Earlier this year The New Day’s Kofi Kingston suffered an ankle injury in a segment involving Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, and others on WWE Smackdown. Kingston had just wrapped up a run in NXT alongside Xavier Woods, where they captured the NXT Tag Team Championships. His final match on WWE TV was against LA Knight, who was campaigning for a spot on the WrestleMania 39 card, something that, in the end, he did not get.
In a recent interview with The Battleground Podcast, Kingston gave an update on how his recovery is going.
“I’m actually in Orlando right now, doing some rehab on my ankle,” he revealed. “I had ankle surgery to remove a bone chip and fix a ligament after the massive Scottish behemoth of a man, Drew McIntyre, landed on my leg, and my body went east and my leg went west. My ankle was completely sprained but they took out some bone chips and fixed the ligament, and now I’m on the mend, you know? Somewhere in between a robot and a zombie. Somewhere in between, I’m working my way back to the fold. So, it’s all good. Life is grand.”
The news is certainly good for pro wrestling fans. With Kingston down, and Big E sidelined rehabbing from neck surgery, Xavier Woods is currently the only New Day member capable of in-ring competition. Reflecting on the injury that left the stable a solo act, for the time being, the former Intercontinental Champion tried to put a positive spin on the situation.
“It was actually 3/17,” Kingston recalled. “Obviously, a day after, 3/16. You know what I am saying? I’m really bad with dates and stuff but, oh, I can remember that one. It will be, what? Twelve weeks on Friday? Twelve weeks post-op. I’m doing really well. I actually had this same surgery on the same ankle about six years ago to have bone chips removed. So, I feel like this time around, I kind of know what to expect.
“And I’ve been kind of ahead of schedule, for the most part, and I’m really able to do a lot of like, normal people things and live a normal life. So, now it’s just a matter of trying to go to the next level and do WWE Superstar things. You know what I mean? In-ring things like that. So, I’ve been in Orlando for the past week, just kind of seeing where I’m at. And things are looking pretty good. So hopefully, sooner than later, you’ll see me in the ring, you know?”
If you use any quotes from this article please give a h/t to Haus of Wrestling for the transcription and credit the Battleground Podcast