Kofi Kingston is happy to see the success of Swerve Strickland, Trick Williams, Oba Femi and others in the pro wrestling industry these days.
During a recent appearance on the Battleground podcast, the former WWE Champion reflected on his KofiMania moment at WrestleMania 35 back in 2019, and the current success of other black wrestlers in WWE, NXT and AEW.
"I'm fortunate and happy that I could be at the center of that moment," Kingston said. "But like I've said a lot of times in a lot of different interviews, a lot of people came together to make that moment happen. [Xavier] Woods, [Big] E, you know what I mean? My wife, my kids, the WWE Universe, you know what I'm saying? Even, like I said, the people that came before me. The Ron Simmons', the Booker T's, the Mark Henry's, all the people that put that work in and recognition to stand out. Like, it all culminated at that KofiMania moment."
Kingston would go on to offer high-praise for current NXT World Champion Trick Williams, NXT North American Champion Oba Femi, AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland, and even former NXT World Champion Carmelo Hayes, who was in the main event against WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes in his first official match after being drafted from NXT to SmackDown.
"So to see like, you know, Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes and Oba [Femi] doing their thing, it really is a beautiful thing to see," he said. "I don't want to sit here and say, 'Oh, because I did this now they're doing their thing.' They, I think, were going to be successful regardless. But it is a beautiful thing to see people of color out there doing their thing."
He continued, "And like you said, Swerve [Strickland] too, man. I've watched his career for a very, very long time. Gotten to know him very well over the years. And really, really happy for his success too. It is a beautiful thing and we are keeping it going. And I love it."
Check out the complete interview via the YouTube player embedded below. H/T to F4WOnline.com for transcribing the above quotes.
