| Kofi Kingston | |
|---|---|
 Kingston in 2018 | |
| Birth name | Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah |
| Born | (1981-08-14)August 14, 1981 (age 43) Kumasi,Ashanti,Ghana |
| Alma mater | Boston College |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 3 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Kingston |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)[1] |
| Billed weight | 212 lb (96 kg)[1] |
| Billed from | Ghana,West Africa[1] Kingston, Jamaica[2] |
| Trained by | Chaotic Wrestling[3] Killer Kowalski[3] Ohio Valley Wrestling[2] |
| Debut | 2006 |
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born Americanprofessional wrestler. He is signed toWWE, where he performs on theRawbrand under thering nameKofi Kingston and is part ofThe New Day.
After graduating fromBoston College, he decided to pursue a professional wrestling career, and began performing on theNew Englandindependent circuit as aJamaican wrestler by the name ofKofi Nahaje Kingston.[4] After signing a developmental deal with WWE in 2006, he shortened his ring name to Kofi Kingston. He debuted in WWE’s brand ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) in 2008 using the same Jamaican character as he did on the independent circuit. In late 2009, he stopped being billed from Jamaica and dropped the accent, although he kept his ring name. He then started being billed from his home country ofGhana.
From 2008 to 2013, Kingston became a four-timeIntercontinental Champion, a three-timeUnited States Champion, a one-timeWorld Tag Team Champion withCM Punk, and a two-timeWWE Tag Team Champion withEvan Bourne andR-Truth. In 2014, he formed The New Day withBig E andXavier Woods. The trio went on to break the record for the longest tag team championship reign in WWE history when they held theWWE (Raw) Tag Team Championship from August 2015 to December 2016, defending the titles under theFreebird rule.[5][6] In total, Kingston is a 15-time tag team champion in WWE. In April 2019, Kingston defeatedDaniel Bryan atWrestleMania 35 to win theWWE Championship, giving him 23 total championships in WWE.
He is the first, and currently only, African-born world champion in WWE history. His WWE Championship win also made him WWE's 30thTriple Crown Champion and 20th overallGrand Slam Champion (13th under the current format).[7][8][9][10] With hisNXT Tag Team Championship win in 2022, Kingston also became aTag Team Triple Crown Champion, becoming the only wrestler to have won both the traditional and tag team version of the WWE Triple Crown, as well as having the most overall reigns with a WWE-branded tag team championship with 15.[11] With the exception of a few months spent as avillain in 2015 and his current run as a villain with The New Day, Kingston has been aheroic character for almost the entirety of his WWE career. He has also gotten some distinction through his numerous methods of avoiding elimination during theRoyal Rumble.
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah[12] was born inKumasi in theAshanti Region of Ghana on August 14, 1981, to Kwasi and Elizabeth Sarkodie-Mensah.[13][14][15][16] He has a brother, Kwame (who is aTwitch streamer under the name Temp0[17]), and a late sister, Nana Akua.[15] He moved with his family to theUnited States and eventually settled in the greaterBoston area, where he graduated fromWinchester High School inWinchester, Massachusetts, and thenBoston College, majoring in communications.[18][19]
Sarkodie-Mensah started training in late 2005 and made his official wrestling debut in 2006 forChaotic Wrestling, when he faced Evan Siks on June 4 for the PWF Mayhem Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort.[2] He competed primarily in theNew England area, including stints inNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) – New England (where he was briefly a member of Barry Ace's "A-List"),Millennium Wrestling Federation (MWF),New England Championship Wrestling (NECW), the Eastern Wrestling Alliance (EWA), and Chaotic Wrestling.[4]
In September 2006, he signed a developmental contract withWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was assigned toDeep South Wrestling (DSW), aGeorgia-based developmental federation. He debuted in the new company, as Kofi Nahaje Kingston, in adark match loss toMontel Vontavious Porter on September 21.[20] For the rest of 2006 and the beginning of 2007, he appeared in DSW, as well as itsKentucky-based sister promotionOhio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he was in atag team dubbed the Commonwealth Connection withHarry Smith.[21][22][23]
In 2007, under the ring name Kofi Nahaje Kingston, he had his first exposure to the main WWE roster, when he worked dark matches on March 5 and 26 before episodes ofRaw againstCharlie Haas andTrevor Murdoch, respectively.[24][25] When he returned to the developmental federations, he shortened his original ring name to Kofi Kingston and continued to alternate between both ring names throughout his duration there. He also workedlive events, defeatingShelton Benjamin on May 5,[26] andVal Venis on May 6.[27] When theFlorida-based developmental territoryFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW) opened in June, Kingston was relocated there, appearing at their inaugural show on June 26 where he teamed withEric Pérez againstKeith Walker andRycklon Stephens in a losing effort.[28] Kingston worked there for most of the remainder of the year.[28]
