Friday, March 29, 2024
NewsColumn: Bless The Rains: Kofi Kingston Deserves World Title

Column: Bless The Rains: Kofi Kingston Deserves World Title

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Several WWE Performers always try to grab the supposed brass ring, one that can get them to the top of the company. At least to the main event level they’d love to be at. Some find this brass ring as some sort of myth. Some talents even grab the ring and hold it up to the sky, yet still don’t get to have what they feel they deserve.

CM Punk has been quite vocal about his issues involving it all. Some like Punk say or do something major, and then they finally get their prize. His loudmouth, in your face personality got him to a place where we all noticed him. Then his great wrestling ability as well as promo ability made us at one point, consider him the Best in the World. Some even find him as this. Of course, it’s subjective and all about perception.

Yet, some people are vocal about their behind the scenes troubles and relate it to the TV audience. It does not always translate into a major push, Chris Daniels and Samoe Joe anyone? Some leave, then come back to hopefully get the role they deserve. Christian and Jeff Hardy come to mind.

Sometimes the tricks of the trade work for the political world of wrestling. But, you then have some that want it who don’t do anything crazy behind the scenes. One man who is worthy of a push and has done enough for it is Kofi Kingston.

Now understand, I am not the biggest fan of Kofi. I always felt that he needed to move away from some of the stuff he did in the ring, get an actual storyline worth a damn for us to see anything, and then impress more with promos.

But honestly, Kofi may have the most potential on the roster and may be the most deserving of a main event push today. Other than possibly Cody Rhodes, no one has been in the company longer without any sort of gift to the main event scene despite great work.

Someone like Rhodes has been in good storylines. He has been a great champion. He has had a few characters that broke out well. On top of that, he can talk and wrestle quite well. On top of that, he’s Second Generation.

Yet Kofi has done just as much as Rhodes in the period of time he has been around, if not more.

Kofi has won numerous titles in WWE. Here is a list:

A 4x Intercontinental Champion

A 3x United States Champion

A 2x WWE Tag Team Champion

And won 1 World Tag Team Championship

That brings his total titles to 10 in WWE. This puts him in the company of some of the greatest in the company today. In fact, Randy Orton just has one more title to his credit than Kofi.

He has more championships to his credit than his friend CM Punk (8). And he has more championships than Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, and Daniel Bryan.

On top of that, he has won as many as The Miz, another man with a World Title to his credit. Btw, all of these men have been a former or are now a current World Champion in WWE.

So the point is, if all of these men can have a World Title to their credit, all of which won by Money in the Bank at one point, why is it so wrong to see what Kofi can do?

Here is the problem I have found.

Kofi relates to the child audience well, he can even relate well to the overall family. But there are a lot of people who do that. What Kofi can do in the ring is almost undoable. People like RVD and Dolph Ziggler may be able to do some of the stuff, but even still, Kofi’s unique style is all his own. He was an immediate fan favorite from the start.

Yet, WWE wanted to keep him inside a bit. I was fine with this originally, because they already had so many stars. They didn’t need Kofi in the main event scene. I also didn’t feel he was ready. Yet now, he is a veteran in the WWE. He is also proven. When you give a guy 10 Championships, and he is always in contention for the mid-card titles, how can he not get a push to some higher level?

WWE has pushed a ton of stars that have had the same level of popularity, skill, etc. Yet where is Kofi’s chance?

Some think it’s racial. It is often asked, why can’t Kofi be a World Champion? It’s because he’s black. This is what is said by several. And it makes sense in a way. But Mark Henry has held a World Title in WWE. The Rock has too. Booker T has as well.

So to say that his skin color has to do it would be wrong. While it could play a factor at least somewhat, you have to think, if others were pushed despite skin color, why can’t Kofi? Some will make a Henry comparison.

Henry was always powerhouse since day one. He was everything WWE always looked for. Yet he never held a World Title despite it all. Finally, they throw him a bone with the ECW Championship, yet it’s meaningless in the end. It’s not real World Title gold to fans.

He then finally wins the big one after 15 years. But did he not get the title until then because of his skin color, or because he always kept himself within as a company guy?

To me, this must be what Kofi does. He sees he has a lot of potential. Fans call for a push. Kingston consistently gives out great matches too.

Yet he is rarely given a chance to show what he truly can do. At one point, WWE did give him a small chance with Randy Orton. Yet, Orton pretty much destroyed it all.

Kofi was proving himself, yet he did one thing that ticked off Orton and suddenly his main event possibilities were done? Since then, people have found that Orton has a temper and can be a hassle much of the time in relation to working with people. WWE knows this now, but he was a trusted top star at this time.

Now, he is trusted to work with everyone. His temper is still a bit hot, but far better than it used to be. However, WWE does not take Orton’s word alone like they used to when it comes to working with talent. Orton was Kofi’s test, and while he passed, Orton seemed to change the questions before the test was read. Killing off the hope Kofi had of a main event push.

Kofi is not getting any younger, although still a young man at 31, wrestling life is short. His style is fun and exciting, but he can only do it so long. So the time is now if they want to push the man.

The way Kingston can become a main event guy is actually simple. Some think he just needs to be more vocal backstage. While that could help, who’s to say he hasn’t said something before?

He has to impress more than he ever has. But this time, he needs to do it as a heel. He could also bring down his wrestling style to where he is more mat based. He can still go to the top rope, but he won’t do it as the main part of his offense. Contrary to popular belief, Kofi can really wrestle. He doesn’t need ring ropes to do that.

His selling ability has always been well documented. But his technical style is good too. It just has to be more exposed. As a heel, he could do this. It would automatically prove to WWE that he could be a top star in the heel role, which they need help in right now.

My biggest issue comes down to this. And I’m sure Kofi may feel a bit similar.

When Kofi has been around proving he is good, and some people walk right into the company and get a World Title that he has been working for since day one, that kind of sucks. People that have not been in WWE nearly as long as Kofi should not just be handed a World Title, they should have to earn it as he has.

WWE handed people like Sheamus a World Title right off, this was of course at the same time Kofi was also coming up. But Sheamus wasn’t deserving of it. He beat random people on ECW and a few mid-carders on RAW. Then they had him win the WWE Championship in a tables match, where Cena basically fell back on his own. Did Sheamus deserve all of this? No.

And I’m sure several people that were around long at that time without a World Title felt that way. They felt cheated because he was getting what they worked for, in such a short period of time.

Nowadays, it’s happening all the time around Kofi. People are getting World Title after World Title. Meanwhile, he is going out each week that he is around, and giving out great work.

Kofi may come out to say in defense of WWE not giving it to him, that they just feel others work for it better at this point. But Kofi obviously wants to hold the title too. Yet he has to show WWE why they are idiots for not giving him the opportunity.

Many feel he will come back, get into US or IC Title contention, then it’s over with. Others feel he will just be another face on the roster.

My opinion, Kofi Kingston will remain forever the Mid-Card Champion of WWE if he does not do something major to show WWE they can use him in major areas. They are currently looking for a top African American star.

WWE even sent out feelers for someone out there that they can use. But why can’t that be Kofi? All he has to do is show them, but that is easier said than done. I feel the heel role would be the best way to do that. But that comes down to execution too.

Regardless, can Kofi really lose anything by going for something big? If he doesn’t do well, he’ll just go back to the same role he’s at. If he succeeds, we have a new major star. Can he really lose?

But this is one person’s opinion. I want to know yours. Is Kofi Kingston worth a main event push? Or is it smart to keep him a mid-carder for life?

Let me know your thoughts below in the comment section.

Follow me on Twitter: @JoeBurgett_WE

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