Kofi Kingston On The Historical Significance Of Potentially Facing Bobby Lashley For The WWE Title
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Kofi Kingston believes in the mantra that “seeing is believing” and if he were to ever face Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship, he knows how much impact a bout like that would carry across the pro wrestling industry.
The former WWE Champion spoke with Steven Muehlhausen of DAZN and was asked about getting the chance to battle Bobby in singles action for that title, something that two male African-American competitors have never gotten the chance to do.
“It would mean the world because I say this all the time, to be somebody who motivates people to be the best version of themselves is a very empowering thing. At the end of the day, that is what I want to be above all else, above being a wrestler or a superstar or a champion, but being somebody who motivates somebody to go out and be the best version of themselves possible to believe in themselves to go out there and achieve their dreams. We always talk about seeing is believing. For a lot of African-American kids out there, it’s so important. Even adults, honestly, to see someone who looks like yourself doing incredible things. There’s a lot of people who are able to do incredible things without that vision. But at the same time, it’s so much more powerful when you say anything is possible because I see it happening right now. Kofi did it. I can do it. Bobby did it, so I can do it. So we can do it. It’s a very powerful thing. It would mean the world. It’d be a historical feat in the industry because, like you said, I don’t think that ever happened either if I’m not mistaken.
Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair became the first two African-American women to main event a WrestleMania and Kofi makes note of that moment.
“With Sasha, and Bianca at WrestleMania, being in the main event was so powerful. The way they killed it was, I know that a lot of people are going to remember that match for a long time. It’s going to inspire people to do amazing things in this industry, outside of this industry. That is what it’s all about. So if Bobby and I were able to go head to head for the WWE title, the thought of winning the championship for a second time would be amazing. But even more amazing than that is the lives that we would touch and the lightbulbs that would go off and just the seeds that we would plant in terms of motivating people on so many different levels. There hasn’t been any talk of this. We’re all just kind of assuming what would happen. But based on what happened last week, a win over the WWE Champion is a win over the WWE Champion. Not to mention that nobody has pinned Bobby Lashley since he’s become WWE Champion, except this guy. I’m going to go ahead and celebrate that.”
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