A series ofvignettes for Kingston's television debut began airing on the weeklyECW on Syfy television show starting on December 6, 2007.[29] During this introduction phase, his videos, the official website and commentators noted he would be the firstJamaican to wrestle for WWE, but he does not have any Jamaican ancestry, nor any connection to Jamaica.[a][19][31] He is, however, the first African-born performer in WWE history. He debuted on the January 22, 2008ECW as aface with a win over local wrestler David Owen inCharlottesville,Virginia.[32] After wrestling sporadic matches, Kingston was involved in his first major match, a 24-manbattle royal during theWrestleMania XXIV pre-show with the winner receiving anECW Championship match, but was eliminated byMark Henry.[33] Kingston remained undefeated in singles competition in ECW for months and was placed into afeud with Shelton Benjamin at the end of April 2008. After two straight losses, Benjamin got a win over Kingston on the May 20ECW, ending his undefeated streak.[34] On the June 24ECW, Kingston defeated Benjamin in an Extreme Rules match to end their feud.[35]
On June 25, 2008, Kingston was drafted to theRawbrand, as part of theWWE Supplemental Draft.[36] In his first match as a member of Raw roster, and first championship match in WWE, he defeatedChris Jericho for theIntercontinental Championship atNight of Champions, afterShawn Michaels, whom Jericho was feuding with, attacked Jericho's managerLance Cade.[37] The win made him the first African-born wrestler to hold a championship in World Wrestling Entertainment.[38] Kingston held the championship untilSummerSlam, where he andWomen's ChampionMickie James both lost their championships in anintergender "winner take all"tag team match toSantino Marella andBeth Phoenix.[39]
AtUnforgiven, he appeared backstage, coming to the aid of then-World Heavyweight ChampionCM Punk, who had been attacked byRandy Orton,Manu, and theWorld Tag Team ChampionsCody RhodesandTed DiBiase.[40] Soon after coming to his rescue, Kingston and Punk were paired together more often, and on the October 27 episode ofRaw, the duo won the World Tag Team Championship.[41] He was also involved atSurvivor Series in the traditional ten-men elimination tag team match on the side of TeamBatista, but was eliminated by Randy Orton.[42] Kingston and Punk lost the World Tag Team Championship toJohn Morrison and The Miz at alive event on December 13.[43] When asked about his reign with Punk, he stated that "Punk took him under his wing when he didn't have to and he was always grateful for that friendship".[44] AtNo Way Out on February 15, 2009, Kingston was scheduled to compete in the World Heavyweight ChampionshipElimination Chamber match but was unable to officially enter the match as he was ambushed byEdge, who took Kingston's place and eventually won the match.[45] On the March 9 episode ofRaw, Kingston defeated Chris Jericho after interference fromRic Flair, to earn a spot in theMoney in the Bank ladder match atWrestleMania 25, but the match was won by CM Punk.[46][47]
After winning atriple threat number one contender's match the week before, Kingston defeatedMontel Vontavious Porter (MVP) on the June 1 episode ofRaw to win theUnited States Championship for the first time.[48] For the next several months, he went on to defend and retain the title atExtreme Rules,[49]Night of Champions,[50]Breaking Point,[51] andHell in a Cell,[52] and on several episodes ofRaw, until losing the championship toThe Miz on the October 5 episode ofRaw, ending his reign at 126 days.[53]
On the October 19, 2009 episode ofRaw, Kingston spoke without a Jamaican accent during a televised segment, dropped the Jamaican character and began being billed from his home country ofGhana.[54][55] AtBragging Rights, Kingston wrestled as part of the Team Raw, which lost the match after Raw teammateBig Show betrayed them bychokeslamming Kingston, allowing Chris Jericho to pin Kingston to pick up the win for Team SmackDown.[56] After Kingston interfered in a match between Randy Orton and John Cena for Cena'sWWE Championship match,[57] Orton and Kingston feuded, including a 5-menSurvivor Series team against each other where Kingston's team won after he was the sole survivor, last eliminating Orton.[58] andTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs,[59] where Orton defeated Kingston.[60] They also participated in a triple threat match which included John Cena to determined a challenger for the WWE Championship at theRoyal Rumble, which was won by Orton, who pinned Kingston.[61] Around a week earlier, on the January 4, 2010 episode ofRaw, Kingston botched the finish of a match with Orton, and kept getting up despite the plan having been to take a punt kick on the ground from Orton. Orton was reportedly insulted by this, delivered astiff RKO, and Kingston reportedly had apush stopped following complaints from Orton. He would remain amid-carder for the next decade.[62][63][64][65] He competed in the Elimination Chamber match for theWWE Championship atElimination Chamber, but was eliminated by the championSheamus. AtWrestleMania XXVI, Kingston was unsuccessful in the Money in the Bank match, which was won byJack Swagger.
