Winning WWE Championship like a dream, I don’t want to wake up – Kofi Kingston

The 37-year-old defeated Daniel Bryan on Sunday night at WrestleMania 35 to become the new holder of the title.

The feat means Kingston is now the first African World Champion in the history of the WWE.

He is also just the second African American – following Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson – to win the WWE Championship.

Kofi Kingston is the new WWE Champion Pulse Ghana

Speaking after his victory, the Kumasi-born wrestler described the moment as surreal.

According to him, winning the title feels like a dream which he doesn’t want to wake up from.

“It’s so emotional. Like, you work so hard to get here and sometimes you work as hard as you can and things aren’t going your way, you know? And you don’t know if the hard work is going to pay off,” Kingston said.

“It’s paying off right now. It just feels surreal. It feels like a legitimate dream. ... I feel like I’m in a dream, and I don’t want to wake up,” he added.

Kingston is currently a member of tag-team group The New Day along with Big E and Xavier Woods.

He signed a developmental deal with WWE in 2007, but made his debut a year later and has since been a fan favourite.

The Ghanaian is also a four-time Intercontinental Champion, a three-time United States Champion and an eight-time world tag team champion.