What's Next For Kofi?

[iwinulose]

Ok so tonight primo and epico won the tag team titles, which say's to me that evan bourne is most likely getting fired at some point in the very near future. So my question is what will happen to kofi kingston?? Is he going to punished as well? Are they going to just toss him on the backburner? Will he get into a feud for the IC/US championship belts? Maybe just a feud in general?

Discuss.

 

[Big Sexy]

I'm hoping for a heel turn tomorrow night. I'm guessing there will be a rematch for the tag titles on RAW in which Air Boom will lose. I'm hoping that after the match Kofi turns on Evan Bourne and attacks him. Then the following week he cuts a promo talking about the WWE making him start his career with a Jamaican gimmick, then teaming him with garbage like Bourne, and then have him talk down the fans to make everything complete. Kofi needs a fresh start and needs something to make him interesting again, otherwise he is destined for mid card mediocrity.

 

[BiGEViL]

Who cares? Kofi is a waste of time. At best, he should be curtain jerker material for the real wrestlers who are worthy of air time.

 

[lazeric]

I wouldn't mind a Kofi heel turn but I dnt see it happening. He doesn't have anyone to fued with that would make ppl care for 1. #2 his moveset isn't quite what u would expect from a normal heel becuz he has no moves that look like they hurt and his movements are too animated. I could see him forming a new tag team thoe maybe with Brodus Clay seeing as their both being built as kid favorites.

 

[Tyler44]

To be honest, I ask the same question for almost every mid-carder (who is known by more than 70% of the fans) in WWE.

Kofi Kingston has nothing left to do. He's stale and unexciting.
Evan Bourne is hated by WWE anyways, but who cares? He's stale.
Jack Swagger is my today's JBL. You see him, say "ughh", and change the channel.
Del Rio is extremely boring/stale. What is going good for him?
Daniel Bryan is champion, and who is taking him seriously? He's reached the highest mark you can get in WWE, and he's still a nobody. Nothing will change.
Cody Rhodes is the next in line for the main event, do we even care about him?
Dolph Ziggler for some reason is an online "God", but I personally find nothing new or exciting about him. He's moving up the main event, but there's nothing to him.
Ezekiel Jackson is a huge monster heel. These people don't get big and have been a stale character for years now.
Sin Cara is another Rey Mysterio. Unfortunately, the cruiserweight division is gone and his ideal competition left 10 years ago.
Sheamus is being used as good as Jinder Mahal's fan reaction. Though, I like him more than anyone else in the mid-card.
Zack Ryder is being praised, but his gimmick is more childish and embarrassing than Cena's. What will he possibly do after his alliance with Cena, he can't carry a promo/match, and also shouldn't be taken seriously by anyone over the age of 12.
Wade Barrett actually can be taken seriously and he works perfectly for a today's version of William Regal, but does anyone ever say "yes!" when you see him? He has no appeal.

Sorry everyone, but other than Cena, Triple H, Masked Kane, and Cm Punk, I can't get into anyone right now. WWE is too painful to watch, but I love the idea of what WWE has to offer. I'll continue watching and wait for it all to turn around, but right now I really can't get into anyone.

 

[thebarber]

Kofi Kingston is a boring mess, full of high spots. Id hope a heel turn at the expense of Bourne happens on Raw, otherwise I could care less if he got released

 

[Martin Gabriel]

I'm hoping for a heel turn tomorrow night. I'm guessing there will be a rematch for the tag titles on RAW in which Air Boom will lose. I'm hoping that after the match Kofi turns on Evan Bourne and attacks him. Then the following week he cuts a promo talking about the WWE making him start his career with a Jamaican gimmick, then teaming him with garbage like Bourne, and then have him talk down the fans to make everything complete. Kofi needs a fresh start and needs something to make him interesting again, otherwise he is destined for mid card mediocrity.

The promo would definitely work, I just worry about his wrestling style. His offense seems tailor made for a face, so I worry how he'd adjust it to a heel role. Then again, he's an above average worker, so maybe I'm not giving enough credit to his ability to recreate himself.

I once said in another group Kofi feels like the John Cena of the mid-card. He's won five mid-card titles in just over four years and when he's a singles wrestler, he seems pretty well protected, unless facing a heel higher up on the card. Plus he's overly smiley and even his trunks have devolved into embarrassingly bright, friendly colors. He badly needs a heel turn.