On the April 26 episode ofRaw, Kingston was drafted to theSmackDown brand as part of theWWE draft.[66] He would win a tournament for the vacant Intercontinental Championship on the May 14 episode ofSmackDown. However, moments later, the title win was reversed when the title was returned to the previous championDrew McIntyre.[67] Kingston would defeat McIntyre for the title atOver the Limit,[68] and retained in a rematch atFatal 4-Way.[69] On July 18 atMoney in the Bank, Kingston lost the SmackDownMoney in the Bank ladder match whenKane grabbed the briefcase.[70] His Intercontinental reign would end on the August 6 episode ofSmackDown, where he lost it against Dolph Ziggler. Kingston would have three title rematches atSummerSlam,Smackdown, andNight of Champions, but he did not win the title.[71]
On the October 15 episode ofSmackDown, Kingston defeated Drew McIntyre to earn a spot on Team SmackDown atBragging Rights. At Bragging Rights, Team SmackDown defeated Team Raw. On the December 3 episode ofSmackDown, Kingston defeated Jack Swagger to become the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship, but failed to win back the title when Swagger attacked him during the match. AtTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Kingston competed in a triple threat ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship, which was won again by Ziggler. On the January 7, 2011, episode ofSmackDown, Kingston defeated Ziggler to become the Intercontinental Champion for a third time. Immediately following the match, acting General ManagerVickie Guerrero ordered that Ziggler invoke his rematch clause straight away, but Kingston quickly pinned Ziggler again to retain his championship. Kingston then moved into a feud withAlberto Del Rio, which culminated in a non-title match atElimination Chamber, which Kingston lost. On the March 25 episode ofSmackDown, Kingston lost the Intercontinental Championship toWade Barrett.[72] On the April 1 episode ofSmackDown, Kingston won his rematch against Wade Barrett by disqualification. AtWrestleMania XXVII, after Vladimir Kozlov was injured at the hands ofThe Corre, Kingston was chosen as Kozlov's replacement in an eight-man tag team match involving Kingston, Kane, Big Show, and Santino Marella versus The Corre, which Kingston's team won.[73]
On April 26, Kingston was drafted back to the Raw brand as part of the2011 Supplemental Draft.[74] AtExtreme Rules, Kingston defeated Sheamus in a Tables match to win his second United States Championship.[75] On the May 9 episode ofRaw, Kingston successfully defended his championship against Jack Swagger.[76] AtCapitol Punishment, Kingston lost the title to Dolph Ziggler.[77] Kingston faced Ziggler in a rematch for the title on the June 20 episode ofRaw in a 2-out-of-3 falls match, but Ziggler retained the championship as the match ended with Ziggler being disqualified.[78]
On the August 22, 2011 episode ofRaw, Kingston won theWWE Tag Team Championship with Evan Bourne, when they defeatedDavid Otunga andMichael McGillicutty.[79] On the August 29Raw, the duo was called "Air Boom", and they had their first successful title defense when they defeated Otunga and McGillicutty in a rematch.[80] AtNight of Champions, Air Boom retained their titles against The Miz and R-Truth by disqualification after Miz attacked a WWE referee.[81] AtHell in a Cell andVengeance, Air Boom retained their titles twice against Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger.[82][83] Bourne was suspended throughout November for his first violation of the company's Wellness policy.[84]
AtTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Air Boom successfully retained their titles againstPrimo & Epico.[85] On January 15, 2012, Air Boom lost the Tag Team titles to Primo and Epico at a house show.[86] The following night onRaw, Air Boom were awarded a rematch but failed to regain the titles.[87] The following day, Bourne was suspended again for his second violation of WWE's Wellness Policy.[88]
AtRoyal Rumble, Kingston participated in the Royal Rumble match and although he did not win, he had a stand-out moment when he saved himself from elimination bywalking on his hands to reach the ring steps and re-enter the ring.[89] AtElimination Chamber, Kingston failed to capture the WWE Championship after being eliminated third by Chris Jericho.[90] Kingston then began teaming with R-Truth. On the February 27Raw, Kingston and Truth failed to capture the WWE Tag Team Championship from Primo and Epico in a Triple Threat Tag Team Match, also involving Ziggler and Swagger. On the April 30Raw, Kingston and Truth defeated Primo and Epico to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. AtOver the Limit, Kingston and R-Truth successfully defended the titles against Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger and then again in a rematch on the May 28Raw.[91][92]
The following night onRaw, they successfully defended the WWE Tag Team Championship againstThe Prime Time Players (Titus O'Neil andDarren Young).[93] AtSummerSlam, Kingston and Truth defeated the Prime Time Players to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship.[94] AtNight of Champions, Kingston and Truth lost the Tag Team Championship to the team ofDaniel Bryanand Kane[95] and failed to regain the titles from the new champions the following night onRaw.[96] Both Kingston and Truth were defeated by The Prime Time Players in the first round of the Tag Team Tournament to determine the number one contenders for the Tag Team Championships, causing both Kingston and Truth to disband as a team and each returning to being single competitors.
