I am really happy.
Kofi and Daniel are having a marquee match for the WWE Championship. Not the “World Championship” and not the afterthought-Universal Championship. This is for the title which WWE has cherished for over 50 years. The company championship. I love how this has been set up. Just love it. Involving Vince McMahon.
Almost re-creating the same obstacles and drama Daniel Bryan had to overcome in his path at WrestleMania 30. Daniel Bryan’s rise came from a huge push where fans were hijacking shows and turned WWE upside down. This should have been the same with Kofi Kingston a long time ago, considering how loyal he has been with the company and his run with The New Day is now legendary. Kofi Kingston has been with the company for 11 years. Won every other major championship. Has been through gimmick and personality changes. He’s been loyal, never jumped ship, and like Seth Rollins, gives his all in every match, even while a time where he was in a mid-card hell. Who showed up to work? Kofi Kingston showed up to work.
One has to wonder if Mustafa Ali had not been injured, if this would have happened at all. Kofi suddenly had massive runs as a singles wrestler. Much like Seth Rollins earlier in 2018, running a gauntlet match for over an hour.
Defeating main event wrestlers. Vince McMahon inserting himself into the story made this very much the always successful underdog vs. the corporate king. Kofi fit the bill perfectly. When Vince called Kofi a “B+ player” boy did I flash back to 2013-2014. Fans already sucked into the drama of whether Kofi Kingston would really go to WrestleMania were driven mad even more. Having Kofi lose his gauntlet, but having Big E. and Xavier Woods win theirs for him to qualify? Damn brilliant. The Usos stepping aside out of respect was incredible, because there was a definitive element of truth behind it. We’ve come to endear Kofi as family, a longtime relative who is always at a party, but never who the party is for.
It’s time. It’s time for Kofi to be the main event of the party. Now, this match will likely be somewhere in the middle of the show. I expect Brock/Rollins to be somewhere near the end and we know Rousey/Charlotte/Lynch will be the closing match. So, this could leave some doubt if this will be a swan song of sorts for Kofi, and or whether this will be the first of many main event pushes. I can see a loss, but follows with a 10 minute standing ovation. Or, we get a truly momentous occasion, where we watch someone who has been kept in a mid-card position for his entire career, make the incredible leap to main event stardom.
This is big. Too big. I fear I’m making the wrong choice, but my heart is winning over my gut, and I believe we are in an era of appreciation and respect for the stars who carry WWE on its back day in and day out. Kofi Kingston will become WWE Champion.
