Kofi Kingston has revealed that Vince McMahon was all smiles following his huge title win at WrestleMania 35.
Kingston defeated Daniel Bryan to become WWE champion last month, ending an 11-year wait for a major title. As far as kayfabe goes, McMahon tried everything in his power to prevent the Ghanaian from getting a title shot.
However, it was all love backstage following Kofi's big win.
“The whole thing was amazing, man. It was almost a blur," the star told talkSPORT in a recent interview. "So when we came back through the curtain, we got to walk almost down the side of the ramp and there was a whole bunch of fans there and just seeing the happiness in peoples faces and my family was just in the ring, my kids – my son jumped up to the second rope and he got the t-shirt out and he’s throwing it into the crowd! – like, it was just surreal.
PREVIOUSLY: WWE Confirms Kofi Kingston, Goldberg, Undertaker & Brock Lesnar For Saudi Show
"It was a dream. And then walking through the curtain and back up to gorilla, everybody in gorilla was on their feet clapping. Vince had a huge smile on his face. Big, big hugs in there, you know?
“I’m just so proud to be champion and to have the support of my peers and my fans. This whole eleven-year journey has been, not just an eleven-year journey for me, but for all the people that have followed me throughout these years. After Elimination Chamber, I realised that the WWE Universe wanted this as much as I did and I’m getting kind of choked up even talking about it right now!
“It is awesome to have that support and adulation of the people that I do this for. I’ll have to watch the tapes back, but there was just so many people right there when I came back. I remember [Tyler] Breeze being right there. Rusev was right there. God, everybody was right there and just so happy for me. That means the world to me. It was just an amazing experience, I’ll never forget it."
What This Means
It's not hard to believe that McMahon was happy to have Kofi become champion. It simply wouldn't happen without his permission.
If there was any doubt before, Kofi is now an established star in WWE and is walking proof that working hard, keeping your head down and honing your craft could pay huge dividends. Of course, a bit of fan support here and there helps.