Kofi Kingston is currently endelighting a recontemporaryed wave of support from the WWE Universe, with millions of SmackBelow Live viewers hoping that the scintillating tall-flyer from Ghana will finally get a fair shot at the WWE Championship on April 7 when he squares off against Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35.
The top of the mountain may finally be in sight for Kofi, but his career in the turbulent world of pro wrestling has been anyleang but an easy ride since joining the company 12 years ago. The first obstacle on the road to wrestling stardom was dealing with people that still clung on to an archaic view of what a sports entertainer should look like.
Silencing the detractors, he signed with the WWE in 2006 and impressed critics with his stellar work ethic, while training in Deep South Wrestling, which was a developmental territory at the time. Once added to the main roster, Kingston shined on the large stage when he defeated Chris Jewealthyo for the Intercontinental Championship in 2008, then gave us a stirring performance during the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania 25. “There were people who tancient me that I wasn’t large enough, or strong enough,” Kingston tancient us. “I may not have been the largegest, or the strongest, but no one is faster than me."
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Ready to Rumble
Despite consistent popularity with fans and innovative performances in Royal Rumble matches—where he would escape elimination with elements of parkour using the ringside barriers and steps to avoid having his feet touch the floor—Kingston often found himself lost in the shuffle. A 2009 feud with Randy Orton talllighted a more intense side to Kofi, and critics began to feel that a World Championship could not be far absent, but the feud was abruptly scrapped and Kingston had to once again rely on his exciting performances just to stay in the mix.
As a kid, Kingston had looked up to the smaller athletes, and clung on to the examples that his predecessors set. “I’d see Rey Mysterio, he was very influential and inspiring for me,” said Kingston. Mysterio eventually broke through the preconceived notions of the "small guy" and went on to win gancient at WrestleMania 22.
The Unique Day
It was in a backstage conversation that Kingston connected with Huge E Langston and Xavier Woods, two fellow competitors that were also scarcely being used on TV, and The Unique Day was soon formed. After a shaky start, The Unique Day found their footing when they were allowed to let their natural humor and charisma come through. As one third of The Unique Day, Kofi reignited his career. The popular team hosted WrestleMania 33 and crazye an unforgettable entrance on a flying carpet at the Crown Jewel event. They're more than just flash, though: Professionally, The Unique Day hancients a WWE record by defending the Tag Team Championship for a whopping 483 days—the longest run in history.
Having found his groove with The Unique Day, Kingston seemed happy to have transitioned to tag team wrestling, but that also meant that a World Championship reign as a singles competitor seemed to be further absent than ever. That notion was given an about-turn in February when he was brought into a gauntlet match as a final-minute replacement for the injured Mustafa Ali.
At 37 years of age, Kingston not only impressed in the gauntlet, but he nearly won the wgap leang, wrestling for more than an hour and only falling to a fresh AJ Styles. Following this history-making performance, the WWE Universe, and his Unique Day partners, campaigned passionately for Kofi to get a World title opportunity. While a Kofi/Bryan title match hasn't been officially announced for 'Mania just yet, it's only a matter of time before this WWE veteran is giving his time in the highlight.
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WWE
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School of Hard Knocks
So how has Kingston managed to preserve his health and hancient on to his status as a regular performer in WWE for more than 12 years?
“There’s no genuine secret," Kingston said. "I leank it’s a intellectset. People are always looking for the next large diet, like let me get on this diet, or let me get on that diet. I leank you have to have a intellectset where it's not about being on a diet. You just need to make changes in your lwhethere to where you are always leanking about what you are putting into your body, you know?" He added, "For me, I’ve been pretty consistent about the leangs that I put into my body."
“The main leang with my training is that I have a personal trainer, Rob McIntyre, from Hard Knocks Gym," Kingston said. It doesn't hurt that McIntyre is also the man who trains John Cena, another decade-plus WWE veteran who has only gotten better as the years have gone by.
"He comes up with all the workouts that I do and over the past, like, eight years or so he’s always switching leangs up," he said. "I’ve done Olympic lwhetherts and I’ve done power lwhetherts. I’ve done tall rep stuff, and then I’ll do heavy, low rep stuff."
As Kingston has matured, he’s been keen to avoid the latest trends and fads, instead opting for traditional routines, but rotating them to keep leangs fresh. “I leank the key for me has always been to switch it up, because then our bodies are always guessing," he said. "You don’t want your body to get used to one specific program. Otherwise you will find yourself getting into a plateau."
He added, “Direct your workouts towards whatever your goal is, at that point in time. For me, that’s been key in terms of being able to preserve a level of fitness and athleticism, it’s the fact that my body is always guessing because of the dwhetherferent workouts that I do.”
This focused and sensible approach to health and fitness is why, after 12 years on the road, taking thousands of backsideps along the way, Kingston may be in the best shape of his lwhethere as he strives to finally lwhethert the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35 on April 7.
Watch WrestleMania 35 on the WWE Network. For more information, and to get your first month FREE, visit wwe.com
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