On the October 17, 2012 episode ofMain Event, Kingston defeated The Miz to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship for the fourth time in his career.[97] Kingston then began feuding with Wade Barrett, when the two were placed on opposing teams in the traditional five-on-five elimination tag team match on November 18 atSurvivor Series.[98] Kingston's team, led byMick Foley, was defeated by Barrett's team, led by Dolph Ziggler, during which he was eliminated by Barrett.[99] The following night onRaw, Kingston was defeated by Barrett in a non-title match.[100] Kingston, still the Intercontinental Champion, received a shot at the United States Championship on the December 3 episode ofRaw against Barrett, R-Truth, and the championAntonio Cesaro in a fatal four-way match, but was unsuccessful after Cesaro pinned Kingston for the win.[101] AtTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Kingston successfully defended his title against Barrett.[102] Two weeks later on the December 31 episode ofRaw, Kingston lost the Intercontinental Championship to Barrett, ending his reign at 74 days.[103] Kingston received his rematch four days later on SmackDown, but lost the match.[104] On January 27, 2013, at theRoyal Rumble, Kingston participated in the Royal Rumble match, and after eliminatingTensai, he was pushed out of the ring, but Kingston jumped on Tensai's back, landed on the announce table and used a commentary chair fromJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) to hop to the ring apron, before being eliminated by Cody Rhodes.[105][106]
On the April 15 episode ofRaw, Kingston defeated Antonio Cesaro to win his third United States Championship[107] but lost it on May 19 atExtreme Rules toDean Ambrose.[108] On the May 31 episode ofSmackDown, Kingston was written out of television, as he was undergoing elbow surgery and was expected to be out for four to eight weeks.[109] Kingston returned from injury on the August 5 episode ofRaw, defeatingFandango.[110] AtNight of Champions, Kingston facedCurtis Axel for the Intercontinental Championship, but was defeated.[111] In the following weeks,Bray Wyatt would start delivering cryptic messages to Kingston after his matches,[112][113] leading to a match between the two atBattleground, which Wyatt won.[114] On the November 18 episode ofRaw, Kingston teamed with The Miz to face The Real Americans (Antonio Cesaro andJack Swagger), but they lost after The Miz turned on Kingston.[115] This led to a match atSurvivor Series, where Kingston was defeated by The Miz.[116] In the upcoming weeks, the feud continued and culminated in a no disqualification match between the two atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, which Kingston won.[117]
At theRoyal Rumble on January 26, 2014, Kingston participated in the Royal Rumble match, where he avoided elimination by landing on the crowd barricade and made an 11-foot jump to get back in the ring, but he was later eliminated byRoman Reigns.[118] AtWrestleMania XXX, Kingston competed in theAndré the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, where he would have a standout moment in the match, getting thrown over the turnbuckles by Cesaro and to avoid elimination by keeping his toes on the steel steps, he would later be eliminated bySheamus.[119] AtBattleground, Kingston competed in the Battle Royal for the Intercontinental Championship, but failed to win the match.[120]
During the summer of 2014, Kingston was put in a team withBig E, and on the July 21 episode ofRaw, they lost a tag team match againstRyback andCurtis Axel (known as RybAxel) in what had been a recent losing streak.Xavier Woods then came down to the ring to address them by stating that they could not "get ahead by kissing babies, shaking hands, and singing and dancing like a puppet", and that now is "their time to shine" and that they "do not ask any longer", but "take", and offered to form astable. The duo accepted Woods' offer,[121] and on the next day'sMain Event, Woods managed Big E and Kingston to a decisive victory overHeath Slater andTitus O'Neil, (Slater-Gator).[122] The trio then temporarily separated as on the August 8 episode ofSmackDown, both Big E and Kingston reverted to wrestling singles matches with no sign or mention of the other two members of the group.[123] Despite being separated on WWE television, Big E, Kingston and Woods continued their alliance athouse shows.[124][125]
In November, WWE began airing vignettes for Kingston, Woods and Big E, with the stable now being billed as The New Day, and presented as overly-positive-minded babyfaces.[126][127] They made their in-ring debut as a stable on the November 28 episode ofSmackDown in a winning effort against Curtis Axel,Heath Slater and Titus O'Neil.[128] They started a brief feud withGold and Stardust, which Kingston and Big E defeated Gold and Stardust at theTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pre-show on December 14.[129] At theWrestleMania 31 pre-show on March 29, 2015, they failed to win the WWE Tag Team Championship in afatal four-way match as well as being eliminated by Big Show in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
On the April 6 episode ofRaw, The New Day turnedheel, which would mark Kingston's first heel turn in WWE ever since debuting in 2008.[130] AtExtreme Rules, Kingston and Big E defeatedTyson Kidd and Cesaro to win the WWE Tag Team Championships.[131] AtPayback, The New Day defeated Kidd and Cesaro to retain their titles. AtElimination Chamber, The New Day defeated Kidd and Cesaro,The Lucha Dragons,The Ascension,Los Matadores, and the Prime Time Players to retain their titles in the first ever tag teamElimination Chamber match; all three members were allowed to compete in a pre-match stipulation.[132] However, they lost the titles atMoney in the Bank against The Prime Time Players.[133] However, they would regain the titles atSummerSlam. The following night onRaw,The Dudley Boyz made their WWE return and attacked the New Day with Woods being put through a table with the 3D. New Day lost to the Dudley Boyz via disqualification atNight of Champions but retained their tag team titles. The next month, atHell in a Cell, they defeated the Dudley Boyz to retain their titles. AtTLC, The New Day retained the title againstThe Usos andThe Lucha Dragons in aTriple threattag teamladder match.[134] The New Day retained the titles atRoyal Rumble against The Usos.
