Has Kofi's Steam run out?

I don't that Kofi is a victim of backstage politics. If that was the case then he would have already been future endeavoured by the time Trips called him out on onscreen for breaking character when he forgot to use his fake accent. We saw a potential future World Champion in Kofi when he feuded with Orton. He was so close. I think it's just a matter of creative not having a decent storyline for him right now. I can easily see him feuding for the World Championship and even holding it someday due to what we saw in his feuds a year ago. It's a matter of patience and WWE finding the right feud for him to break into the main event with. Or maybe a MITB win. He's a future world title holder though, guarantee it.
 
The way I see it, the decline in Kofi's stories have led to the crowd not being as supportive. It's a damn shame too, because while guys like The Miz, Sheamus, Del Rio and Wade Barrett (I guess) are breaking in to the main event, no faces have yet to reach the same level. The closest was Kofi himself last year. And today he's right back where he started. I don't see that as a good thing. There's a lack of balance. As of now Randy Orton is the only face that could be called for main events. He's injured. What would happen if he was taken out? Nobody would be able to step up because there is nobody. Smackdown, where Kofi is at, is a bit different, but it's still on a thin line with just Edge and Rey Mysterio.

Kofi is the one mid card face that has shown he can hang with main event guys over on Smackdown. If they keep letting this paint dry, he may end up like MVP.
 
I'm a really big fan of Kofi's he is consistently putting on really good matches and his Mic skills are decent but ever since his feud with Randy Orton where looked like a major star and Future World Champion, I think that he has lost alot of Steam not with the fans because he still elicits pretty good reactions from the crowd and they still really like him but right now it seems that he has no direction. On Smackdown right now he really isn't feuding with anybody and he gets put into Random matches while those matches are usually pretty good they are just random. I think Kofi has Talent and Potential so hopefully they start use him better then he is being used right now.
 
I say yes and no. Yes, he hasn't had a somewhat decent story since orton, and rarely has good matches now. But he does get some decent matches from time to time.
 
I'm not a huge mark for Kofi, but I do like the guy and don't mind rooting for him--there are just other guys I find more interesting. I was impressed with him during his feud with Orton, and while I don't believe that he has "flat-lined" like some people suggest, I don't think he's any closer to the main event than he was at that point. Maybe he blew it by pissing off Orton, but it's not like they lost all faith in the guy and he's been doing absolutely nothing. He went to Smackdown and almost immediately became IC champion and held onto it for a while. He had a lengthy, high profile mid-card feud with Ziggler over the title a few months back, and while he ultimately lost the title and moved on, he's still been in the thick of things in the mid-card. Sure, he hasn't had a legit storyline, but he's put on some great matches.

That said, I'm extremely disappointed that he's getting another shot at Ziggler at this point. I feel like I've already seen 50 matches between them within a span of three months and was glad when they finally blew off the feud. I was sincerely hoping that Swagger would have won on Friday, not only because I'd like him to do something and wouldn't mind seeing him hold gold again (mid-card gold is what he should have had prior to MITB anyway), but because the Kofi/Ziggler feud went on too long when it happened, and not long ago at all.

I feel like what they really should do with Kofi is put him in a concrete storyline and let him work an angle for a while in order to gain some crowd support, like what they were able to accomplish with the Orton feud. It might seem odd, but I think that putting the IC belt back on him is a step backward, as it cements him in the mid-card and doesn't offer him any mobility if, for example, someone gets injured and they want him to switch gears into doing something higher on the card. Another feud with Ziggler is likely going to bore a number of fans and be a disservice to both guys. While I do feel that Ziggler has held the belt for a while and don't think it would be the end of the world if he lost it, the guy he should lose it to is definitely not Kofi, for both of their sakes.
 
I still remember watching Kingston shockingly face Jericho once he was first drafted to RAW a few years back. From then I was such a huge fan of the guy.

Thing is, he's actually a really unique wrestler. It's rare you seem people like him, and since he's just suddenly from Ghana rather than Jamaica, I've been a fan of him talking too.

His feud with Orton in '09 was brilliant! No doubt about it, it should have put him into the main event scene. Unfortunately, he's done nothing since! Had a couple of good matches with Ziggler as somebody else said. It is a real shame, but admittedly his time has run it's course now. He's not going to do anything 'outstanding' for a long while in my eyes!
 
