Kofi Kingston Enters The 2023 WWE Royal Rumble

Kofi Kingston Enters The 2023 WWE Royal Rumble

Kofi Kingston from WWE Smackdown is the first confirmed participant in any of the 2023 Royal Rumble matches. Kofi had revealed on Friday’s Smackdown broadcast that he would be entering the Royal Rumble. Post his revelation Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser confronted him. He challenged either of them to match, but then Gunther arrived on the scene and accepted the challenge himself. He would lose his Intercontinental Championship to Gunther later in the same show.

This will be Kofi’s 15th Royal Rumble match, including 2018’s Greatest Royal Rumble. He competed in the Rumble every year between 2009 and 2020. He had missed the 2021 match but had returned for the 2022 event. Dolph Ziggler and Kane are the only two wrestlers who have been in more Rumble matches than him. Dolph Ziggler had appeared in 15 matches, and Kane in 20 games.

In all these years of Rumble match participation, he has been known to avoid eliminations in different and unconventional fashion. Some of the examples are the handstanding his way back to the ringsteps and leaping from the crowd barricade to the apron. The 2023 Royal Rumble would be taking place on Saturday Night on January 28 at the Alamodome in San Antonio. So far, no other matches or Royal Rumble participants have been announced. There are 30 slots to fill the Men’s and Women’s matches. So can expect much from the current roaster to be included, especially with the recent flurry of returns and call-ups.

Smackdown has Hit Row, Carrion Kross, Legado del Fantasma, Scarlett, Emma, Braun Strowman, and Bray Wyatt. Raw had recalls of Johnny Gargano, Mia Yim, and Candice LeRae. The winner of the Royal Rumble would get the chance to headline Wrestlemania and can challenge either the WWE championship or the World Heavyweight championship.

Currently both titles are held by Roman Reigns and he had been carrying that title for a very long time. It remains to be seen who will have the chance to challenge him by winning Royal Rumble.

Featured Image Credit: Wrestling Observer