 

[Big Sexy]

The promo would definitely work, I just worry about his wrestling style. His offense seems tailor made for a face, so I worry how he'd adjust it to a heel role. Then again, he's an above average worker, so maybe I'm not giving enough credit to his ability to recreate himself.

I've never bought into the whole "his offense won't allow him to be a good heel" argument. These guys are professionals and can change certain moves to fit different characters. I mean HBK didn't exactly have a heel move set especially during his younger days but he was still a successful heel back in 92-93. There's plenty of guys with up tempo, high flying styles that have been good heels. That would be the least of my worries if he were to turn.

 

[123NewChamp]

To be honest with you, everybody don't need to be a heel, and Kofi Kingston is one of them. First, everybody talking about R-Truth turning heel, and he did. Everybody wants Cena to turn heel. Will he? I highly doubt that. But being a heel haven't worked well for everyone, and everyone is not meant to play a heel gimmick, and Kofi I beleive is one of them b/c he's already over with the crowd, and the kids really like him. Behind John Cena, and Rey Mysterio, I would most likely put Kofi Kingston next as the most popular superstar among kids. But if he plays heel, It's going to be a small investment as the main focus is going to be on Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, Cody Rhodes, and The Miz.

But what's next for Kofi? Well I must've admit, although putting Kofi and Evan together had created some strong and awesome tag team matches, it really brought his career and morale as a WWE Superstar down. If WWE don't invest in him, he's going to job. But I don't think WWE is going to let him go to waste so quickly. Cause look, the Royal Rumble is coming up, and he can make a good showing at the Royal Rumble. He can get on a winning streak on Raw and possibly score him a match at Wrestlemania. He can cut a promo before the Royal Rumble and state that his focus hasn't been where it should be, but he can assure the crowd that his focus is back in the single's division, winning the IC or US Belt, and possibly a the World Heavyweight Title, and he can start with at least a 30 minute showing in the Royal Rumble, Or he can just run in and make a save and include himself in a feud. Hey anything can happen, but there are more options than a heel turn. But for now, I think they going to use him to create exciting matches in the midcard and give him another mid card push at the least.

 

[Tyhump87]

It sucks that Kofi may be dragged down with this mess but hopefully he can get his career back on track. I don't think that he needs to turn heel but he definitely needs to stay relevant so a heel turn may be his best bet. He needs a push. I would love to see him win the MITB at Wrestlemania. He's done everything the right way and I want to see him rewarded for it.

 

[Martin Gabriel]

I've never bought into the whole "his offense won't allow him to be a good heel" argument. These guys are professionals and can change certain moves to fit different characters. I mean HBK didn't exactly have a heel move set especially during his younger days but he was still a successful heel back in 92-93. There's plenty of guys with up tempo, high flying styles that have been good heels. That would be the least of my worries if he were to turn.

You make a good point with Shawn Michaels. Maybe I'm giving too much credit to the concept of styles not transitioning well from face to heel or vice versa, but there are still some variables that come with working as a heel, like wearing d...own opponents effectively and convincingly, that Kofi Kingston will need to address should he ever turn. Specifically, Kingston seems to lack stiffness and sometimes he seems all over the place, which isn't necessarily good for a heel when his role is to be in control of much of the match.

Guys like Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler maintain control in a very classic sense, using measured strikes and rest holds to wear down opponents. Daniel Bryan uses stiff, technical counters to stop momentum and can then employ many of his awesome submissions, while guys like Drew McIntyre similarly excel in cutting off momentum, though in a less technical way as he'll use parts of the ring to damage an opponent's limb.

Kingston is a good, practiced wrestler, but his strikes and holds, two skills fundamental to a good heel, can be pretty sloppy and appear ineffective, especially with those super soft-looking kickpads. Maybe he'd improve upon that after turning heel, but based on what I've seen of his ability, there's a good chance he won't transition well into a heel role technically.

 

[#1HEEL]

To be honest, I ask the same question for almost every mid-carder (who is known by more than 70% of the fans) in WWE.

