WWE WrestleMania: A Look Back at Kofimania One Year Later

One year ago at WWE WrestleMania, Kofimania captured the hearts of fans all over the world in a story of patience and perseverance that transcended wrestling.

We’re in the midst of the quietest and most bittersweet WWE WrestleMania week in recent memory. WWE is trying to remain a constant in these uncertain times, but nothing on this year’s card feels quite as special or uplifting as Kofimania did.

At Metlife Stadium, Kofi Kingston achieved the impossible when he pinned Daniel Bryan to become the first African born WWE Champion. WWE has produced underdog stories before, but nothing quite like this.

It would be hard to deny the blatant racial undertones throughout the build to Kingston’s first one-on-one title match. WWE all but smacked you over the head with them without outright saying it. Indeed, “people like” Kofi didn’t get this kind of match or major storyline at WrestleMania.

It still feels surreal. Many jaded fans waited for the other shoe to drop, but it was real. So much so, that it was hard not to be moved by it. We’re conditioned to believe WWE will pull the rug out from under us as they did with the finish of Booker T vs. Triple H at WrestleMania 19.

Some cynics and non-black wrestling fans may say “but The Rock is an eight-time WWE Champion!” This is true and no one should attempt to downplay or erase his blackness just because his Samoan heritage is what everyone talks about.

However, The Rock is a megastar. Even if he wasn’t a world-renown wrestler, most people could easily point him out in a crowd. He was born to be a top-level athlete and he has an undeniable it factor. In character, he’s fast-talking, smooth, flashy, imposing, and well, electrifying.

He is everything Kingston isn’t. Once he transitioned from Rocky Maivia into the Versace shirt-wearing catchphrase king we know today, it was only a matter of time before he became a World Champion.

Kofi has a lot more in common with Maivia. As a face, he’s humble, affable, and indomitable in a way that feels too good to be true. Moreover, he’s a smaller guy and as most WWE fans know you have to be extraordinary to succeed with his stature. Also, Kingston wears his blackness on his sleeve proudly in a way that The Rock never did.

That’s what made Kofi’s ascent to “The Grandest Stage of Them All” so engaging. He wasn’t groomed to be wrestling excellence or a Superstar who towered above normal men. He was a true everyman; a consistent hard-worker who dedicated 11 years to the company before he finally got his chance, a father, and a friend.

Kingston wasn’t hand-picked; he was undeniable because the movement behind him was too loud to ignore. His win was much more than a carefully orchestrated underdog story. It was bigger than kayfabe or the usual storytelling conventions.

When Xavier Woods and Big E lifted Kofi up onto their shoulders, he didn’t just fulfill his childhood dream. He became the realization of the wildest dreams of young black men all over the world. It may sound corny but he didn’t just prove he was good enough; he proved that we are good enough.

All the tears and joy he illicit on that night momentarily turned pessimistic adults into doe-eyed children again. That’s why his eventual loss to Brock Lesnar in October felt so soberingly disappointing.

The outcome was inevitable from the second the match was announced. Still, the end of Kingston’s reign felt almost cruel because it defied the change that we all hoped Kofi represented. It was a snap back to reality in blunt and unimaginative fashion.

So much so, that it nearly cheapened his win and dominant tenure as a fighting champion. Storylines like Kofimania are why we watch wrestling and having Lesnar squash Kingston reminded us that it was just a business.

It wasn’t a lifechanging moment for the company because they didn’t create it. This was a novelty until they moved to Fox and put the title back on their idea of what a champion should look like.

The whole thing is still so disheartening but maddeningly predictable. Nevertheless, Kofimania was the product of a once in a lifetime friendship between three black men that can’t be manufactured.

The pride and admiration on E and Woods’ faces as Kofi finally got the recognition he deserved is unforgettable. The visual of Kofi’s son raising the WWE Championship over his head will stand the test of time. Long after the premiere of SmackDown of Fox is a distant memory, he will still hold onto the memories created in the ring with his father on that night.

That certainly puts everything in perspective, doesn’t it? Kofimania is a WrestleMania moment many of us will never forget. For that reason, it’s still just as magical, important, and inspiring as it was a year ago. Kofi’s reign as WWE Champion didn’t end the way we wanted it to but it was one of hell of a ride.