10 Modern Wrestling Moments That Gave You Chills
2. KofiMania
In which even WWE's rampantly broad, OTT narrative tinkering couldn't fail.
Nobody cared about the repetitive structure of the endless, KOFI KINGSTON IS YOUR BABYFACE, GOT IT? gauntlet matches the challenger had to endure to pave his Road to WrestleMania. People, almost unanimously, deeply respected Kofi's often thankless task of entertaining the world throughout years in the midcard wilderness, and admired the sheer creativity and durability he displayed to remain over as a beloved, loyal presence. Those gauntlet bouts were a microcosm of that, and the first at least was so well-received that it enforced a change of plans.
Swept up in a rare, organic, happy narrative, Kofi's public wished to reciprocate all that, and locate an elusive 'Mania moment for a member of WWE's lost, pre-NXT generation. Daniel Bryan played his antagonist role perfectly; in his pompous body language and hermetic submission game, he concocted high, unbearable drama on the night itself, informing Kofi's comebacks as proper fight-of-his-life stuff.
The post-match celebration was incredibly moving. A man of tireless graft and upright disposition created for his family a real moment of reward and representation.
F*ck off, Superstar Billy Graham: that was the stuff of a true babyface World Champion.