Opinion: WWE is doing everything right with Kofi Kingston
Note: The opinions expressed in this article are that of the author, and do not reflect those of Sportskeeda.
Kofi Kingston winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35 was an iconic, feel-good world championship win, right up there with the likes of Daniel Bryan, The Ultimate Warrior, and Chris Ben... er, Shawn Michaels
Still, a lot of people kind of figured that Kofi's reign would probably be short-lived, that his title win was mostly to cap off a great story, make a feel-good moment for that year's WrestleMania and, I think, to also thank Kofi for the years of hard work and loyalty to the company. As Terry Funk once told Mick Foley, "Sometimes Vince does things just to be nice."
But, that cynical viewpoint gets chipped away with every successful Kofi title defence. He's proven himself to be not only a competent but a formidable champion, as his opponents are realizing he's not the pushover paper champion they were expecting. They're finding out that Kofi Kingston actually is good at this wrestling stuff, and there's a good chance he's gonna beat them in that ring.
Taking a further look back, having Kofi win the WWE Championship might have been the best thing for the WWE Championship. For a while, it was starting to feel like how the World Heavyweight Championship felt near the end of the first brand split - like a "secondary" World title. Even now, it still kind of has that "Wrestler Not Named Brock Lesnar World Championship" feel to it, but that's fading.
By playing up Kofi's 11-year-long quest to get this particular title makes that title mean something. It's the title with history, the same belt Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund and Bret Hart held. It's not just a belt you settle for because you can't get a chance at the other - Kofi, and his friends had to go through hell and back just for him to get a match for the belt. And now he's upping his game substantially just to hang on to it.
A win for Kofi at SummerSlam (and that's certainly not guaranteed - another tick in the plus column for his reign: the unpredictability) would establish him as an actual dominant champion. Now, of course, this isn't always a good thing. Sometimes the appeal of a champion is the underdog factor, which Kingston is riding on at the moment. But, there's a plus side to this that can benefit the WWE as a whole, as well: the surprise, out of nowhere title victory.
Picture this: Kofi has been WWE Champion for several months, he's beaten Randy Orton - in fact, it's getting close to the Royal Rumble. Kingston is still a fun-loving babyface buuuuuuut... maybe he's getting a little cocky? Enough that he decided to grant a title shot to another underdog - sort of like how 123 Kid took on Bret Hart on an early episode of Monday Night Raw. Someone like Ali, for example.
After a hard-fought match, Ali pulls off the shocking win and a new megastar is born. That sets up a great rematch for, at the very least, the next PPV. It could also help set up another Kofi WrestleMania moment, as he wins the Royal Rumble (finally) and gets another shot at the title that means so much to him - maybe against a monster heel champion this time.
This is all armchair booking, obviously, but my point is that everything they've done with Kofi Kingston regarding the WWE Championship has done what every moment in WWE should do - set the stage for further stories. Everything from before WrestleMania 35 to the lead into SummerSlam has had everything they needed - drama, feel-good moments, story to build upon and, most importantly, a sense of continuity.
A sense of continuity. That's a long, rambling editorial for another time, I think.
What do you guys think? Has WWE been making all the right moves with Kofi as champion? Agree or disagree, I want to know what you think in the comments section.