Kofi Kingston Among Wrestlers Coming To Bristol For Feb. 21 WWE Raw Event

Odds are that when local wrestling fans pony up the dough to see WWE Raw/ECW Live on Feb. 21 at Viking Hall in Bristol, Tenn., they won’t take it too seriously beyond fun entertainment. Or maybe they will.

Whichever, wrestling’s reputation in recent years has come with the tag that it’s fake. With a lump on his head, Kofi Kingston would disagree with that. “I suffered a concerto on the chairs,” Kingston said by phone from an airport in Los Angeles, Calif., on Tuesday.

That is, he was whacked over the head by a chair during a match on Sunday. “I spent the day in the bed getting rid of this concussion,” Kingston said. “I have a lump on the head to prove it. But I’m a little better day by day.” He has to be. For him, it was bed on Monday, travel on Tuesday and wrestling this coming weekend in cities including Bristol.

Between miles on the road and mauls in the ring, wrestlers maintain grueling schedules. In particular those such as Kingston, who is working his way up the WWE ladder.

“We’re on the road 300 days a year,” Kingston said. “Wrestling is not like any other sport where you compete for three or four months.”

Then, there are those chairs to the head. Occasionally, other injuries arise, too, including sprained and broken bones, muscle pulls and tears, and plain old fatigue.

Born Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah in Ghana, West Africa, in 1981, wrestling caught his attention while growing up in Massachusetts. He wrestled in high school. He watched wrestling on television. Wrestler Ricky Steamboat was his hero. And yes, he wanted to wrestle, too.

“If I could have gone to college for wrestling, I would have done that,” Kingston said.

However, he first sought a more traditional education, graduating from Boston College with a degree in communications.

“I was working in the corporate world for three years,” Kingston said. “By all means, get your education. It’s something to fall back on.” However.

“My heart was in wrestling,” he said, “and wresting is what I wanted to do.” So while working his day job, he wrestled in a series of smaller circuits by night. There are dozens of tiny wrestling circuits across the country, which serve as pseudo minor leagues for the big time, World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE.

And so gradually, Kingston rose through the ranks. His climb culminated when he signed with the WWE and debuted on March 5, 2007. A year later, he appeared on one of the WWE’s coveted television broadcasts. He’s also won two championship belts. But best of all for him, the crowds love him.

“I enjoy every minute in the ring,” he said. “I want to make them feel like they are in the ring with me.”

But what if those fans were in the ring in Kingston’s boots?

“They would feel constant excitement,” Kingston said. “I’m always happy in the ring. I’m thinking about wrestling 24 hours a day. Wresting is a dream for me. This is my dream job.”

IF YOU GO

What: WWE Raw/ECW Live: Road to Wrestlemania

When: Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Viking Hall, 1100 Edgemont Ave., Bristol, Tenn.

Admission: $15-$60

Info: (423) 764-0188

Web: http://www.wwe.com

TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at features@bristolnews.com.