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What's the story?
Speaking in an interview with Sports Illustrated, WWE champion Kofi Kingston has revealed his interest in facing Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon.
In case you didn't know…
Since winning the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan in one of the feel-good moments of WrestleMania 35, Kofi Kingston is undefeated in his last 15 televised matches, retaining his title against high-profile Superstars including Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler in the process.
Kingston’s next title match is scheduled for June 23 at WWE Stomping Grounds, where he will face Ziggler in a Steel Cage match, and there has been speculation recently that Shane McMahon could soon emerge as his next challenger for the WWE Championship.
Although he is viewed as a part-time in-ring competitor, 49-year-old Shane has competed in every WWE PPV so far in 2019 and he picked up one of the biggest victories of his career last week when he defeated Roman Reigns at WWE Super ShowDown.
Vince McMahon, 73, in contrast, has not competed in an official match since he faced CM Punk on an episode of Raw in October 2012.
The heart of the matter
Kofi Kingston’s only previous appearance in the same match as Shane McMahon came in 2018 during the Greatest Royal Rumble, but both men entered the chaotic match at different stages and they were not involved in any physical altercations with each other.
The New Day member mentioned to Sports Illustrated that he wants to face Shane, as well as Vince McMahon, if the opportunity arises.
“I would love to fight Shane, and I would love to get Vince in the ring, too. I think it’s really cool that Shane is in this role of walking the line of an authoritative figure, but, at the same time, is an active Superstar. Shane does some pretty crazy things in the ring, as you see in every single match that he has, so I would love to mix it up with him.”
What's next?
Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler is being advertised as one of the featured matches ahead of WWE Stomping Grounds. If the WWE champion retains, it is not inconceivable that a rivalry between Kingston and Shane McMahon could be on the horizon.