Kofi Kingston has nothing left to do. He's stale and unexciting.
Evan Bourne is hated by WWE anyways, but who cares? He's stale.
Jack Swagger is my today's JBL. You see him, say "ughh", and change the channel.
Del Rio is extremely boring/stale. What is going good for him?
Daniel Bryan is champion, and who is taking him seriously? He's reached the highest mark you can get in WWE, and he's still a nobody. Nothing will change.
Cody Rhodes is the next in line for the main event, do we even care about him?
Dolph Ziggler for some reason is an online "God", but I personally find nothing new or exciting about him. He's moving up the main event, but there's nothing to him.
Ezekiel Jackson is a huge monster heel. These people don't get big and have been a stale character for years now.
Sin Cara is another Rey Mysterio. Unfortunately, the cruiserweight division is gone and his ideal competition left 10 years ago.
Sheamus is being used as good as Jinder Mahal's fan reaction. Though, I like him more than anyone else in the mid-card.
Zack Ryder is being praised, but his gimmick is more childish and embarrassing than Cena's. What will he possibly do after his alliance with Cena, he can't carry a promo/match, and also shouldn't be taken seriously by anyone over the age of 12.
Wade Barrett actually can be taken seriously and he works perfectly for a today's version of William Regal, but does anyone ever say "yes!" when you see him? He has no appeal.

Sorry everyone, but other than Cena, Triple H, Masked Kane, and Cm Punk, I can't get into anyone right now. WWE is too painful to watch, but I love the idea of what WWE has to offer. I'll continue watching and wait for it all to turn around, but right now I really can't get into anyone.

I seriously wonder why you still watch then. You clearly hate everything about the WWE and live for the attitude era.

WWE is in a rebuilding stage and shoot everyone down and try compare them to yesteryear aka Barrett. Wade Barrett will be World Champion within 12 months mark my words. Sheamus is a top star awaiting his chance.

As for Kofi, the guy desperately needs a heel turn in my opinion. For me Kofi Kingston is the current Shelton Benjamin... Used when it benefits WWE for a short period and then forgotten.

He needs to tag a dying tag division and focus on taking Cody Rhodes IC title. I think thats the most fitting thing for him at the moment. I don't see a heel turn actually occuring, so chasing Rhodes IC belt would be good for them both.

 

[VinnieSunshine]

I'd like to see a heel turn and go into the heel version of his street gimmick he had against Orton in 2009. Kofi really pulled it off for a face, so imagine what he could as a heel!

The only thing I worry about is Kofi was made to be a face, he has no heel qualities.

As much as I would like this to happen, I hope WWE swerves us and turns BOURNE heel. Imagine, as we wait for Kofi to turn on Bourne, he gets kicked in the head by Bourne and thtas the reason they lose the re-match if there is one.

Its rare that there is a heel cruiserweight, as they are almost billed to be faces there to put on a show for the crowd.

 

[josh4worldchamp]

i agree that if kofi went heel he would benifit from it (and im sure he can adapt his style his earlier matches with shelton benjamin in ecw werent always as fast and wild) but i dont hink he needs it remember in 2009 with his feud with orton? till that point i thought he would be mid card for life but he was able to change his character and show his angry side even with his matches with dolph ziggler when he would angrily attack him after the match. that kofi i beleive can be a world champion but right now hes just there if he was to go back to that then i can see him as a main eventer

 

[Ryberg]

To be honest, I ask the same question for almost every mid-carder (who is known by more than 70% of the fans) in WWE.

Kofi Kingston has nothing left to do. He's stale and unexciting.
Evan Bourne is hated by WWE anyways, but who cares? He's stale.
Jack Swagger is my today's JBL. You see him, say "ughh", and change the channel.
Del Rio is extremely boring/stale. What is going good for him?
Daniel Bryan is champion, and who is taking him seriously? He's reached the highest mark you can get in WWE, and he's still a nobody. Nothing will change.
Cody Rhodes is the next in line for the main event, do we even care about him?
Dolph Ziggler for some reason is an online "God", but I personally find nothing new or exciting about him. He's moving up the main event, but there's nothing to him.
Ezekiel Jackson is a huge monster heel. These people don't get big and have been a stale character for years now.
Sin Cara is another Rey Mysterio. Unfortunately, the cruiserweight division is gone and his ideal competition left 10 years ago.
Sheamus is being used as good as Jinder Mahal's fan reaction. Though, I like him more than anyone else in the mid-card.
Zack Ryder is being praised, but his gimmick is more childish and embarrassing than Cena's. What will he possibly do after his alliance with Cena, he can't carry a promo/match, and also shouldn't be taken seriously by anyone over the age of 12.
Wade Barrett actually can be taken seriously and he works perfectly for a today's version of William Regal, but does anyone ever say "yes!" when you see him? He has no appeal.

