Opinion: Did WWE miss Kofi Kingston's Breakout Moment?
Kofi Kingston cemented his legacy with his gauntlet match performance, but his match at the Elimination Chamber may have spelled the end of the dream for many.
After replacing Mustafa Ali, Kingston proved that all he needed was the right opportunity when he caught the attention of the wrestling world last week on SmackDown Live.
Kingston's victories over Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy and WWE Champion Daniel Bryan was the first spark in a long-since sidelined singles career that got fans wondering whether Kingston could make the journey from challenger to champion.
On a night when Becky Lynch attacked Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair and the Women's Tag Team Championships were won by Sasha Banks & Bayley, it was Kingston's performance that had fans on the edge of their seat.
After a cathartic victory over Randy Orton, Kingston and Bryan traded moves and got the fans in the Toyota Center in a frenzy. The emotion swelled with each nearfall and the energy in the arena bled through the TV and got fans around the world waiting to see if Kingston would finally become the WWE Champion.
Kingston stood at the top of the chamber pod and soared through the air to "make himself famous" in the words of WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross.
Unfortunately, a crash to the mat and a knee to the face would spell the end for to the story WWE didn't know they needed to tell.
With his performance at the pay-per-view and WrestleMania quickly approaching, one big question is on the mind of many wrestling fans: Did WWE miss Kingston's moment?
Kingston's gauntlet match performance shined a new light on his singles career and reminded fans why he was an incredible talent in the first place, but that effort may have been squandered tonight.
There was a deafening silence in the arena after Bryan pinned Kingston that didn't sound like fans angry at a heel...it felt like fans giving up.
In an ideal world, WWE would see the opportunity they have and would book Kingston versus Bryan at WrestleMania 35, but the company's track record for followup and follow through is far from consistent outside of the chosen few.
Finn Balor, another fan favorite, wrestled an incredible match against AJ Styles at the 2017 TLC pay-per-view only to take an L to Kane the next night and wind up wrestling for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania - proving that the company is consistent when they want to be.
WWE could follow up this performance with an amazing boyhood dream coming true at WrestleMania 35 or they could forget about it and have Kingston go back to tag team matches. As they always say, "Anything can happen in the WWE."
Kingston has an incredible career and resume that would warrant a Hall of Fame induction, but opportunities like the ones fans saw at the Elimination Chamber rarely strike twice.
Maybe WWE will give Kingston another opportunity for the title and turn this accident into a WrestleMania headliner, but I have a bad feeling we watched a ship sail tonight.