I think Kofi is going to be a world champion one day his matches are improving and the crowd love him. The main event picture is so heel heavy he has to at least get a title shot pretty soon. I think they should have had him fued with swagger instead of rey mysterio bc its obvious that they work well together and would have helped both them out. The last 2 matches they have had on smackdown have been gold to me great counters and a fast pace they both worked really hard.

Right now the wwe is in a youth movement so sooner or later they gonna have to establish a main event face and i don't see anybody better than kofi as a face right now. As happy as i was for Kane to get the belt its time for the championship to be on somebody that can put on a good match for a change and i don't mean edge. Give kofi a chance to carry the belt i bet he won't dissapoint with his matches all of his recent feuds have been good, the miz, ziggler, drew & swagger.

Maybe they will let edge win it and lose it to del rio and then kofi gets it from him, it should be a good match up between those two. With Kofi as a face champ he could give all the heels that are waiting in line their shot at the main event bc its gonna be hard for all the talented heels to get over the hump if they have nobody to feud with in the mainevent but cena, orton and rey. They need at least 3 more mainevent faces and it will probably be Kofi, Morrison and Bryan.
 
Two problems here.

No Feud

It's easy to get a pop here and there for being an entertaining wrestler. Kofi definitely fits the bill there. He has an exciting move set, fun entrance and good charisma. All the ingredients to make a crowd pop samich. That pop though isn't going to be what it could be however without a reason for fans to get behind a performer. That reason is of course to take out annoying heel #24. Nothing can get a wrestler over quite like beating the holy hell out of someone the fans dislike. Use JoMo's promo from Monday night as evidence. The crowd was dead silent and were slowly drifting into a boredom induced delirium until he got physical with Sheamus. Without a motive and direction that pleases the fans, he's coasting on stale pops.

No Story

There is a huge difference in having a feud and having story. Sure they market Kofi as a frenetic, fast paced wrestler who likes to have fun and a good time. That's all well and good but that kind of character depth isn't going to bring in world titles. He hasn't built himself up as anything since he debuted save for his feud with Orton and he seems to have digressed from that. There's a reason Swagger flopped as champion; he was in the exact same position Kofi is in now. Potential but not enough power behind the punches. No story to motive, no background to get behind. The best champions have layered characters, something that lies beneath the initial gimmick. Kofi so far lacks that and until it's fixed it's hard to see him gaining any momentum.
 
Well I think a feud with Swagger should be in the works considering he's been going 1 on 1 with him for quite a while. And I do think Kofi has that dark layer where he just snaps and puts you through a table and I'd like that to his gimmick. His highlights in my view was when he put Orton through a table, and he also put Drew through a table thus ending the rivalry, and tried to put Ziggler through a table. I think it adds to his persona that when he snaps, someone's going to be put through a table and I think that can lead him to a WHC title shot. I also think Kofi would be absolutely, positively 100% put on an amazing match with Punk. And if those two go at it fro WHC, you KNOW shit's about to go down.
 
As Dwayne_Johnson just mentioned, there is more to the Kofi character than hat meets the eye. Kofi right now is about right smack in the middle of a Smackdown roster teeming with talent, and this often prevents him from standing out. However, it won't be long before he gets himself noticed and becomes a major player on Friday nights.

I know this thread has gone on pretty long, and it's a little late in the game for lists, but I'm a big Kofi mark, so I figured I'd make a list of reasons I think Kofi is destined for good things.

His Ring Work- Kofi is fantastically entertaining in the ring. It's hard to find a classification for Kofi, I wouldn't call him a high-flier, but I wouldn't really call him anything else either. The guy's conditioning is phenomenal, as he seems to have enough energy to pull of high speed moves at any point in the match. Furthermore, he's not a bad technical wrestler, and will only get better if he continues to work with the likes of Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger. The Trouble in Paradise is a sweet finishing move, one that can strike out of almost anywhere, and has proven to be very versatile. Kofi's in ring style is very much a face-style of wrestling, and it will continue to keep Mr. Kingston over.

