Survivor Series is done, Day 1 has been canceled, and all of that means WWE's next premium live event is almost two months away. Royal Rumble will be the next major event on the WWE calendar which doesn't go down until the end of January. While it might still be a long way off, Superstars declaring they will be in the 30-person matches has already begun.
Kofi Kingston Has Declared
Well, actually, just the one Superstar has declared they will be a part of the 2023 Royal Rumble matches, and in fairness, it's someone who should be granted automatic entry every year. Kofi Kingston. The former WWE Champion spoke of his excitement that the Rumbles are on the horizon during a backstage segment on SmackDown this week, declaring himself the first entrant in the men's match.
That was the only real high point for Kingston on SmackDown as in the middle of his Royal Rumble declaration, Imperium interrupted him. As Kingston went back and forth with Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser over who he would face, Gunther stepped in. The Intercontinental Champion declared Kingston would be facing him later on the show.
Kofi Kingston's Royal Rumble Prowess
Despite Kingston's spirited effort, and a run-in from Braun Strowman, the New Day man couldn't pick up what would have been a very big win. In Kingston's defense, while Gunther had a lot of help from others at ringside, Xavier Woods was not on the show this week. Perhaps if Kingston had someone else neutralizing outside threats, he would have picked up a win over the IC Champion.
Looking forward, Kingston now has a Rumble spot to come up with. Although he has never won a Rumble, Kingston is synonymous with the match for performing incredible feats to prevent himself from getting eliminated. Among some of Kingston's most famous spots are walking on his hands as a Superstar's feet need to hit the floor to be eliminated, and using an announcer's chair to hop back to the ring.
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