Kofi Kingston On Who Told Him He Was Being Put Into WWE Elimination Chamber Match, WrestleMania 35
The praise for Kofi Kingston for what he's done over the last two weeks was never even supposed to happen, as he was merely an injury replacement for Mustafa Ali. But Kingston took the opportunity and ran with it with an impressive showing on last week's SmackDown followed by another standout performance at Elimination Chamber.
Kingston talked about how all of this came about when he joined E&C's Pod of Awesomeness.
"I get a text from Road Dogg saying, 'Yeah, Mustafa Ali is gonna be out. We're gonna put you in the Chamber, but first you're gonna have this gauntlet match and probably be in there for over an hour. Are you okay with that,'" Kingston recalled.
Kingston responded he was okay with that but then realized just how long this would be. He then talked about when first coming up in WWE, then-trainer Dr. Tom Prichard had Kingston and others do hour-long sessions in the event that they needed to do an hour-long match.
"We were like, 'Oh, this is never going to happen.' And sure enough, 12 years later it happened," said Kingston.
"We had that gauntlet match and were able to do some cool things, and one thing led to another?we did a pretty good job that night and that led to Elimination Chamber where we also did a pretty good job."
It was an unfortunate situation for Ali as this was supposed to be his first big showcase and Kingston talked about always staying ready in the event that someone gets injured.
"It sucks at the way the situation came about as Mustafa Ali's been doing an amazing job after being thrust into the spotlight..." stated Kingston. "The fact that he ended up getting hurt is the worst. But you don't know when you're gonna be asked to step up and fill that role.
"For me, obviously I wanted to kill it and knock it out of the park regardless?but I also didn't want to let [Ali] down because I know how it feels to have a large, potential moment and have it taken away *cough* Elimination Chamber.
"I know how it feels to sit on the sideline and watch a spot that is supposed to be yours taken. Part of me was like, I know Mustafa would have killed it in this position so I have to kill it. I can't allow for there to be a letdown and I have to seize the moment."
Kingston's impressive showings have led to him having an upcoming WWE Championship match with Daniel Bryan at Fastlane. Many, including Edge, have called for that match to take place at WrestleMania, but Kingston isn't complaining with having a title match anywhere.
"I think a lot of people are in the same boat as you, but I can't complain about a title shot," said Kingston. "Because for me, this has not happened before, so if you were to tell me I was gonna have a WWE Title Match on Sunday Night Heat, I would be equally as ecstatic as I am now.
"I can't wait for Fastlane. We're gonna tear it up. Who knows what's gonna happen? Every day is changing but we'll just have to wait and see."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit E&C's Pod of Awesomeness with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.