Sorry everyone, but other than Cena, Triple H, Masked Kane, and Cm Punk, I can't get into anyone right now. WWE is too painful to watch, but I love the idea of what WWE has to offer. I'll continue watching and wait for it all to turn around, but right now I really can't get into anyone.

Thank GOD another person who agrees with me about Ziggler. Vicky is the only thing he has going. The online world loves him but the real world gives him no reaction.

As for Kofi HELLO Superstars! He's destined to be a lower middle carder and soon we'll read about Bourne being cut.

I agree with ALL OF Your things BUT Bryant and Barrett. Bryant is a case of terrible booking and Barrett I do like he just needs a Blue Bloods type stable. Sorry Cena should be on your list also as BORING AND BLAND! I think bringing Kane in was their way of saving Cena from a heel turn and the boos. Kane rips everyone and gets the boos now.

 

[Y2J1245]

I think Kofi could be fine as a heel, but it would need to happen in a very specific way to work for me.

First, as another poster said he'd have to blow up tonight on Bourne.
Second, he'd have to leave for an extended period. Atleast a month.
Finally, he'd have to return with a quiet, vicious, demeanor, and a new finisher that would match his personality.

The last bit sets him up for all kinds of success. First, he doesn't need to do any of the stuff he does now, character wise. He can be a "dark" version of himself, that is only focused on whatever it is they want to do with him.

He can be a heel by attitude, not really going after the crowd but nearly completely ignoring them. Saying it doesn't matter what they think because he's focused on what he is doing, and by focused I mean he'd be doing anything to win.

All the while, he'll be using his new move. Something more vicious to match his new attitude. No more Trouble in Paradise.

Then once his run is complete as a heel, he turns face again but using Trouble in Paradise. Two definitive things that tell the fans were he stands.

There would obviously be more detail to this, but I think you all can see where I'm going with this.

 

[Da Solo]

To be honest, I actually think losing the titles is a benefit to Kofi Kingston.

When you think about it, Giving him the tag titles was a demotion as time went on. Before that, he was the backbone of the upper midcard. He was carrying the IC/US title 99% of the time and was booked to be a tough competitor, notching wins over Sheamus, Jericho, Miz, Del-Rio, etc. And at first, getting the task of reviving the dying tag team scene was a plus. When Air Boom was battling Awesome Truth, that actually seemed like they were getting somewhere. But then Evan got suspended. After that, he's getting squashed by Bryan and losing to Primo/Epico/whichever one it was on Superstars?

I think he needs distance from Evan. He's a great worker and over with the kids. Let him shine on his own, or at least get him a partner without backstage heat.

And no, a heel turn isn't necessary. RAW is already crowded with heels. If they wanted to send him to SD! and try it, then maybe. But the IWC seems to feel that a heel turn solves everything. It doesn't. Remember Shad? He doesn't need to be a heel, just let him be the same Kofi he was when he was smashing cars and going ape shit on Orton and Ziggler and put him in a good feud.

 

[Lionshare]

I don't know, Keep jobing? i think orton must still be angr at kofi, because the poor guys can't cath a break. My guess is that airboom will keep on losing to epico and primo, until some other tag team steps up, who will they be is a mistery to me.

 

[Scooter85]

First off air boom is a great tag team . Everyone complains about that lack of teams in the tag division but when one forms & a good one at that your so in a rush to break them up . Bourne's heat will die down and we will continue to see air boom . Their were carrying this division until bournes slip out and it will continue

 

[KingOfKings4495]

Does anybody remember the feud he had with randy orton? I personally loved it. The way he took it to randy nearly every monday night, the way he was able to fight off at that time cody rhodes and ted jnr. The only problem with the push is that it was against randy orton. The guy is arguably one of the best in the company and to have a, at that point, on the rise kofi dominate randy night after night was ridiculous. It did however build up hes popularity and hes overall look but then soon after he gets teamed up with evan bourne and we never get to hear him again? When feuding with orton he showed a ruthless and powerful trait that many never believed he was capable of occupying. That is what I personally would like to see happen with Kofi. I believe he could pull off a great feud with dolph ziggler which could start the beginning of dolph zigglers much talked about push to the top but at the same time give Kofi some credibility.

