Kofi Kingston has been a member of the WWE universe in one form or another since all the way back in 2006, when he signed a developmental contract with the company at the age of 25 and began wrestling for developmental territories like OVW and Deep South Wrestling. Since that fateful day 16 years ago, Kingston has wrestled in well over 2,100 matches, held six different titles over 21 separate reigns, and has been part of one of the most important factions in WWE history ā€“ seriously ā€“ in the New Day, who will undoubtedly be remembered forever in the Hall of Fame when their in-ring days are done.

And yet, as things change in WWE from year to year, the most drastic of which involved the decision to transition from Vince McMahon to Paul ā€œTriple Hā€ Levesque as the company's top booker, one of the few constants has been Kingston, who has had the same name since his first match in developmental and has been allowed to stay himself sans the Jamaican accent that has thankfully been left in the rearview.

Whether he's wrestling solo, in New Day with Xavier Woods and Big E, or in a team with the likes of Evan Bourne or R-Truth, Kingston has consistently remained over with the fans to the point where some still aren't over the decision to have Brock Lesnar squash the then-WWE Champion in seven seconds after a very fun 180-day title reign. He works as a solo star, he works with either of his New Day buddies either as a tag team or a trio, and most importantly of all, at least for the financial guys, Kingston sells a ton of merch, including a box of ā€œBooty-Osā€ that goes for $12.99 at FYE.

Eventually, Kingston will hang up his boots, turn in his expansive collection of pop culture-inspired gear, and ride off into the sunset, knowing he left the wrestling world better than he found it, but for now, the 41-year-old is still having a blast, as he detailed to Graham ā€œGSMā€ Matthews on his WrestleRant Radio show.

Kofi Kingston continues to enjoy his run in WWE.

Speaking with GSM on WrestleRant Radio on a variety of different topics, Kingston was asked how he feels about being a part of WWE at this point in his career and how happy he is to still be a professional wrestling personality, as transcribed by Fightful.

ā€œItā€™s wild to have been around for so long,ā€ Kingston said. ā€œI look around the locker room and itā€™s like man, I donā€™t know really any of these guys. I know them, but as far as knowing them intimately and personally, thereā€™s a new faces, which is a good thing. I'm just blessed to be able to still be hungry, be healthy and having fun and be able to do this on a full-time basis.ā€

Considering Kingston has praised Logan Paul to TMZ in the leadup to his new program with Roman Reigns, it's clear the multi-time champion practices what he preaches. Still, it's notable that Kingston has embraced what it means to be a professional wrestler in the 2000s, 2010s, and now 2020s, instead of fighting back against the current, hoping to stop the passage of change.
RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Swerve Strickland with a text bubble reading "Shout out to Big E" next to Big E with the AEW Dynasty logo as the background.

Matty Breisch Ā·

Natalya with a text bubble reading "Weā€™re eating good" next to Big E with the Josh Barnett's Bloodsport logo as the background.

Matty Breisch Ā·

WWE star Big E gives an update on his health two years after the neck injury that sidelined him indefinitely.

Randall Barnes Ā·

From his activities on social media to his involvement in Woods' UpUpDownDown channel, Kingston has embraced what it means to be a character in a company that wears the term ā€œsports entertainerā€ like a badge of honor.

ā€œI think being a fan of WWE now is so different is so different than it was in the 70s, 80s, 90s,ā€ Kingston detailed. ā€œPeople didnā€™t have access to your favorite WWE superstars, and now, granted weā€™re not in conversation with everybody, we canā€™t be, thereā€™s so many people. But you get to see behind the scenes. Weā€™re talking about UpUpDownDown and being on the gaming channel, you have a lot of people who play video games. It might be a totally different persona than you see on television, but itā€™s very relatable because people like games. So itā€™s cool to be able to identify and relate to people on a very personal level in so many different ways.ā€

On this count, Kingston is dead-on; long gone are the days of Kayfabe being maintained like a food allergy, and in its place, wrestlers have found themselves in a brave new world where they want to see the man behind the character and learn about their interests outside of the ring. Fans want to know that Kingston is a fan of the New England Patriots or that he's an absolute fiend for sneakers, and to his credit, ā€œMr. 24/7ā€ has let fans into his world on the way to becoming an all-time fan favorite.