5 potential replacements for Kofi Kingston for WWE SmackDown's Fatal 5-Way
Kofi Kingston suffered an injury on the March 3rd episode of WWE SmackDown, according to a report from pro wrestling journalists Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. As a result of the leg injury sustained on Friday's show in Washington, Kingston may be on the shelf for a minimum of two months, according to a report from Xero News.
In light of reports regarding Kofi Kingston's injury, WWE will probably look to find a replacement for the fatal 5-way match that is currently scheduled for the March 10th episode of SmackDown. Whoever wins the match will earn a shot at Gunther's Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 39.
Originally, WWE announced Kofi Kingston, LA Knight, Karrion Kross, Drew McIntyre, and Sheamus for the fatal 5-way number-one contender's match. However, considering recent reports indicating that Kofi will be unable to compete, let's look at five possible replacements for the former WWE Champion.
#5. WWE SmackDown Superstar Madcap Moss
Madcap Moss was once the number-one contender for the WWE Intercontinental Championship after winning a multi-man match on SmackDown a few weeks ago. Perhaps the Stamford-based promotion will choose Madcap to take Kofi's spot in another multi-man match for a shot at Gunther's title.
Moss was unsuccessful in his attempt to overthrow The Ring General as the IC Champion on the February 17th episode of SmackDown. Aside from his shocking victory on February 10th, Madcap has suffered a string of bad luck following his feud with former ally Baron Corbin.
If Moss loses another big opportunity, there's a chance he could snap and turn heel. That next big loss could happen if and when he replaces Kofi in the upcoming fatal 5-way match.
#4. The Bloodline's Solo Sikoa
The hard-hitting Solo Sikoa defeated the red-hot Sami Zayn on the most recent episode of WWE SmackDown. What's next for The Street Champion on the blue brand? Perhaps it's an opportunity to fight for the Intercontinental Championship.
The Bloodline is a dominant group that is drenched in championships, and it'd make sense for the youngest Uce to want to bring in more gold for the family. Sikoa is the only titleless wrestler in the faction as of this writing. If WWE decides to book Solo as Kofi's replacement for the match, the former NXT North American Champion can attempt to make his Tribal Chief proud by trying to win the IC title.
While there are no rumors floating around regarding a potential match between The Ring General and Solo Sikoa for WrestleMania, there's still a possibility that the bout could go down this April if The Street Champion is added to Friday's match. Regardless of the outcome, the former NXT North American Champion would make for a great candidate to replace Kofi Kingston in the upcoming fatal 5-way, predictably making the match even more intense.
#3. Xavier Woods of The New Day
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Perhaps the best man to replace Kofi Kingston in the fatal 5-way is his New Day partner, Xavier Woods. After all, it's well documented that becoming an Intercontinental Champion is a personal goal for Woods in WWE. Xavier previously predicted that his championship aspirations would become a reality by 2022. But maybe 2023 will be the year when the 2021 King of the Ring winner finally captures the IC Title.
Xavier Woods was one of the men involved during the March 3rd SmackDown segment about who should face Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship. Since he was involved in the match's build-up prior to Kofi's injury, it will be easy for WWE to book Woods into the match as his replacement.
#2. Top Dolla of Hit Row
Top Dolla has shown his vicious side after turning heel on Ricochet. While he has struggled to find a spot on WWE programming in recent weeks, the frontman of Hit Row could find himself in a high-profile match on March 10, 2023. Perhaps wrestling fans will see Top Dolla take Kofi Kingston's place in the fatal 5-way match on the upcoming episode of SmackDown.
Top Dolla likely won't be the one to win if he's chosen to be Kofi's replacement next Friday. However, this match would still be a great opportunity for Top Dolla to show his worth to the WWE Universe. If Dolla is able to pull off a strong performance in the fatal 5-way, Hit Row may find themselves in a better booking position on future episodes of WWE programming.
#1. "The King of Strong Style" Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura hasn't wrestled a match on WWE television since losing to Santos Escobar in the first round of the SmackDown World Cup on November 11, 2022. Since then, he has worked on house shows, dark matches, as well as one match outside of the company. Most notably, he defeated The Great Muta in the main event of NOAH The New Year 2023, a non-WWE wrestling event held in Tokyo, Japan.
Nakamura had two reigns with the WWE Intercontinental Championship. The former champion would be the perfect choice to fill in for Kofi on March 10th. Considering he's been away from televised WWE programming for so long, wrestling fans most likely already miss seeing The King of Strong Style on SmackDown.
According to Cagematch.net, Nakamura last wrestled on January 22, 2023, for an untelevised WWE event in Binghamton, New York. During the show, Shinsuke was victorious against Imperium in a six-man tag team match alongside Braun Strowman and Madcap Moss. The WWE Universe may be in for a surprise on March 10, 2023, if the 2018 Royal Rumble winner returns as Kofi's replacement in the fatal 5-way.