Why doesn't WWE pull the trigger already with Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston?

[asiatic7]

Every week, we tune in to watch Raw and Smackdown because we are FANS. We like to cheer whom we choose and boo everyone else. We like to chant, "YES!" and "WHAT?" and all those other random chants throughout the course of the show. We, as fans might not always agree universally on who should be top guys, who is poised for greatness, what titles and superstars should be highlighted. Sometimes we sit through lame ass storylines that get re-written so much that by the time they come to a conclusion (most don't), It's some bullshit that insults our intelligence and leaves us feeling empty. The time we invest into a show sometimes goes unjustified.

With all the above said, I want to run across a few names...
1.Sheton Benjamin
2.John Morrison
3.Brian Kendrick
4.Mr. Kennedy
5.MVP

This list of guys whether you agree or not, were guys that I invested my time and emotion into, hoping one day it will all be justified by a WWE or World championship run. For some reason or another, they didn't make it and ended up getting "Future Endeavored", maybe backstage politics, lack of passion, whatever... they did'nt make it. I was left feeling empty. Two guy on WWE's roster right now I feel might join my list is Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler. Why these two guys continued to get buried in the tag team division is beyond me. Dolph flirted with the main event picture last year with Edge and CM Punk. Now, I don't take his one day WHC reign serious and neither does WWE, but he showed us that he was ready for the main event. He lives up to his "Show Stealer" persona every time he steps into the ring. This kid definitely has all the elements of a "STAR"... but he's teaming with Swagger, feuding with the next topic of this thread...Kofi Kingston. If given the right push, Kofi could be the next Ricky Steamboat. Although Steamboat himself lacked charisma, he was a phenominal ring general, classic good guy and great worker. Kofi shares the same traits. Sure , he could be better on the mic, but in the ring, he's untouchable. Kofi is also over with the kids the way Rey Mysterio is, they love him, not a heel bone in his body. Kofi and Dolph engaged in an epic rivalry two years ago in a feud that I thought for sure would elevate one, if not both of them to main event mainstays. But, they find themselves in a worst predicament two years later.

So, with all that said, why is WWE waiting to pull the trigger on these two talents? I am afraid that they will end up like the Shelton's, MVP's and Morrison's...Great talents who never broke through the ceiling and erased from our memories....Your thoughts...

 

[ABMorales787]

Shelton Benjamin was an absolute bore that could move fast in the ring. He was perfectly fine in the midcard.

John Morrison was awful on the mic and was more about being fancy in the ring than good. He was a good fit where he was at.

Brian Kend... WHAT?!

Mr. Kennedy was always injured. No way to work on that.

MVP had a criminal record and lost interest in his performance. Not to mention he constantly needed to be carried to look good in the ring.

Now as far Ziggler and Kingston getting any permanency in the main event, hardly. You already said why Kofi isn't going anywhere. He's a kiddie attraction. That's it. Meanwhile Dolph is still very green in terms of performing in the main event. Would you really care to boo him if he were World Champion? He screams midcard heel and as long as major retooling doesn't come to make him seem like a genuine main event heel, he's not moving up anytime soon.

 

[DANIELBRYANrealwrestler]

I agree with Brian Kendrick and Mr Kennedy. Then Dolph and Kofi ofcourse deserve a little more than theyre getting.I'll start with Kofi hes great in the ring but lacks mic skills which is really i think the only thing holding him back,look at what mic skills did to the Miz, and even tho im a fan i can say his in ring is pretty bad imo,Remember they tried to push Kofi a few years ago while feuding with Randy?he looked like a credible next champ putting Orton threw a table,what i think they shud do is have Kofi feud for the IC or US title instead of a doubles competitor until he gets comfortable with dat mic then he'll reach his true potential.Dolph everyone knows hes great and no doubt vickie is holding him back(well they might split it seems) i really enjoyed his matches with CM Punk and wish their feud wouldve lasted longer, but hes also young and might not be ready to hold the championship so just like Kofi i think a few more IC or US title reigns would help them get use to carrying singles belts.

