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At a time when the power of storytelling in WWE has become so rare, there are instances when the company goes with the flow of the narrative and gives the audience something they never imagined in their dreams.
There is something special about seeing underdogs make it to the top. Rey Mysterio winning the World Heavyweight title, Chris Benoit beating Triple H and HBK for the World title and even most recently, Zack Ryder winning the Intercontinental title are all classic examples of the same. The crowd has always rallied behind the underdog and WWE has often captured this sentiment and given us some memorable moments.
With Becky Lynch grabbing the brass ring in such splendid fashion, we were all sure that her journey to the main event of WrestleMania 35 would end up being the most special story in recent memory.
Amidst all the alterations that Vince McMahon and his creative team made to exaggerate the Raw Women's Championship feud, one last-minute B+ replacement was defying all odds on SmackDown Live.
That man was Kofi Kingston. While Mustafa Ali was scheduled to tussle with five other competitors inside the barbaric Elimination Chamber, an unfortunate injury sidelined him and paved the way for a man who has never had a singles match for the WWE Championship in his illustrious 11-year run in the WWE.
Let's give credit where the credit is due. As much as I love The New Day's willingness to reach the pinnacle of success under Vince McMahon's supervision, I also have to admit that it is Daniel Bryan and his unparalleled enactment as the antagonist that makes this Championship so special.
It is hard to put into words how much respect Bryan brings to the squared circle with his creativity and technicality as a professional wrestler.
Whilst we all thought that Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch's journey to the very top of the industry would have taken center-stage at the visual extravaganza, it is the emotionally riveting tale of The New Day that has gravitated the most attention.
The question that arises here is - Why do we want Kofi Kingston to be WWE Champion? Is he the right guy to carry the blue brand from the front in 2019? Why is Vince McMahon making regular appearances for this feud?
Here are some honest reasons.
#1. "People like us can only get so far"
Let me be very honest with you all. The element of realism in a storyline impels the anticipation among the audience that watches the product.
While Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock took the world by storm in the Attitude Era, one has to admit that WWE today is a more affable presentation of professional wrestling.
The rise of social media in this age of information has been used to perfection by Vince's billion dollar company in this feud.
Despite Kofi's numerous attempts to prove the management wrong, Vince kept derailing the former Intercontinental Champion's momentum and always addressed him as he was nothing more than a B+ player.
In a very realistic post-match interview last week after Kingston's gauntlet encounter, Xavier Woods and Big E consoled the 33-year old veteran and openly stated the sacrifices they made to reach here.
It's understandable that an element of realism was necessary here to keep this underdog tale alive, but Big E's alarming video on twitter added a different dynamic to the entire angle.
The New Day member expressed his gratitude for WWE, but left no stone unturned in admitting that 'people like us can only get so far' in this business.
Whilst many felt that the company could be willing to plan a story where Kofi would be held back for being a black superstar, there's no denying that Big E's admission felt real and genuine in today's world.
This statement made us all emotional and gave us time to introspect what was really transpiring in front of our very eyes. A man giving all his blood, sweat, and tears for this business only to reach so far.
The words by Big E felt real and only expressed his intention of helping his brother Kofi Kingston defy the odds and realize his dream in front of a deafening audience at 'Mania.
This heartfelt video on Twitter felt like Big E did his job in establishing the real reason why we should all get on this bandwagon and support Kofi Kingston in winning the most coveted prize this industry will ever see.
#2. ''You have never allowed someone like me to compete or contend for the WWE title, but I never complained"
In La La Land, Emma Stone beautifully confronted a perplexed dreamer in Ryan Gosling and stated that 'people love what other people are passionate about'.
The statement perfectly fits the bill here. People here in the internet wrestling community, regardless of where they come from have all grown up watching professional wrestling.
Superstars like Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Bret Hart, The Rock, The Undertaker, and even John Cena enjoyed tremendous success and popularity in all their respective eras.
Despite the fact that most of them participated in a different generation of audiences, our love for professional wrestling remained intact. Like all of you, I also fell in love with superstars who were passionate about this and did everything they could to ascend its prominence.
One has got to admit that WWE has now changed. Whilst we still continue to keep our grievances out there for the predictability of Monday Night Raw, there's no denying that the company now possesses some of the most unique individuals who live and breathe wrestling.
Names like A.J. Styles, Daniel Bryan, Becky Lynch, Samoa Joe, Ricochet, Aleister Black, Seth Rollins, Sasha Banks, Asuka, and many more are superstars who scratched and clawed their way to the top of this industry.
