Kofi Kingston Admits He Was More Nervous Watching Big E’s WWE Championship Win Than His Own

Real friends appreciate the success of their friends more than their own, as is the case for former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston.

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso, Kofi Kingston explained how nervous he was for Big E’s recent Money In The Bank cash-in, where he successfully won the WWE Championship over now-former champion Bobby Lashley. Kofi Kingston famously won the title himself at WrestleMania 35, but he explained why he was more worried about E’s big night than he was making “KofiMania” a reality.

“It was such an emotional day. I’ve been around the business long enough to know you don’t celebrate anything until it actually happens. Throughout the day, I had this energy in body, but I was scared to let it out. Something could have changed, and I didn’t want to jinx anything. When it actually happened, all that energy came pouring out. I was way more nervous watching E’s match than I was during my own at WrestleMania a few years ago. It’s one thing to see somebody work for something and grow and then finally attain the highest point of their profession,” Kofi explained, “but it’s a whole other thing when you know that person deeply and personally.

“Myself, Woods and E, we are all brothers. I’ve watched E grow so, so much. He took this opportunity to be a wrestler and ran with it. He has never rested on his laurels. He’s always getting better, whether it’s on the mike, his physical shape or in the ring. He never holds back or takes a night off. He always prides himself in getting better. So it’s amazing to think where he started and see where he is now. It’s an inspiration. He wanted this, and he put in the work every step of the journey—and he did it. Everything happened the way it was supposed to,” Kofi said. “It was such a big moment for all of us.”

Kofi Kingston will get to team up with Xavier Woods and Big E on the September 20 episode of WWE RAW when they face off with The Bloodline. Check out everything announced for RAW, including a Women’s Tag Team Championship defense and another new edition of Alexa’s Playground, at this link.