It looks like Kofi Kingston won’t be at WrestleMania 39 this year, due to an ankle injury suffered earlier this month.
The legendary tag team champion has been a constant presence on WWE TV for 15 years, and is one of the most popular wrestlers on the roster.
Alongside Xavier Woods and Big E, he was part of the legendary group known as The New Day. The trio have won countless tag team titles and were the longest reigning champions of all time, until being overtaken by The Usos.
However, he suffered an ankle injury on the March 3rd episode of Smackdown. Kingston was part of a segment where he injured his ankle while doing a spot outside the ring as Drew McIntyre flipped over the top rope, taking out several wrestlers.
He was booked to take part in a five-way match, for a shot at Gunther’s Intercontinental Championship. However, he was removed from the match due to his injury, being replaced by his teammate Xavier Woods.
Kofi Kingston had not been announced for a match at WrestleMania 39 yet. It was unknown if he or the rest of the New Day would appear on the show. It looks like Kofi Kingston’s WrestleMania 39 plans are now null and void, as he awaits surgery on an injured ankle.
It was originally hoped that the former WWE Champion would not need surgery, and would heal with rest. Sadly, Kofi Kingston will likely miss WrestleMania. With Big E out for over a year with a broken neck, Xavier Woods remains the final New Day member available for the show.
It is likely he will appear in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, if that match takes place at WrestleMania. In recent years, the 30-man match has been relegated to Smackdown.
Kofi Kingston Injury
Kofi Kingston revealed on Twitter that he has suffered an ankle injury that requires surgery. The former WWE Champion posted to social media to reveal he was in Birmingham, Alabama, to see the WWE doctor about his ankle surgery.
It is unknown exactly how long Kofi Kingston will be injured for, but it is expected that he will miss WrestleMania 39, on April 1/2 2023.
In his Tweet, Kingston wrote:
***Long post ahead. Y’all that don’t like to read, this ain’t for you lol*** Alabama folks are so kind. Earlier today instead of waiting 15 min for an Uber to take me to the YMCA Shades Valley to workout, I opted to take one of those electric street scooters. Big mistake. Half the trip was uphill and on semi highway roads! And I was wearing my air cast walking boot!
I got within a mile of the@BirminghamYMCA, and the scooter wouldn’t go further for some reason. Also, the Y was out of the drop off range, so I then had to call an Uber anyway, lol.
30 min later after 2 others canceled, one finally came to pick me up. I had him stop at target…I needed lotion (yes I was still ashy from this morning). Finally got to the Y and the woman at the desk told me that in order to buy a guest pass, a member had to bring you as a guest… “but you can be my guest,” she said. And she vouched for me to workout. So kind of her to do for a stranger. I really wanted to move around a bit before I’m unable to do so after surgery tomorrow.
After the gym, I stopped at a stir fry spot called “Yummefy”. Tons of vegan options. The maps app said they were closed, but I was in luck! Nice lady gave me the best recommendations… I ordered all of them!
When I got my food, I went to inform the lady that the maps app said they were closed and they should probably fix their hours. She said, “oh we are closed. We just made that food for you anyway.”
My jaw dropped in disbelief. It was 15 minutes past the closing time! I thanked her profusely. So kind of her to go out of her way so that I could eat.
Anyway, a long message that can be summed up by saying that I am very grateful for the people I’ve come across here in Birmingham today.
Tomorrow, we march forward and into the hands of the best in the world at what he does! Let’s get this ankle right!
Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania
Kofi Kingston has had many memorable moments at WrestleMania. However, the KofiMania victory over Daniel Bryan remains the biggest.
At WrestleMania 35, Kofi faced Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship and emerged victorious, sending shockwaves throughout the WWE Universe.
Kofi’s title win was not only a triumph for him personally, but it was also a landmark moment for representation in the industry. Kofi, a Ghanaian-born wrestler, became the first African-born WWE Champion in history.
During his title reign, Kofi was a beloved champion who brought joy and excitement to fans around the world. He defended his title against the likes of Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and Randy Orton, and consistently put on thrilling matches.
Kofi’s reign was a testament to his hard work and dedication to the industry, and he proved that with persistence and perseverance, anything is possible.
Sadly, his reign ended in just 8 seconds against Brock Lesnar on Smackdown, in one of the shortest title matches in WWE history. He hasn’t sniffed the world title since then, and it was an incredibly disappointing moment for the fans.
Despite this disappointment, Kofi Kingston’s WrestleMania moment against Daniel Bryan can never be taken away from him, and he will go down as a WWE Champion and Hall of Famer once his career is done.