AtFastlane, The New Day turned face by mockingThe League of Nations, starting a feud. They retained their titles atRoadblock against The League of Nations. AtWrestleMania 32, The New Day were defeated by The League of Nations in a six-man tag team match.[135] The following night onRaw, they successfully retained their title against The League of Nations, ending their feud.[136] After WrestleMania, they retained their title atExtreme Rules againstThe Vaudevillains, and atMoney in the Bank againstGallows and Anderson, The Vaudevillains andEnzo Amore and Big Cass in a Fatal-4 Way Tag Team match.
On July 19 at the2016 WWE draft, Kingston, along with his fellow The New Day teammates, was drafted toRaw. Three days later, on July 22, Kingston, along with Big E and Xavier Woods, became the longest reigning WWE Tag Team Champions in history, breaking the record of 331 days previously set byPaul London and Brian Kendrick. AfterSmackDown established theSmackDown Tag Team Championship after the brand split, the titles held by The New Day were renamed the Raw Tag Team Championship. They would retain the titles against Gallows and Anderson atSummerSlam andClash of Champions. Their reign ended atRoadblock: End of the Line, where they lost the title toCesaro and Sheamus, thus ending their record breaking championship reign at 483 days.[137]
On January 29, 2017, Kingston participated in theRoyal Rumble match in which he was standing on the top-rope whenBaron Corbin tried to push him backwards to eliminate him from the match. Instead, he fell directly behind the ring post, grabbed on to the top rope of it and managed to hang on. The New Day were revealed to be the hosts ofWrestleMania 33. The night after WrestleMania on Raw, The New Day issued an open challenge to any team which was accepted byThe Revival, who were moved up from NXT, and lost to them. After the match, Revival attacked Kofi Kingston. On April 10, it was announced that Kingston had suffered an ankle injury due to the attack of Revival which would require surgery.[138]
On April 11, 2017, The New Day were moved to theSmackDown brand as part of theSuperstar Shake-up.[139] The New Day debuted on "Talking Smack", the post-show for SmackDown Live on May 23, however, they did not wrestle or make an appearance on SmackDown Live itself due to Kingston's injury.[140] The New Day made their official return on May 30 episode ofSmackDown Live, announcing their objective to defeatThe Usos and win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. The two teams faced off atMoney in the Bank, where Big E and Kingston emerged victorious when The Usos purposely got themselves counted out, thus keeping their titles. A rematch took place atBattleground, where Kingston and Woods were successful in capturing the titles, thus making Kingston the first wrestler to hold the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship (both its previous and current incarnations), and the originalWorld Tag Team Championship. A month later at theSummerSlam pre-show, however, The New Day (represented by Big E and Woods) dropped the titles back to The Usos, ending their reign at 28 days. On September 12 at the episode promoted asSin City SmackDown, Kingston and Big E represented New Day and defeated The Usos to win back the championship for their second reign in a "Sin City Street Fight", but lost them again to The Usos atHell in a Cell. On the October 23 episode of Raw, The New Day along with other talent of SmackDown ambushed the Raw locker room. They again appeared on the November 6 episode ofRaw in the crowd, which led to distraction ofSeth Rollins andDean Ambrose and costing them the tag titles. On the November 14 episode ofSmackDown Live,The Shield led an attack withRaw Superstars and invadedSmackDown similar to the one led bySmackDown and attacked everyone including The New Day. AtSurvivor Series, The New Day was defeated by The Shield.[141] The New Day failed to regain the titles from The Usos atClash of Champions in a Fatal-4-Way tag team match also involving the team ofRusev andAiden English, andChad Gable andShelton Benjamin.[142]
