Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan for the
WWE Championship at
'Mania 35 is widely considered to be one of the greatest matches of the past few years, and it sounds like it may never have happened if not for the former leader of the YES! Movement.
WWE brass (aka Vince) had no intention of putting Kingston in that match, but Bryan campaigned hard for the New Day member to take the title from him on the grandest stage of them all.
Here's what Kofi had to say on
After The Bell.
"[Daniel Bryan] pushed for that to happen. The plans weren't for me to be at WrestleMania. I'm not sure who it was for Daniel to face, but Daniel went in and went to bat for me and the situation and the title match for us to happen. He had a big part in it too. It's a testament to his state of mind as far as advancing the business and doing the right thing for the people and best product."
Fellow New Day member Big E then chimed in.
"I give a lot of credit to Daniel Bryan, who I think is legitimate, like a generational talent. It meant so much more because Bryan was so hot and Bryan is just so damn good in the ring, on the mic, with his character. He was so giving with the build to the story that it meant more."
Kofi would eventually lose the title to Brock Lesnar in a controversial squash match, and is now one half of the Tag-Team Champions with E. It seems unlikely that he will get another shot, which is a real shame. Kingston's run did begin to get a little stale towards the end, but that's mainly because no effort was made to freshen things up.
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