Early Life And Wrestling Career

Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah was born on August 14, 1981, in Ashanti, Ghana. When Kofi was a child, he and his family moved to the United States. They settled in Massachusetts, where Kofi would begin competing as a professional wrestler.

In 2006, Kofi signed a developmental contract with WWE. He was sent to Deep South Wrestling in Georgia, where he was given the ring name Kofi Kingston. Kofi also spent some time in Florida Championship Wrestling before WWE felt he was ready for the next step in his pro wrestling career.

WWE Debut

On January 22, 2008, Kofi made his debut for WWE’s ECW. He was billed as a babyface from Jamaica, despite having no heritage or connection to Jamaica.

On June 25, 2008, Kofi was drafted to Raw as part of the WWE Supplemental Draft. Just a few days later at Night of Champions, Kofi defeated Chris Jericho to become the WWE Intercontinental Champion. This victory also made Kofi the first-ever African-born champion in WWE history.

In 2011, Kofi formed a tag team with Evan Bourne (AKA Matt Sydal). They were given the name “Air Boom, as voted by the WWE universe. On August 22, 2011, Air Boom won the WWE Tag Team Championship. They became immediate fan favorites thanks to their high-flying style and natural, babyface charisma.

The New Day Is Born

In the Summer of 2014, Kofi Kingston was paired up with Big E and Xavier Woods. The three of them were called “The New Day,” and given a gimmick inspired by gospel choirs.

Initially, the New Day was not very popular among the WWE universe. Fortunately, their charisma, tag team chemistry, and outrageous sense of humor soon won the crowds over. They adjusted their gimmick to be more goofy and lighthearted, embracing a sense of flamboyance through their appreciation of rainbows, unicorns, and breakfast foods.

The New Day soon became one of the most successful tag teams in WWE history, with 12 tag title reigns under their belt.

Kofimania

In February 2018, Kofi was chosen to replace Mustafa Ali in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship. Kofi lost the match but garnered an unprecedented amount of fan support.

This support from the WWE universe gave way to a feud between Kofi Kingston and WWE’s CEO, Vince McMahon, who did all in his power to prevent Kofi from earning another shot at the WWE Championship.

With the help of Big E and Xavier Woods (plus some assistance from their tag team rivals, the Usos), Kofi earned a title match against Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35. In what became one of pro wrestling’s ultimate fairytale endings, Kofi defeated Bryan to become the first African-born WWE Champion in the company’s history.

Return To The Tag Team Division

Kofi Kingston’s championship reign lasted 180 days. After he lost the title, he returned to tag team competition alongside Big E and Xavier. It wasn’t long until the New Day was capturing tag team gold again. Unfortunately, a series of injuries have hampered their run as a trio in the last few years.

Whether he’s competing alongside his New Day teammates or as a singles star, Kofi Kingston is without a doubt one of the most beloved superstars to ever grace the WWE.