Kingston Reacts To Comments From Billy Graham and JR: ‘I Welcome All Criticism And Opinion’
In an interview with Talk Sport, Kofi Kingston reacted to comments from both Superstar Billy Graham and Jim Ross, who recently have criticized his WWE title run. Graham urged Kingston to start taking steroids, while Ross had the less harmful advice of becoming a more serious champion. Here are highlights:
On the criticism from Graham and Ross: “The New Day has been the New Day because what we have done. We can be entertaining but then we can get serious, too. I think it’s awesome that after all these years, guys like JR, guys like Superstar Billy Graham can still be fans. Superstar Billy Graham is almost like Superfan Billy Graham right now! Everyone has the right to have their opinion, you know what I’m saying? And that’s great. They’re not talking to me, they’re talking about me – as they should be because I’m the champ – so I welcome all criticism and opinions, I think it’s great. For me personally, I’m going to continue to do what I do in the ring. I didn’t need their help or advice getting to this point and I certainly don’t need it now, to tell me how to be a champion.”
On his goals as champion: “What I’m trying to do is reinvent what the face of a champion looks like. I’m out there trying to represent for the people who question whether they can become a champion or not. I want guys like Ali, guys like Gentlemen Jack [Gallacher] or guys like Buddy Murphy; just guys who are looking at the screen and they’re wondering if they can become champion because they’re too small, or too this or too that, or not serious enough – I want to be living proof for everybody out there, number one in the locker-room, and then also for fans and people who have been told that they can’t do something in life. I want to be the guy that they can look to and believe that they can. So that’s what I’m focused on and that’s what I’m doing this for. As far as the other guys that are critical go, their opinions don’t affect me at all in the slightest. I have a bigger mission, it’s a bigger picture type of thing for me. So, again, I welcome all their criticism and feedback and again, I’m glad that guys like JR and other people are still fans of the product after all these years.”
On the Money in the Bank ladder match: “I think the most interesting and, for me, the most exciting person that I want to see [win] and what they’re going to do in the Money in the Bank ladder match is Ricochet. The things that he does in the ring, it’s just incredible to watch. He makes it look so easy, he’s such an athlete and he’s been doing this for a very long time. You never want to blink when he is out there. So when he gets a ladder in there with all those people in there, it’s going to be something really special to watch. I feel like everybody in the match deserves to be there and whoever wins will give me an even bigger target on my back!”
