Kofi Kingston is on the verge of being one of the headline acts at Wrestlemania 35 and the WWE superstar is very thankful that the WWE Universe made their voices heard to get him to where he is.
It's an age old tale of the underdog, the seasoned veteran who everyone loves but hasn't had the chance on the big stage, being held down by management and managing to overcome them.
Stone Cold Steve Austin did it best and years later Daniel Bryan was the man that the 'Authority' didn't want to see headline Wrestlemania. Now, just a few years after, Bryan is on the opposite side of things as Kofi Kingston tries to get his Wrestlemania moment.
Kingston was due to face WWE Champion Bryan, for the title, at recent pay-per-view event Fastlane but was replaced by Kevin Owens on the whim of owner Vince McMahon.
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On Tuesday night the New Day member gets his chance to face the champion at 'Mania' in a gauntlet match against Samoa Joe, Randy Orton, Cesaro, Seamus and Bryan's 'partner' Erick Rowan.
Speaking on a conference call ahead of his huge match the four time Intercontinental champion revealed that his looks and physique have meant he was always in a battle, saying:
"I was never going to be the one to get recognition because of my looks. There are guys who are way taller than me, weigh a lot more than me, are stronger than me, not faster than me but all other aspects people get recognised and looked at and opportunities based on how they look.
"I've been fighting that battle my entire lifetime. To get to WWE I was told I wasn't big enough, I wasn't strong enough and low and behold here I am, multiple time champion, hopefully soon we can say I'm WWE champion!"
The 37 year old recognises that the support of the fans and them being heard is why he's on the edge of making his own personal history, adding, "I make sure the WWE Universe has a memory of me everytime I go out there.
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"The support I've got over the last few weeks has been amazing. The WWE Universe just 100% behind me. It's cool to see that what I try to do actually works. People are behind me and the memories are there. They understand the performances I'm capable of and they also want to see me get a chance at the most prestigious title in WWE."
It's just five years ago, at Wrestlemania 30, when Bryan got his own moment on the 'Grandest Stage of all' and got to defeat the Authority.
Then the four time WWE champion was a fan favourite and missed out on competing in the Royal Rumble, that most people expected him to win.
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Instead several months of fans chanting for him, social media pressure and a challenge to Triple H gave him one of the greatest Wrestlemania moments of all time, as he captured the WWE title.
It was the 'Yes Movement' that helped Bryan get there and Kofi acknowledged there's a lot of similarities with 'Kofimania' saying, "I think it is similar. It is awesome when the WWE Universe is dictating what happens on WWE television. Vince came on RAW and Smackdown a few months ago and said they were going to listen to the people, and that's what the WWE Universe wants, to be listened to.
"When something like the 'Yes Movement' happens organically, it's not written in the writers room, it's not a story that people think about and it just happens, it's an organic storyline. There's definitely a lot of similarities where the universe has just hijacked the show. They made their voices and opinions very well known and I'm very appreciative of them."
On Tuesday the WWE Universe will once again be chanting for something brilliant to happen but this time Bryan won't be joining in with them.
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If Kingston gets the chance to get to Wrestlemania 35 and fight for the WWE title then it'll be down to all of his fans.
Featured Image Credit: WWETopics: Wrestlemania, WrestleMania 35, WWE