In such a stacked roster, it was a last-minute replacement who proved his passion and stole our hearts with a riveting performance in a gauntlet match.
In The New Day's incredibly intriguing confrontation with Vince McMahon two weeks ago, Kofi took the mic and authentically displayed his affirmation for this business and the fans that support him.
Furthermore and most importantly, he went out of the box and stated the fact that Vince would never allow someone like me to compete or contend for a World Championship.
Whilst many have claimed that Kofi's journey is pretty similar to Daniel Bryan's Yes Movement in 2014, the genuine fact that separates these two journeys is that Kofi Kingston has never contested in a singles match for the World Championship, let alone win one.
Bryan was already a world champion before he pulled off a miracle in New Orleans where he defied the odds and outmatched The Authority to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
The mere fact that Kofi never complained about never even being considered for a world title shot only justifies his love for this business and why the world will be rooting for him on April 7th.
Kofi needed an upgrade from Langusing in the midcard setup for far too long and he confronted the boss on the same.
Watch this video here.
#3. "You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain"
This incredible quote from The Dark Knight is possibly the most accurate way to define 'The New' Daniel Bryan and his reign as the Planet's Champion.
It all began in 2013 when John Cena (the WWE Champion then) handpicked Daniel Bryan as his opponent for SummerSlam and while the underdog in Bryan got the better off Cena, Triple H quickly turned heel and coerced the underdog out of the main event scene.
Although we always had a high degree of adulation for Bryan and his in-ring work, The Authority's betrayal impelled sympathy for the former World Champion and made him an overnight sensation in our eyes.
The WWE Universe went out of their way for a man who was never meant to be there in the first place. The power of storytelling made Bryan a hero in everyone's eyes and ascended his credibility as the most loved babyface in WWE history.
The Leader of the Yes Movement pulled off a miracle at WrestleMania, but despite giving all his blood, sweat, and tears, the deceit of reality sidelined him with multiple concussions.
Bryan eventually retired in the February of 2016 and left us all heartbroken. Whilst it was a tough pill to swallow, the fans started accepting him in his managerial position until the current WWE Champion was shockingly cleared for in-ring action in 2018.
The underdog made his return back to the squared circle, but now he had a real measure of time. Although he did work as a babyface for most of 2018, Bryan's willingness to redefine his very significance between the ropes coerced him to turn heel and win the WWE Championship from A.J. Styles.
Considering that since his return, he has been quite a while, the biggest heel in WWE, it is all coming full circle for Bryan. Imagine the nuclear heat he was gravitating through some of his creative geniuses as an eco-friendly heel that we would be willing to riot against him if Kofi fails to win at WrestleMania.
It is not Kofi's journey alone that makes this encounter so so special. The addition of Bryan's entire journey leading up to this year's visual extravaganza that it is all coming full circle.
#4. ''If The Chairman of The Board is personally involved in a story on the B show, then it means something to him"
There's no denying that this could be the first story in almost a decade where Vince McMahon's personal involvement has gravitated the nuclear heat for his antagonism.
Taking both the brands into consideration here, one has to admit that WWE always treats SmackDown Live as a second fiddle to Monday Night Raw.
Although The Boss has appeared on both brands on multiple occasions, his regular appearances on the blue brand only prove that this blockbuster feud means more to him than what meets the eye.
Whilst one would expect those main event showdowns on Monday Night Raw would garner Vince's attention, his personal involvement in this storyline could very well justify his love for such an organic narrative.
His antagonism has been perfectly displayed, with Mr. McMahon cleverly stacking all odds against The New Day on this turbulent Road to WrestleMania.
Since there was a time when Vince loved screwing popular superstars on TV, this is the first time in almost a decade that he has gone out of his way to sell a story of a man who has never even had a singles match for the World Championship.
It's been six years since Kofi Kingston held a singles title on the main roster and now he is the favorite to walk out of the biggest event in the company's history as the WWE Championship.
Furthermore, it's undeniable that the WWE Championship is finally getting the recognition it deserves, and that too on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
While I might be criticized for this, but I got to admit that Vince McMahon's personal intervention in this feud has propelled Kofi Mania to unimaginable heights. We are in the reality era and this is as real as it can get.
Vince McMahon indulges in very few feuds nowadays and Kofi getting the boss' attention more or less puts him on the map.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
