Kofi Kingston knows how Mustafa Ali felt and feels.
It was in 2009 at the 'No Way Out' pay-per-view that Kofi Kingston was slated to be a part of the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match. Before Kofi entered the Chamber, he was ambushed by WWE Hall Of Famer Edge and Edge went on to win the title. Fast forward ten years later, Kofi took the spot of Mustafa Ali in this year's Elimination Chamber match which has led to a new movement arising entitled "Kofi Mania".
Kofi Kingston was scheduled to have a WWE Championship opportunity at 'Fastlane' but was removed from the match by Vince McMahon and Kevin Owens was subbed into Kofi's championship spot. On a recent edition of Edge and Christian's podcast, they stated that they believe Kofi being removed from the 'Fastlane' match is setting up bigger things for him in the form of WrestleMania. Kofi joined the E&C Pod Of Awesomeness coming out of his performance at the 'Elimination Chamber' pay-per-view and he and Edge had a full circle conversation about Edge replacing Kofi in a Chamber match and Kofi replacing Mustafa Ali in a Chamber match. Kofi went on to explain how he can relate to what Mustafa Ali was feeling and currently feels and talked about how he was hurt as a performer by hearing the news that he was going to replaced in the Elimination Chamber just ten years ago.
“I’m still waiting for a dinner or like… I mean like something. Some kind of compensation. You know what I mean?” Kofi laughed. “2009, my God. That was the worst. For me especially, I spent the whole month just thinking about different, crazy things to be able to do and I found out that day. I think it was either Dean [Malenko] or Michael [Hayes] that [told me], ‘You’re gonna be coming down the aisle and Edge is gonna take you and throw you into the stairs and he’s gonna take your spot’ and as a performer, business is business. I’m not gonna complain about it, but inside, it rocked me pretty bad and then the worst part was, that when everyone was talking about the match, I still had to be there." Kofi continued, "So, I’m listening to everybody talk about how, ‘Okay, we’re gonna do this and do that in the match’ and it has nothing to do with me. I’m not even gonna make the pod. You know what I’m saying? Just to go back and mention Mustafa [Ali] again, I know how it feels to have to sit on the sidelines and watch as a spot that is supposed to be yours is taken so, a part of me was like, I knew Mustafa would’ve killed it in this position so now I have to kill it. I can’t allow for it to be a let down that I was put into this position so I just have to seize the moment and that’s what I was really trying to do. Still trying to do. It’s not over yet. Just trying to capitalize on what’s happening.”
Kevin Owens versus Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship is a lock for 'Fastlane' and to stay up to date with that match card, head over to Fightful's "events" page.
If the quote in this article is used, please credit E&C's Pod Of Awesomeness with an H/T to Fightful for the transcription.
