Former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston recently shared how instrumental Daniel Bryan was in helping him secure his championship opportunity at WrestleMania 35.

Speaking with Corey Graves on WWE’s podcast After The Bell, Kingston revealed how Bryan actively pushed to have Kingston face him for the championship.

“The plans weren’t for me to be at WrestleMania,” Kingston explained. “I’m not sure who it was for Daniel to face, but it wasn’t me, and Daniel went in and went to bat for me and the situation for the title match between us to happen. He had a big part in it too. […] It’s testament to his state of mind as far as advancing the business and doing the right thing for the people and for the match and product.”

He gave credit to Daniel Bryan, believing him to be a generational talent amongst the WWE roster. Kingston reflected on how it meant so much to him given how hot Bryan was at the time, praising his mic, character work and generosity for helping develop their story.

Kingston would eventually lose his hard-won WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar during the premiere episode of SmackDown on FOX. He has since gone on to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championships alongside New Day member Big E.