Kofi Kingston Beats Daniel Bryan, Wins WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35

Kofi Kingston's long journey to the top finally paid off Sunday, when he defeated Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 to become WWE champion for the first time.

Bryan locked the New Day member into the LeBell Lock for what was the third time in the match, but somehow Kingston had the wherewithal to counter out of the move.

Kingston then gave the titleholder a taste of his own medicine, stomping him repeatedly in the head. As the champion got to his feet, he was on the receiving end of Trouble in Paradise.

To commemorate the moment, The New Day unveiled Kingston's new WWE Championship belt, ditching Bryan's eco-friendly version.

Kingston also celebrated in the ring with his children.

Not surprisingly, reaction to the match was overwhelmingly positive.

Kingston's road to WrestleMania had many twists and turns, and it didn't seem likely he would be part of a featured match at the marquee event until recently.

His good fortune came after Mustafa Ali was given some bad news, as an injury kept him out of the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE title on February 17. Kingston was named his replacement, and he went on to become perhaps the most popular Superstar in the company.

The 37-year-old lasted an hour in a Gauntlet match just days prior to the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on SmackDown Live. He then made it to the end of the Chamber match and nearly beat Bryan for the WWE Championship before succumbing to the running knee.

Because of his performance, Kingston was named Bryan's opponent for Fastlane by Shane McMahon, but Vince McMahon pulled the rug out from under the New Day member by replacing him with Kevin Owens.

Ironically, the WWE chairman called Kingston a "B-plus player," which is how Triple H and Stephanie McMahon referred to Bryan during his run to WrestleMania 30. Five years later, The Beard was on the other side of it, and his opponent was the one trying to fight against the authority.

Vince did give Kingston a chance to earn a title match against Bryan at WrestleMania if he could beat Sheamus, Cesaro, Rowan, Samoa Joe and Randy Orton in a Gauntlet match, but it was essentially a setup. After he beat all five competitors, the WWE chairman made him face the champion as well, and Bryan won the match to squash his dream.

The following week, Vince gave Big E and Xavier Woods a chance to get their New Day teammate into the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania if they could win a tag team Gauntlet. After they last defeated Bryan and Rowan, Kingston was finally inserted into the title bout on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Just one year ago, Kingston was part of a SmackDown Tag Team Championship match against The Usos and The Bludgeon Brothers at WrestleMania 34, while Bryan was making his return to the ring as Shane's tag team partner against Owens and Sami Zayn after being out for three years because of head injuries.

Since then, Kingston has emerged as the sentimental favorite and Bryan has become one of the best and most hated heels in wrestling.

The symmetry between the New Day man's run to WrestleMania 35 and Bryan's five years previously was remarkable, so it was fitting the pair locked horns for the WWE title.

With his win, Kingston is finally a top guy in WWE after years of working in the midcard and being passed over for opportunities. The road to the top was an arduous one for him, but now he has a chance to show everyone his rise wasn't a fluke.

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