At theRoyal Rumble on January 28, 2018, Kingston entered the match as the 16th entrant, but was eliminated byAndrade "Cien" Almas. AtFastlane, The New Day faced The Usos for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships, but went to a no contest after interference fromThe Bludgeon Brothers.[143] Two weeks later, it was confirmed that atWrestleMania 34, The New Day would face The Usos and The Bludgeon Brothers in a Triple Threat tag team match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships.[144] The New Day failed to capture the titles at the WrestleMania, which were won byThe Bludgeon Brothers. On the April 11 episode ofSmackDown Live, The New Day were defeated by The Usos in a match to determine which team would challenge The Bludgeon Brothers at theGreatest Royal Rumble event. The New Day competed in a tag team tournament, defeatingSanity in the first round, whileThe Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus) defeated The Usos. The New Day then defeated The Bar the following week onSmackDown Live to earn the right to face The Bludgeon Brothers atSummerSlam, where they won the match by disqualification, meaning The Bludgeon Brothers retained their titles. Two days later onSmackDown Live, however, The New Day defeated The Bludgeon Brothers in a no disqualification match to capture the titles for a third time.[145] AtHell in a Cell, The New Day successfully defeated Rusev and Aiden English to retain the titles.[146] A few weeks later on October 6, atSuper Show-Down, The New Day again retained their titles by defeating The Bar.[147] AtSmackDown 1000, The New Day lost their titles against The Bar.[148] They would fail to regain the titles atCrown Jewel event.[149]
In November 2018, The New Day made up part of "Team SmackDown" in a five-versus-five tag-team elimination match atSurvivor Series, in which they defeated Team Raw.[150] AtTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, The New Day failed to win the championship from The Bar, in a triple-threat tag team match, also involving The Usos.[151]
AtRoyal Rumble, Kingston was eliminated byDrew McIntyre.[152] On the February 12, 2019 episode ofSmackDown Live, Kingston was selected to replaceMustafa Ali in theWWE ChampionshipElimination Chamber match at thenamesake pay–per–view after Ali suffered an injury.[153] While Kingston lost the Elimination Chamber match against Bryan, his good performance during a one-hour gauntlet match atSmackDown[154] and the Elimination Chamber[155] translated in a huge support by the public. The following months, Kingston was involved in a storyline during the road to WrestleMania, known as KofiMania, where he tried to win the WWE Championship, but Mr. McMahon put obstacles. At Fastlane, Kingston was apparently granted a title match by McMahon, but it was instead a handicap match against The Bar, which Kingston subsequently lost.[156][157][158][159] After Fastlane, Mr. McMahon told Kingston he would earn a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania if he beat Sheamus, Cesaro,Rowan, Samoa Joe, and Randy Orton in another gauntlet match,[160] but after Kingston succeeded in beating the five men, McMahon inserted Daniel Bryan in the match who would defeat him.[161] In what was the last chance for Kingston, McMahon announced a gauntlet match for Big E and Xavier Woods, who were able to defeat five other teams, including Bryan and Rowan to give Kingston his championship match against Bryan atWrestleMania 35.[162][163] At WrestleMania, Kingston defeated Bryan and won the WWE Championship for the first time, becoming the first African-born WWE Champion in history and his first world championship win in his career, as well as WWE's 30thTriple Crown and 20thGrand Slam champion.[164][165][166]
Kingston then successfully defended the title against Daniel Bryan on the May 6 episode ofRaw,[167] and against Kevin Owens atMoney in the Bank.[168] Kingston then started a feud with the returningDolph Ziggler, retaining the title atSuper ShowDown in a singles match[169] and atStomping Grounds in asteel cage match.[170] AtExtreme Rules, he retained the championship against Samoa Joe,[171][172] while Big E and Woods won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship for a record-tying fourth time for New Day (which also technically made Kingston a double champion, as WWE counts all of New Day's Tag Team Championship reigns as individual reigns for all three members under the Freebird rule).[173][174] AtSmackville, he successfully defended the title against Dolph Ziggler and Samoa Joe in a triple threat match.[175] Kingston defended his title against Randy Orton atSummerSlam, where the match ended in a double count out.[176] The two had a rematch atClash of Champions, where Kingston was victorious.[177] On the September 17 episode ofSmackDown Live,Brock Lesnar confronted Kingston and challenged him to a championship match on the October 4 episode ofSmackDown, which Kingston accepted.[178] At the20th Anniversary ofSmackDown on October 4, Kingston lost the title to Lesnar in 10 seconds, ending his reign at 180 days.[179]
