Kofi Kingston Becomes 1st Black WWE Champion Ever, Twitter Reacts

Source: Shareif Ziyadat / Getty

In its total 67-year history, the World Wrestling Entertainment group has been responsible for shaping and expanding the world of professional wrestling and sports entertainment. In the aftermath of Wrestlemania 35, rising star Kofi Kingston cemented his name amongst the greats after he was crowned the second Black WWE champion and pro wrestling Twitter is beyond excited. Kingston, 37, took on Daniel Bryan Sunday night (April 7) at MetLife Stadium. As noted by CBS Sports, Kingston joins the likes of Booker T and Ron Simmons of the WCW, who both made historic marks in that league. The outlet makes notice of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s multicultural background and rightful place as the first Black champion of the league. CBS Sports reports:

Over 11 years after making his debut in WWE, Kofi Kingston is now a world champion. In beating Daniel Bryan on Sunday night at WrestleMania 35, Kingston not only reached a career milestone but made WWE history as well. The WWE championship, which the company debuted in 1963, had been around the waist of 50 different men in its history. Kingston on Sunday became just the second African American (following Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and first native African to hold WWE’s signature title. As is occasionally the case in WWE, Kingston’s elevation to the WWE title match at WrestleMania was a classic case of fans forcing the company to change its plans. Kingston, a longtime fan-favorite both as a singles competitor and member of popular tag team New Day, filled in during a gauntlet match for an injured superstar (Mustafa Ali) and nearly won despite starting the bout in the ring. Kingston pinned Bryan to open that match. H then nearly won an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE title in booking that was supposed to mirror the plan for Ali. The post-match celebration was one for the ages and extremely inspirational. Twitter reactions were swift and voluminous and we’ve captured a great deal of them below.

Congrats, Kofi Kingston!

— Photo: Getty