Boom Boom Boom, The Guy is Charming as Hell- There's something about Kofi... doesn't have the same ring to it as Mary, but there IS something about Kofi. While he's yet to have a major breakthrough promo (he had some good ones with his feud with Orton, but they haven't really proven to be too consequential yet), Kofi manages to keep the crowd on his side. I attribute this to his general charisma. Image wise, Kofi always appears as cool, serious, and happy to be wrestling, which I think is the perfect personality for a face. To get the crowd behind him he has his Boom Boom thing, which I think is fantastic, and he utilizes it before, during, and after matches, and the crowd is always into it. It has become one of the few things the wrestler and the audience can do together, and is along the same lines as John Cena's you can't see me, HBK's "tuning the band", and Ric Flair's WOO. Finally, when he gets on the mic, Kofi is always calm, but intense, cool and calculated. Like I said, he hasn't had a breakthrough yet, but the more he get's the mic, the more opportunities he'll have to get to that point.

He Interacts with the Crowd- As I mentioned, Kofi's boom boom is one of the few things the audience can do with the wrestlers. Audience members love when wrestlers do this, as it makes them feel like part of the show, and Kofi does this a lot. I can think of three specific things Kofi does to interact with the audience, the boom booms before and after the match, the double leg drop he does, and counting the punches in the corner. Few wrestlers play to the crowd as much as Kofi does, and it's only a matter of time before this helps put Kofi over the top.

The Subtleties of his Character- Kofi is a fairly clean cut face, but he does have his dark sides. We all, of course, remember him kicking the shit of Randy Orton's brand new race car, and that was really his most memorable tweenerish moment, but he's done small things between then and now as well. He attacked Dolph Ziggler a couple times, and sometimes gets a little vicious streak in his wrestling. I think eventually, this anger will play a more daily role in Kofi's character.

I think Kofi will be okay. I'm not sure he'll ever be a World Champion, but I don't doubt that he'll give us many more memorable feuds and have a few phenomenal matches.
 
I think Kofi CAN be a WHC champion, if he's given the right push. I mean we saw him on a number 1 contender match on Raw a year ago and he delivered. I think he'll be the guy who always goes after it, and finally attains it. Kind of like Gurrerro or Mysterio. And it's a good ting to atleast mention him in the title run because Smackdown doesn't have a lot of faces as Top ME's. I think if Kofi breaks into the ME scene, he'll most likely be a Wrold Champion
 
He was well on his way to MITB 2010...up until he botched his match with Randy & Cena beginning of the year.I know there's still debate over what happened that night, but noone can deny that his "push" kinda ended after that.For him to have gone over Randy Orton is something which shows they really wanted him to be big.The gave him a slight push on SD! when he went over World Champ Swagger(but then again: so did half the roster).I think the problem, believe it or not, is Kane.
The whole Kane/Taker stinkfest really clogged up the main event division and cockblocked world title contenders by having the title be the focus of a meaningless fued instead of it beig used to put over talent.If Kane wasn't Champ,Kofi would have been right up there in the World title picture with Rey, Del Rio & Swagger( and possibly Drew) At least he's young enough to survive the wave of FCW guys that are now flooding the roster.
 
Well, I read the recent report that Micheal ****** Hayes is focusing more on Veterans and up and comers. So I guess it really is Creative rather than politics. I sincerly hope Hayes loses his job as he has been making the most stupidest storylines you could think of. And I kind of agree with you on Kane, but then again Edge, Rey, Show are the only face on Smackdown (That I know of) The heels? Del Rio, Kane, Swagger (to a degree). Del Rio is busy with Rey and Kane is busy Edge. They NEED to put him against Swagger and keep that angle going because frankly, there's nothing interesting on Smackdown 'cept Kofi in my opinion.
 
I personally think his last few matches with swagger have been top draw. I can see these two having a succesful fued I think it needs to happen to give Kofi some focus. He will be a champ but not right now (KANE)

It's not just Kofi though, there's so many mid-carders that should be champ that are stuck doing not much at all...
 
I don't think Kofi himself has lost any steam. I just don't think they have anything interesting for him to do. He had a great mini-feud with Randy Orton, and then he was back in the midcard. His matches are all still top notch, but he just hasn't done anything interesting, storyline-wise, in a long time.

I think once they come up with something interesting, his "steam" will return.
 