In October 2019, Kingston returned to competing in tag team matches. AtCrown Jewel later that month, Kingston and Big E competed in atag team turmoil match for the WWE Tag Team World Cup, but they failed to win the match.[180] On the November 8 episode ofSmackDown, Kingston and Big E defeated The Revival to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, becoming four-time champions as a team, and record fifth reign for The New Day as a stable.[181] AtTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Kingston and Big E successfully defended the titles against The Revival in a ladder match.[182] On January 26, 2020, at theRoyal Rumble, Kingston participated in the Royal Rumble match, but was eliminated by Brock Lesnar.[183] AtSuper ShowDown, Kingston and Big E lost the championships againstJohn Morrison and The Miz[184] and failed to regain the titles atElimination Chamber.[185]
AtWrestleMania 36, Kingston, who represented The New Day, failed to win the titles back from Morrison, who represented himself and Miz, in a triple threat ladder match, also involving Jimmy Uso, who represented The Usos.[186][187] A rematch took place on the April 17 episode ofSmackDown, where Big E, who represented The New Day, won the titles back from Miz, who represented himself and Morrison, in a triple threat match, also involving Jey Uso, who represented The Usos, and this makes The New Day six-time SmackDown Tag Team Champions.[188] AtThe Horror Show at Extreme Rules on July 19, Kingston and Big E lost their titles to the team ofCesaro andShinsuke Nakamura in a tables match after beingpowerbombed through two tables.[189] while Kingston would suffer a legitimate back injury, thus being out for nearly three months.[190]
On the October 9 episode ofSmackDown, both Kingston and Woods returned from injury and defeated Cesaro and Nakamura, winning their seventh SmackDown Tag Team Championship.[191] After the match, as part of the2020 Draft, Kingston and Woods were drafted to theRawbrand, splitting them from Big E, who remained on the SmackDown brand.[192] On the October 12 episode ofRaw, New Day would exchange tag team titles with Raw Tag Team Championship holdersThe Street Profits, who were drafted to SmackDown. This would mark Kingston and Woods' third reign with the Raw titles as a team (fifth for Kingston individually), New Day's 10th tag team championship reign in WWE as a team, and Kingston's 13th tag team championship reign individually.[193] On December 20, atTLC, Kingston and Woods lost the Raw Tag Team Championship toThe Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander andShelton Benjamin).[194] In January 2021, Kingston stated that he was sidelined with a jaw injury.[195] Kingston returned to the ring on the February 8 episode ofRaw, teaming with Woods to defeatRetribution (T-Bar andMace).[196] AtElimination Chamber, Kingston competed in theWWE Championship Elimination Chamber match, eliminatingRandy Orton, before being eliminated bySheamus.[197] On the March 15 episode of Raw, Kingston and Woods would defeatCedric Alexander andShelton Benjamin to win back theRaw Tag Team Championship, the New Day's 11th tag team championship, and Kingston's 14th individually. They would hold the championship untilWrestleMania 37 where they lost the titles to AJ Styles andOmos.
On the May 17 episode ofRaw, Kingston defeated Randy Orton, and then WWE ChampionBobby Lashley on the same night. The following week onRaw, he facedDrew McIntyre in a singles match with a stipulation in which the winner will face Lashley for the WWE Championship atHell in a Cell, and the match ended in a no contest. A rematch between him and McIntyre was scheduled onRaw next week with the same stakes, where Kingston would lose. On the June 21 episode ofRaw, Kingston interrupted Lashley and challenged him for the title, Lashley accepted and the match was scheduled forMoney in the Bank.[198] At the event, he lost the match.[199]
As a part of the2021 Draft, Kingston and Woods were drafted to the SmackDown brand.[200] In October, Kingston entered theKing of the Ring tournament, where he lost toJinder Mahal in the first round.[201] Woods, however, went on to win the King of the Ring tournament. Woods, in turn, changed his ring name to "King Woods",[202] and he knighted Kingston as "Sir Kofi Kingston", the Hand of the King.[203] Kingston and Woods then reignited their feud with The Usos, but would be defeated to them atWWE Day 1 and then again in a Street Fight on following SmackDown.[204][205][206] In following weeks,Big E would rejoin The New Day as they would start a new feud with Sheamus and Ridge Holland, but during a match Big E encountered a neck injury. Kingston and Woods eventually challenged Sheamus and Ridge Holland for a tag team match at WrestleMania 38 in a losing effort.[207] They would then start a feud with returning Viking Raiders, who would brutally attack them. They would be unsuccessful in defeating Viking Raiders several times. They would then once again start a brief feud with The Usos as they wanted to defend their record of longest-reigning tag team champions, however, they were unsuccessful. They would make a surprise appearance on NXT in December challenging for NXT tag team championship.[208] New Day would win the match and the titles, giving them the Tag Team Triple Crown (Raw, SmackDown, and NXT Tag Team Championships), and making Kingston the first wrestler to have won both WWE's traditional Triple Crown and Tag Team Triple Crown. In the process, Kingston is the only person to have won the original World, Raw, SmackDown, and NXT Tag Team Championships.[209] AtNXT Vengeance Day, Kingston and Woods lost the titles toGallus (Mark Coffey andWolfgang) in aFatal four-way tag team match ending their reign in 56 days.[208][210][211]