 

[JaceEvans]

Sometimes guys just are mid-card talent nothing wrong with that, WWE has a use for them. Guys like Razor Ramon and Roddy Piper never got world title reigns and still had fulfilling careers. Plus what's wrong with being a tag specialist? Not everyone needs to be a single star. If the Tag division is every going to return to former glory it needs credible wrestlers to fight for the straps.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Kofi Kingston isn't someone they'd highly invest in considering not many have much of an interest in him. He is an amazing athlete, but in a thread last week I made a comparison a lot of people continued using; Kofi Kingston is like the expensive lamp sitting in your living room you rarely switch on. It looks good, sometimes you stop and admire it, but the truth is it is there to fill an empty space and will never be used regularly unless other lamps begin to faulter; odd analogy but a pretty precise one if I do say so myself.

As for Dolph Ziggler, I like him. I like his look, his way of performing; despite acknowledging his shameless over-selling of the smallest moves as if were shot by a rifle, he is a good, useful talent and when bias isn't overwhelming peoples sight, he does tend to out-perform a vast amount of wrestlers currently contracted by the WWE.

But neither deserve anything more than the midcard spot they obtain. Kofi gains little interest and Dolph is the heel who people respect, but gets little heat despite being pushed as a top level heel. They've not got over and that is why Kofi is used in weird positions while Dolph is paired with the heat magnet Vickie Guerrero, without her he wouldn't get a reaction. They're good where they're at, I'm sure eventually Dolph will step into a higher position, but as for right now he is good where he's at.

 

[midgensa]

Kofi and Dolph simply are not there yet.

They seemed poised to take Kofi in another direction with his quick feud with Randy Orton, but it fizzled out and the E decided they needed to move him back to the midcard for an even longer stay ... and it really is the only place for him.

He is fun in the ring, he is a solid "step up" midcarder that you can throw in the ring to job to main event heels, but as a serious threat for the strap? C'mon man. I mean ... his entire gimmick is, "Hey, I am from Jamaica!" He is still a long ways off ... probably needs a heel turn of some sort.

As for Ziggler, they seem ready to make his move to the top of the card AGAIN. The last couple of times they have worked, but in the end, he just was not as interesting as other heels at the top ... maybe he is ready now and will bring something else to the table. I like him in the ring, think he has the look, and he is decent on the mic. So, maybe you will finally hit on a guy.

By the way: Mentioning Brian Kendrick as a guy who was "missed on" never helps your cause.

 

[Rayne]

Jeeeeesus, some of those people on that list. Killjoy covered most of them, and I'll agree with most of his statements except for Morrison. His mic skills weren't great, but they were both workable and improvable. The man wasn't really given many long segments to go with after ECWWE folded up.

Others? Mr. Kenderson, how's he been doing over in TNA/IW? He was hot for a few months, and now they struggle to find stuff for him to do- or they aren't interested in using him. He is an asshole, in a way that doesn't endear himself to his employers. MVP's shining moment in the WWE was his feud with Matt Hardy (who was still viewed as a worthwhile human being at that time, remember), which carried on for months because one of the other kept getting hurt. No one gives a shit about Brian Kendrick. Make that gave a shit, as he is MIA. They tried with Shelton- no one cared about him, or his mama.

So we get to Kofi. No one gives a shit about Kofi either. He's a capable performer, but he'll hover around the midcard and I have an unsettling feeling he's only in the midcard as a token black. Notice how he's always on the outside of other people's stories now? No one cares what Kofi's doing, they just like seeing him around. He wouldn't be missed for more than a month.

Dolph? I wonder about that myself. I just don't think he connects with people. He's been nudged to the top of the card, again and again and again, and people just aren't having it. Look at people like Daniel Bryan; he's been around the WWE for far less time, but fans have ate him right up. The rub Daniel Bryan got was from Big Show and freakin' Mark Henry. Meanwhile, Dolph's had the walking heat machine Vickie Guerrero attached to him, had a program with Edge, was handed a world's championship, and still gets heat dubbed into his taped performances. He's got all those traditional skills that people have been watching for a while notice, but I think he's lacking in that certain 'it' factor that's hard to quantify.

 

[asiatic7]

By the way: Mentioning Brian Kendrick as a guy who was "missed on" never helps your cause.

LOL!!! Overall , maybe...But for a While, It seemed like he was going to be the next HBK(92) when Big Zeke was his bodyguard. I thought that was interesting. He's a good in ring performer I think.

