket that you have the right to shake my hand,” Kingston stated firmly.
“Don’t come up to me and say, ‘Well, I bought a ticket to the show, so I should be able to get a picture,’ and you are obligated to come over to me. That is not true. I don’t have to do that.”
Kofi Kingston’s WWE Fan Etiquette
On morning flight interactions:
“Do not come over and try to shake my hand and try to take a picture with me early in the morning when I’m trying to go to work. If I’m sitting in first class when you are on your way to last class, don’t sit there with your camera and do a thumbs down so you can get a little viral shot.”
Kingston’s comments follow fellow WWE superstar Drew McIntyre’s recent dos and don’ts for fan interactions.
On social media behavior:
“Don’t like the pictures and posts when people post disrespectful pics like that. Don’t like them because you perpetuate that… you perpetuate the negativity.”
His response culminated with him referencing his championship:
“If I am in my everyday life going to work doing what I want to do, if I’m hanging out with my family, I don’t need you to tell me how much I suck. Because look here…
That means that I don’t suck. So don’t come across as a liar when you tell me that I do.”
Kingston’s message is clear: enthusiasm is welcome, but entitlement and disrespect are not.