 

[Jaystrong322]

Thank GOD another person who agrees with me about Ziggler. Vicky is the only thing he has going. The online world loves him but the real world gives him no reaction.

As for Kofi HELLO Superstars! He's destined to be a lower middle carder and soon we'll read about Bourne being cut.

I agree with ALL OF Your things BUT Bryant and Barrett. Bryant is a case of terrible booking and Barrett I do like he just needs a Blue Bloods type stable. Sorry Cena should be on your list also as BORING AND BLAND! I think bringing Kane in was their way of saving Cena from a heel turn and the boos. Kane rips everyone and gets the boos now.

Give Dolph some time. I am telling you, this guy is the next big thing.

As for Kofi, the WWE needs to hit the reset button on him. I don't see them turning him heel because they have too many heels in the company as it is and not enough babyfaces. I'm not sure what's next for him but I wouldn't be surprised if he falls into "Superstars" obscurity.

 

[Pedigree1]

Kofi needs basically to start over all the way over again!! I believe this run with Mr bourne has brought him down in such a big way!! When they lose tonight i would have Kofi turn on Evan and just pummel him in a big way!! Blame him for his spot and then turn on the fans!! Tell the fans that he is sick and tired of sucking up to him and from now on Kofi is gonna look after Kofi!!! I want the WWE title and from now on nothing will stop me from getting that title!!

 

[crswcw]

I believe that kofi will be release along with borne which suck because they have limit his wrestling skills and never made him heel which is ashamed and to the people talking about kofi will not work as a heel he has been a heel before and it work. The important question is who are the so call champs going to face next because primo and the other kid are useless

 

[mrfantastic111]

Does anyone remember when we were having these threads about R-truth last year?

R-Truth came down to the ring doing his song and dancing routine every week. This went on for years and the IWC thought that he was too old and too stale to ever develop into something entertaining. Then little Jimmy came along and told R-Truth that was okay to be interesting. Now he's a gooooooooooood R-Truth.

The bottom line is that I've learnt not to count someone out, no matter how 'stale' they've seemed to become. There's nothing wrong with Kofi, he could easily become a US/IC champ again this year. What he's doing entertains the casual fans, kids, etc.

However, although with that being said, we've seen the aggressive side of Kofi in both the ring and on the stick. If pushed in the right direction, he could easily become one of the top heels in the company by the end of 2012. Don't count this guy out yet. We as the IWC community have constantly counted out guys like R-Truth, Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, and constantly we have watched them develop into interesting superstars.

At the beginning of 2011, who would of thought that 'Dashing' Cody Rhodes would re-ignite the prestige of the IC title? Who would of thought that the disappointing face-Henry would become the most dominate champion in the WWE? Who would of thought that R-truth would go on to face the Rock and Cena with the Miz, and become easily the funniest character on the roster?

What I'm saying is don't count out Kofi! He's matured now! his WWE career is about four years aged in the spotlight, and as far as I know, WWE have had good intensions in keeping Kofi around, based on the fact that he is entertaining and reliable, and that in the past he has been a good draw. Let him develop into something new and he should be fine.

For example, turn him heel and give him a s*** stirring attitude, or give him a Black stereotyped gimmick. Just something fresh! Kofi has been invested in by the WWE as a face, and has often been put up towards charity work with kids, schools, etc, so if they were going to keep him face, maybe just let him talk on the mic more? Maybe let him develop a Pope type gimmick, similar of when Pope was face?

The problem with turning heel, is that once a decent face turns heel, they lose all of their true devoted fans (Maybe not the IWC ones), so if their heel turn doesn't work out well then turning back or going in a new direction isn't easy.

Either way, Kofi is a great talent, and in no way should he be dropped! He still has a long way to go, but I have a feeling that if they develop something new out of him, he could go very far up the ladder in 2012!

 

[Ellye]

If the WWE wants to keep Bourne on TV, at least for a while: turn him (Bourne) heel. Kofi will feud with him.

Otherwise, either turn Kofi heel or give him a chance of attitude, at least a bit. Then let him work his way back to upper midcard.