I think Kofi will be fine,he is still over with the Live Crowds,puts on Great Matches with Swagger & Ziggler and whoever else,and has Good Mic Skills. Not sure if he will get a World Title run but you never know and I would not mind seeing him get one someday.
 
i think kofi is very talented, and if given the right program, can prove he is main event material. Him and orton feuding was one of my favorite feuds of that year. Watching him destroy Orton's car was incredible. I was at the MSG Raw show where he did the boom drop on Orton through the table. It was incredible, the crowd loved it. However, after that feud, people stopped caring as much about Kingston. In order for him to elevate back up, he needs a feud with someone more established than dolph ziggler
 
I think Kofi is in a bit of a rut at the moment, he hasnt done anything of note in a while, and I think he needs a change of scenery. Perhaps a brand swap could benefit him, and freshen him up a bit.

I do rate Kofi, but right now I cannot see him as a World Champion. He has always struck me as a mid-card talent who the fans love, which isnt a bad thing. IC/US title level seems right for him right now, but who knows. With a push and the right feud, maybe he could bump in to M/E level. It worked for Jeff Hardy and The Miz....
 
Kofi is god awful! i'd rather see MVP than kofi, the only thing the guy had that made him as popular was his 3 claps in his entrance and his leg drop, everything else was just turd
 
Kofi's steam is running on empty at the moment and honestly, I can't see much going his way until AFTER Wrestlemania, in terms of a good feud to build on unless Kane + Edge ends before the Rumble and then maybe Kofi vs Edge at Mania? The longest of shots on that one.

What does he do until then? Well the great thing about the build up to Mania are the two events before it - Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber (No Way Out). Mass participation mean he has something to do.
30 men in the Rumble - Kofi gets some good time in the ring, possibly makes last 5. Elimination Chamber - he'll be in there (hopefully), getting some rub alongside Edge, Kane, Mysterio while battling others like Del Rio and Swagger/Ziggler.

I can see how Kofi will come along if they make him World Champion. At the moment he's not on the same level of crowd reaction RVD was (for note see Rumble '09:[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQ3-o8Zi7Y[/YOUTUBE]) but he'll probably go that way via Money in the Bank/Summer Champion. However, wrestlers like Morrison and Del Rio are on hotter pushes so they could be seen as more likely to win it - if Del Rio isn't champion already.

A lot can happen in 3-4 months though so it'll be interesting to see what might happen.
 
Well I have to say I'm glad Swagger and Kofi have a program going on. I hope Kofi comes outta this the winner. And I'm glad to say 'E pulled the right match here. Kofi vs Swagger at TLC. Count on it.
 
I don't understand how anybody can say he is running out of steam he is way over and hardly ever loses. His last tag match with kaval the crowd went apeshit when he got the hot tag, he got the crowd eating out of his hands wtf show are you guys watching. He may not be in a mainevent feud but his stock is still high, he always is made out to look strong regardless of the outcome. The more i watch him the more i've been impressed, the sky is the limit for him.
 
^ I agree Kofi's tank isn't on E period. Im gonna use the NFL analogy here...Kofi Kingston is like Michael Vick yeah I said it. Everywhere Kofi goes they want to see him put on a show, He changes a match like Vick changes a football game. People are buying his merchandise, last time I saw Kofi live their were so many Boom Squad shirts (the way people bought Vick's jersey in 2004-05) , people stay chanting his name LOUD. Kofi has his own PPV out right now:). Fans go nuts everytime he comes out! did y'all hear them chanting KOFI through the whole triple threat match at TLC, & I knew he was over when he had that ladder & was tippin Vickie over cuz the fans were screaming & pointing like "KOFI DO IT!!!" Kofi is so over, they need to let him do his thing on the mic too we already know he can go in the ring. They don't want Kofi to hold that big gold belt. I like how Michael Cole is being a hater "Kofi will never be a world champion, just a contender" Keep hatin' :p Im gonna :) when Kofi wins the big 1 in 2011, its not if its WHEN.:)
 
yeah he has lost his steam, i would love for them to slowly turn him heel i think that might be good for his character. have him start coming out not do the hand clap thing, have him shrug it off and be nonchalant i think that would be great and him and rey could have a great feud, or even have him win the royal rumble
 
I'm gonna say yes, he has lost some steam, but definitely not all of it.

Earlier this year (I think), he was feuding with Orton. He was looking great, cut that awesome promo with Randy's car, and looked well on his way to main event status. That is pretty much in the past now. But you cant say that all of his momentum is gone. He's still one of the top contenders for the IC title and as I noticed last night, he still one of the most over guys on Smackdown. His athleticism and in ring talent will always keep him relevant.

So no, his steam hasnt run out. Sure, hes lost some, but he is still a very big part of Smackdown.
 

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