Vince McMahon has a tendency to fight his employees on planes. As The Inquisitr previously reported, he spent an entire flight trying to take Kurt Angle down, and even prompted other WWE superstars to lure the Olympic gold medalist into traps. However, McMahon also challenged Kofi Kingston back in 2010, according to a recent interview Fightful conducted with the New Day member.
The incident was originally discussed in Chris Jericho’s book Best in the World: At What I Have No Idea , in which he recalled how the company was hot on Kingston at the time. However, the young prospect was still going through the motions and still trying to make an impression. During the interview, Kingston revealed that Jericho’s revelation was not only true, but it’s one of the most memorable incidents of his life.
According to Kingston, who was 28 at the time, he got kicked off the plane for refusing to fight his boss, who was 64. However, after receiving some advice from “Y2J,” Kingston had a change of heart and accepted the challenge.
“I got kicked off the plane because I wouldn’t fight him. ‘Uhhhh, okay.’ Jericho did come down and he said I had to go back up there, because in this weird world of wrestling, this is how you had to get respect. I’m like, ‘Uhhh, okay, I guess I’ll go up there and try to fight my boss.’ We get up there and we start going back and forth. All of a sudden, I got double legged on the plane.”
It seems @VinceMcMahon has deemed @FightOwensFight MORE DESERVING than @TrueKofi of a #WWEChampionship match at #WWEFastlane ?! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/itWITGKznm
— WWE (@WWE) February 27, 2019
Kingston recalled how he was never in any fear of losing the fight to the WWE chairman. The Friday Night SmackDown superstar revealed that he “had the whizzer in,” which is an overhook hold used in amateur wrestling to control the opponent. The clinch can be performed from any direction by putting an arm over the opponent’s arm and closing off the opponent’s arm or upper body.
Kingston’s performance also seemed to earn the boss’ respect, as it was McMahon’s bizarre way of testing him. Since then, the New Day member has enjoyed a storied career in the company, and was even awarded for his longevity at WrestleMania 35 with a long-overdue WWE Championship win.
There are countless stories about McMahon’s eccentricity behind the scenes, and Kingston’s is further confirmation that he likes to engage in wrestling matches with his own employees, which is a reflection of how competitive he is.
