Kofi Kingston - Who to blame?

[RepoMan]

When he was first introduced on ECW, he was entertaining to watch, and something completely different. He didn't need to rely on a gimmick, as his fresh offence got him over with the crowds.

 

This was fine for an ECW show, but obviously once he went to Raw, he needed to rely on more. Yes, his abilities were in no doubt, capturing the IC title from Jericho in 2008.

 

Sadly, in 2011, Kofi has just lost the IC title (again) to Wade Barrett on Smackdown, showing him at the same level that he was 3 years ago. Why? Along the way, he's dabbled in the main event picture with a feud against Orton, but beyond that he's floundered at IC title level with no development at all.

 

I always felt he was going to develop into one of those guys that delivered solid matches without having a spectacular personality, but if anything he's turned into the next Shelton Benjamin. I can't remember the last time Kofi did his jump in the corner properly, for example.

 

So what's the problem with Kofi? Did WWE drop the ball during his feud with Orton, or did Kofi get exactly what he deserved? Is the gimmick, or lack of, holding him back? Or is it his stagnant moveset and inability to pull off the moves properly? Personally I think it's a sad mix of all of them.

 

Is Kofi beyond saving?

[JPC]

They dropped the ball when they had him wrestle Orton on Raw three weeks before their PPV match and every week into the run up.

 

The original angle with Orton's nascar and Kofi throwing the bucket of paint on it was fantastic. The image of Kofi half splattered in orange paint, staring intently into the camera was so bad ass.

[ColinBollocks]

Like most things like this, a bit of everything.

 

WWE made Kofi look amazing for a few weeks when he was getting the best of Randy Orton but suddenly decided against the push. Rumours of Orton making sure his push stalled were strong at the time.

 

For me, Kofi screams midcarder. He looks like a midcarder, wrestles like a midcarder and talks like a midcarder. He's too inconsistent as well, one week he looks great the next he fucks up everything.

[Ravenhill Promotions]

I think he's in the right position. He's not a main-eventer, but he's over enough, and good enough, to be a solid mid-carder for a long time to come.

[King Pitcos]

They dropped the ball when they had him wrestle Orton on Raw three weeks before their PPV match and every week into the run up.

Yup. That's when it went to shit for me. Kofi definitely hasn't helped himself since then, though.

[Ron Simmons]

I'm wondering if this supposed "de-push" will lead to a heel turn?

 

Regardless, he's incredibly over and WWE could benefit from pushing him more, both from the perspective of them not having a real African-American star and from the point of view he's potentially a merchandise shifter.

[RepoMan]

Not convinced he'd be a good heel with the moveset he has. He does rely too much on athleticism. It'll be difficult I think.

[andrew "the ref" coyne]

I didn't realise there was anything wrong with him, at least compared to anyone else on the roster. He's regularly featured on smackdown, he's reasonably over, he's just had a reign with the ic belt, and Id imagine his merchandise sells well.

 

Personally I feel the problem is to do with wwes occasionally inconsistent and lazy booking on the midcard. After all, kofi got the ic belt seemingly as a after thought of dolphs feud with edge as oppose to a result of a long well thought out programme. Shame really.

 

In short, I don't think there is anything wrong with kofi, just that he is a symptom of the neglected midcard.

[Da Wrestler`s Wrestler DKJ]

In short, I don't think there is anything wrong with kofi, just that he is a symptom of the neglected midcard.

 

And that IS the problem with Kofi he is STILL in the midcard. The program with Orton should of put him over to the main event level. Rumours were flying around at the time that Kofi was de-pushed because he refused to take the punt kick at the end of the match with Orton at T.L.C because he thought it was unnecessary, "You thrown PAINT over another man's CAR Kofi before that he had ALREADY held the IC title and had been tag team champion so him going to the main event level was the next step. I have seen the WF bring someone up again after a de-push ie The Miz. But for some reason I think its too late for Kofi, After what he has done already how do you now push him to the main event level after winning the U.S title and another IC title reign that went nowhere??

[Green]

They dropped the ball when they had him wrestle Orton on Raw three weeks before their PPV match and every week into the run up.

Yup. That's when it went to shit for me. Kofi definitely hasn't helped himself since then, though.

Orton was getting face reactions too at the time so it was just awful luck on Kofi's part. His 2047 matches with Dolph Ziggler didn't help matters either.

[Da Wrestler`s Wrestler DKJ]

They dropped the ball when they had him wrestle Orton on Raw three weeks before their PPV match and every week into the run up.

Yup. That's when it went to shit for me. Kofi definitely hasn't helped himself since then, though.

Orton was getting face reactions too at the time so it was just awful luck on Kofi's part. His 2047 matches with Dolph Ziggler didn't help matters either.

