There are many reasons why wrestling fans tune in to watch the Royal Rumble. Some fans see it as the start of WrestleMania season. Others enjoy the eponymous Rumble matches for their unpredictability. And others still want to see faces from yesteryear make surprise appearances or returns.
And then there’s Kofi Kingston, who has a huge fan base that tunes in just to see him do his annual ‘creative elimination save’ spot. And now, one of WWE’s backstage hands has given insight into how these clever moments are put together.
Road Dogg details how Kofi Kingston comes up with his Royal Rumble spots
Tonight’s Royal Rumble marks Kofi’s fourteenth appearance in the annual match. He first appeared in the 2009 edition and had a spot in the Men’s Rumble every year afterwards except for 2021. And because he’s a confirmed participant, fans are expecting Kofi to live up to the reputation he has cultivated of creative Rumble saves.
Some of Kofi’s best saves have included: jumping onto Tensai’s back to avoid landing on the floor, hopping on JBL’s chair back to the apron, and balancing himself on the narrow fan barricade before jumping back into the ring.
Some fans are expecting something big from Kofi, while others are worried that he might be running out of ideas creative enough to live up to those expectations.
That concern hasn’t gone unnoticed as WWE backstage official Road Dogg spoke on his Oh You Didn’t Know Podcast about how much planning Kofi puts into his Royal Rumble appearances.
“100% we go like what [do you want to do] and he talks about it throughout all year too. What’s bad is now they got like some other gymnastics people that can do that too, and other people do it now.
But Kofi started that it will forever be the Kofi spot. And yeah, he comes up with it and then we figure out how to implement it.”
Nineteen wrestlers have been confirmed for the Men’s Royal Rumble match taking place later tonight. However, none of the wrestlers’ entry numbers have been announced ahead of time.
If you use any quotes from this article, please reference the original source and include an h/t to Inside The Ropes.