Byron Saxton talks about his history with Kofi Kingston and why Kofi’s WrestleMania World Championship victory will always be a moment that brings tears to his eyes.
Byron Saxton loves New Day, he makes no bones about it. He will always be behind the headset proudly cheering for Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Big E.
When asked by Corey Graves on WWE After The Bell what some of his favorite moments that he's been on commentary for are, KofiMania, Kofi Kingston's journey to the WWE Championship in 2019, immediately came to mind.
“KofiMania, that was something that hit home for me because Kofi was one of the guys who was there in the beginning when I started with FCW,” Saxton recalled. “It was him, you had Natalya, Tyson Kidd, Sheamus so many guys who have just been staples of today's WWE. But Kofi was one of those guys. I remember Dr. Tom and asked him, ‘hey, can you work out with this kid a little bit, teach him some things.’ I just remember being so gracious and so humble and so giving with his knowledge."
He continued, “The cool thing for me is, you know, here we are 13 years later and Kofi is still that guy. Like, he hasn't changed. I mean, he is just as humble and kind, as warm-hearted as he was the first day I met him. So to see someone like that who's been around so long, who's worked so hard and to finally get his just due and to see the crowd right there with him every step of the way-- there are two times that I've cried in wrestling. The first time was when Ultimate Warrior beat Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI. I was absolutely heartbroken. The second time was when Kofi won the WWE Championship because he broke down a barrier. No one looked at him and said, ‘that guy's going to be world champion.’ He defied those odds. He showed people, if you put in the work, if you don't stop pushing, you can reach the top and see that story happen. To see how everybody was so emotionally moved by that just brought tears to my eyes.”
Unfortunately, Byron Saxton now calls the action on Monday nights and is no longer on the same brand as Kofi Kingston but he will always be cheering for him in spirit.
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