As part of the2023 WWE Draft, Kingston, along with teammate Woods, was drafted to the Raw brand.[212] As part of the2024 WWE Draft, The New Day remained onRaw. Woods and Kingston began feuding withKarrion Kross and his stableThe Final Testament. Kross attempted to form a wedge between the two tag team competitors, claiming that Kingston was holding Woods back from having a successful singles career, leading to several on-screen and backstage bouts between the two factions. The feud concluded on the August 19 episode of Raw when The New Day andOdyssey Jones defeated The Final Testament in a Six-Man Tag Team Match. On the September 16 episode ofRaw, Kingston and Woods failed to defeatThe Judgment Day (Finn Bálor andJD McDonagh) for theWorld Tag Team Championship after the referee was distracted with the remainder of The Judgment Day ("Dirty" Dominik Mysterio andCarlito withWomen's World ChampionLiv Morgan) brawling withLatino World Order (LWO;Dragon Lee,Cruz Del Toro andJoaquin Wilde) at ringside. After the match, Woods was livid that Kingston had approached LWO without being consulted, driving a bigger wedge between the two.[213] On the November 25 episode ofRaw, after losing toAlpha Academy (Otis andAkira Tozawa) and many weeks of disagreements, the pair had an extremely heated argument, attacking each other's achievements in WWE.[214] On the December 2, 2024 episode ofRaw during the 10-year anniversary cerebration of the formation of The New Day, Big E made an in-ring reunion with Kingston and Woods for the first time since his injury. Due to the dissension between the two throughout the year, Big E announced that he will return to manage them. However, Kingston and Woods lashed out at Big E for abandoning them after his injury in March 2022 and kicked him out the stable, turning heel for the first time since 2016, and reconciling with one another in the process.[215]
In 2012, he guest-starred in an episode ofDisney XD's karate sitcomKickin' It.[216] In 2016, he appeared with his New Day teammates on a Christmas Family themedLet's Make a Deal.[217] In 2017, he publishedThe Book of Booty: Shake It. Love It. Never Be It with fellow New Day membersBig E andXavier Woods.[218]
Kingston and Woods appeared on an episode ofSmosh Pit'sTry Not to Laugh YouTube series.[219]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Kickin It | Himself |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Countdown | Himself | Uncredited |
| 2016 | Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon | Himself | Voice |
| 2020 | The Main Event | Himself | Cameo |
| 2021 | Escape the Undertaker | Himself | Main star[220] |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2008 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009 |
| 2009 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 |
| 2010 | WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 |
| 2011 | WWE All Stars |
| WWE '12 | |
| 2012 | WWE '13[221] |
| 2013 | WWE 2K14[222] |
| 2014 | WWE 2K15[223] |
| WWE SuperCard | |
| 2015 | WWE 2K16[224] |
| 2016 | WWE 2K17[225] |
| 2017 | WWE 2K18[226] |
| WWE Champions | |
| WWE Mayhem | |
| WWE Tap Mania | |
| 2018 | WWE 2K19[227] |
| 2019 | WWE 2K20 |
| 2020 | The King of Fighters All Star[228] |
| WWE 2K Battlegrounds | |
| Gears 5 | |
| 2022 | WWE 2K22 |
| 2023 | WWE 2K23 |
| 2024 | WWE 2K24 |
| 2025 | WWE 2K25 |
Sarkodie-Mensah married Kori Campfield on September 11, 2010.[229] They have three children together.[230][231][15][232]
Sarkodie-Mensah's favorite wrestler growing up wasShawn Michaels.[233] In a June 2019 interview, he stated thatDolph Ziggler was "one of my favorite opponents of all-time, if not my favorite. Not to toot my own horn or our horn, our matches have always been off the chain. We have really good chemistry."[234]
Sarkodie-Mensah hastattoos of GhanaianAdinkra symbols along his spine.[235][236] His first name (Kofi) is the traditional name in Ghana for people born on a Friday.[237]
In an April 2020 interview withMuscle & Fitness, Sarkodie-Mensah announced that he had become avegan.[238]
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Data from Wikidata
,Wrestlingdata.com,Internet Wrestling Database| International | |
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| National | |