Kofi Kingston is scheduled to defend the WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler at the Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia on June 7, so he’s doing press about WWE’s upcoming Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia. In an interview with United Arab Emirates-based newspaper The National, Kingston talked about a variety of topics, including what he likes about working the Saudi Arabia shows, from which other performers have been barred for reasons like having tattoos, being women, or being of Syrian descent. Echoing the change in how WWE has marketed these events (from “look at this progressive country!” to “look at the WrestleMania-like spectacle!”), Kingston talked about the fans in Saudi Arabia and the size of the shows.
Every time we go to [Saudi Arabia] the show gets bigger and bigger. It is almost like a second WrestleMania to be honest with you. The fireworks, the people that are there, the spectacle, I love going to Saudi.
I told this story before, but before we ever had a show there, I went there for promotional work. I was there for seven days and it was one of the greatest experiences of my WWE career. It was great meeting fans and people who had dreams of WWE coming to their country.
Now you fast forward five years later and we have events now in Saudi that are just so big and I have witnessed the growth. To be a part of that is really special and every time we go to Saudi I look forward to that. The energy is off the charts and it is about putting smiles on people’s faces. I can’t wait to go back.
In the midst of a storyline in which Money In The Bank briefcase-holder Brock Lesnar is playing mind games (and sick beats) with both Kingston and Universal Champion Seth Rollins, Kingston said he would like to be the one to face the Beast.
I have worked 11 years to get to where I wanted to be but that is not the end of the journey. This is now the beginning of the journey and my goal is to be one the greatest WWE champions of all time and the way you do that is by going up against great superstars and legends and Brock Lesnar no doubt is a legend. He is a Hall of Famer.
For me to get in the ring with Brock Lesnar would be amazing. It is almost a measuring stick to see where I stand. We wrestled each other at Beast in the East… in a Network Special about four or five years ago. As a wrestler, a performer and a person I have grown so much since then so to get a second chance, at this point in my career, would be great.
Kingston’s match against Lesnar at The Beast in the East WWE Network special at Ryogoku Sumo Hall (where Jon Moxley will be making his NJPW debut next month) in 2015 was basically a squash, lasting under three minutes. While another Rollins vs. Lesnar match seems like the more obvious cash-in result right now, Kingston makes a good point that facing Lesnar would be a bigger deal for him than for the guy who already has the nickname “The Beast Slayer.”