 

Orton was getting face reactions at the time yes. But if Randy went absolutely psycho and did (1) thing that the people would see as "Going to far" because he trashed your car after all we are talking about a piece of metal an not a human being yada yada yada and with the fanfare that Kofi had at the time, It might of resulted in a bit less cheers for Orton and a few more for Kofi which that few more added to what he had already had might of pushed him to the main event level. He might of even stayed on raw through 2010 and not been in 2047 matches with Ziggler on smackdown as enjoyable as they were imo. But we will never know because they killed that angle dead :-(

[air_raid]

I think they made a balls up during the Orton feud by having him beat Punk & Orton by himself at Survivor Series 09, but then go down "valiantly in defeat" in the singles match at TLC. It should have been the other way around.

 

Traditional booking would dictate that you elevate Kofi by making him look really strong at the end of Survivors and make people think he is going to defy the near impossible odds (but you don't have to actually let him do it) , and he looks strong in defeat and comes out better than he went in. Then he badgers Orton into a one on man match. Fans buy into him because he's been made to look really strong, but obviously one on one he's overmatched by Orton, the established star. This time though Kofi digs deep and pulls out the win! BOOM, a star is made.

 

The point I can see where that might not have been the better way round of doing things would be if it would have damaged Orton, if he wasn't strong enough that losing to Kingston would have hurt him. I don't think it would have made much difference to Orton but made Kofi a star, but if Randy thought it might have been damaging to him to put Kofi over one on one....

[Evolution4life]

I think pretty much everything has been said about this already but as people have said the WWE definately dropped the ball in terms of the orton feud. I will never forget that night in MSG when kofi put orton through a table with the boom drop and the crowd went ballistic (along with the damage to the nascar) Then what? Kofi just dropped into obscurity. Due to that one moment even my girlfriend who really doesnt care about wrestling went "what happend to kofi" after seeing him in match #100001 with ziggler on smackdown. Which again, I agree with what has been said in terms of the awful midcard booking which really was the nail in coffin in terms of Kofi ever becoming a main event contender.

 

I never really saw him as a main eventer personally but WWE genuinely got him to the point with orton where if they carried on they could have pushed him up to that level.

[FutureMrsTarver]

In short, I don't think there is anything wrong with kofi, just that he is a symptom of the neglected midcard.

 

And that IS the problem with Kofi he is STILL in the midcard.

 

Why is this a problem? Kofi Kingston was born to be a midcarder. He's this decade's Tito Santana. We need to stop conditioning ourselves into thinking that a wrestler is somehow 'failing' if he hasn't got 15 world title reigns by the age of 35. Lower card spots will always need filling and they need filling with engaging, competent, over talent. Kofi fits the bill perfectly.

 

There has been no indication, none whatsoever, that Kofi is top line material and enjoyable though it was, his mini-program with Randy Orton just confirmed that. But that's okay, because few people in the world are cut out to be top-line material. Looking for blame is a fool's errand because Kofi's career is running perfectly smoothly. The likes of Gavin Spears and Braden Walker would bum each other for a fraction of his success.

[Da Wrestler`s Wrestler DKJ]

In short, I don't think there is anything wrong with kofi, just that he is a symptom of the neglected midcard.

 

And that IS the problem with Kofi he is STILL in the midcard.

 

Why is this a problem? Kofi Kingston was born to be a midcarder. He's this decade's Tito Santana. We need to stop conditioning ourselves into thinking that a wrestler is somehow 'failing' if he hasn't got 15 world title reigns by the age of 35. Lower card spots will always need filling and they need filling with engaging, competent, over talent. Kofi fits the bill perfectly.

 

There has been no indication, none whatsoever, that Kofi is top line material and enjoyable though it was, his mini-program with Randy Orton just confirmed that. But that's okay, because few people in the world are cut out to be top-line material. Looking for blame is a fool's errand because Kofi's career is running perfectly smoothly. The likes of Gavin Spears and Braden Walker would bum each other for a fraction of his success.

 

 

John Morrison is a born midcarder. If you go back and listen to the fan reaction Kofi got when he was going up against Orton before the T.L.C ppv THAT IS MAIN EVENT level acceptance. From the survivor series 3 on 1 situation he was in, to him destroying Ortons car, to boom dropping him through the table. If Kofi had gone over Orton in that program HE WOULD OF BEEN MADE. Its no different then When Christian was OVER LIKE FUCK in his "mini program" with Cena in 05 but Vince STILL refused to push him to the next level. John Morrison is still busting his arse doing all manner of parkour stuff that could possibly end his in-ring career or god forbid end his ability to WALK and is STILL not getting the MAIN EVENT LEVEL acceptance that Kofi had in his "mini program" with Orton.

 

When you DONT PUSH THE RIGHT WRESTLERS THAT THE FANS ARE BEHIND TO THE NEXT LEVEL, You end up in the situation that we are in now. NO REAL MAIN EVENT STARS to draw a decent buyrate for WrestleMania so you have to bring back ROCK, AUSTIN, TRISH STRATUS to try an pop the buyrate BECAUSE THEY DID NOT PUSH PEOPLE TO THE NEXT LEVEL.