 

[asiatic7]

Does anybody remember MVP's feud with Benoit...Oops are we supposed to say his name? They had a great match @ WM23 and a great 2 out of 3 falls match the next month. I think that feud and his undeniable charisma put him on the map! Shelton Benjamin is a human highlight film... a film that boasts some epic moments from MITB matches, a Gold Rush match on RAW against HBK and a memorable IC run. I wonder what would have happened if WWE didn't pull the plug on the Gold Standard character. John Morrison, another highlight reel! "The Prince Of Hardcore" had a hell of a rivalry with Sheamus that people seem to forget about. They had an incredible ladder match and he dominated The Great White in that feud! Morrison's title match against Miz was an instant classic for one reason...He carried Miz the whole way! Mr. Kennedy...Kennedy was fuckin' OVER! Sure, a lot of his unraveling was his own doing. The WWE had some great storylines lined up for him (MITB cash in @ mania, McMahon's illegit son), and injuries and wellness policies was his downfall. But keep in mind, The last straw was the Randy Orton incident. Randy Orton, WWE's worst offender. The former drug addict, Dishonorable discharge, diva disrespecting, hotel trashing, wellness policy evading..."superstar" gets injured more times than I care to count, but he's a multiple time World/WWE champion.

The point of the thread is this haters... When you have talent, don't let it go to waste. I'd hate to see Kofi and Dolph not get what they deserve. World title runs, why not? We have seen people with less talent win the big belts (Great Khali). We have seen guys have great rookie years and end up being a dissapointment (Brock), guys who were not so much great embassadors to the company(Warrior) become top stars, guys who direspect the past(that happed to be Batista before Booker T got a hold of his ass!), I can go on and on. While you DON'T have to agree with me I feel we have sat through more than enough failed experiments and the pure talent sometimes gets overlooked. By the way, throw Matt Hardy on my list too! He should have been World Champion on Smackdown around 2007 when he was hot, but instead we had to settle for Khali... Do you sort of get my point now?

 

[HBsam31]

I am not sure Kofi will ever be main event material, but it looks like they may finally being going that way with Dolph. If he breaks out on his own, he may be able to climb farther up the ladder. He has all the tools in my opinion. With Kofi they tried in his feud with Orton a while back and for whatever reason it didn't pan out. I don't see him ever going after the top title.

 

[One to Remember]

Does anybody remember MVP's feud with Benoit...Oops are we supposed to say his name? They had a great match @ WM23 and a great 2 out of 3 falls match the next month. I think that feud and his undeniable charisma put him on the map! Shelton Benjamin is a human highlight film... a film that boasts some epic moments from MITB matches, a Gold Rush match on RAW against HBK and a memorable IC run. I wonder what would have happened if WWE didn't pull the plug on the Gold Standard character. John Morrison, another highlight reel! "The Prince Of Hardcore" had a hell of a rivalry with Sheamus that people seem to forget about. They had an incredible ladder match and he dominated The Great White in that feud! Morrison's title match against Miz was an instant classic for one reason...He carried Miz the whole way! Mr. Kennedy...Kennedy was fuckin' OVER! Sure, a lot of his unraveling was his own doing. The WWE had some great storylines lined up for him (MITB cash in @ mania, McMahon's illegit son), and injuries and wellness policies was his downfall. But keep in mind, The last straw was the Randy Orton incident. Randy Orton, WWE's worst offender. The former drug addict, Dishonorable discharge, diva disrespecting, hotel trashing, wellness policy evading..."superstar" gets injured more times than I care to count, but he's a multiple time World/WWE champion.

hes the Prince of Parkour not Hardcore.. Thats like calling Stone Cold "Bone Mold" Steve Dalton.. Are you serious..? BENOIT BENOIT WHAT GOOD GOD ALMIGHT CHRIS BENOIT. There its okay again..

Now you got some valid points with Shelly there. He definitely reinforced multiman matches, he had skills, athletic ability, and I feel like he and Lesnar looking at their back grounds and OVW history were two halves of the same coin. I think one key issue was the timing of his heel turn. I could see him as a cocky arrogant heel but that Gold Standard gimmick came SOOOO late in his run that i think the brass was already wore out trying to push him to the top. His feud with triple H showed me he could hold his own in the main event but a face Benjamin never could hold that torch. Not every wrestler can move between both moralities.. He should had been a heel ECW champion and took it from there.. It wasn't Kennedy's fault that he got injured. I think there was a bit of politiking involved in his release. Mr. Kennedy was alot better then Mr. Anderson. I dont see him returning to WWE unless he is willing to bring the TNA belt with him and even then they might not give him a WWE or WHC title.. Morrison is a face, I feel he plateaus at the I-C title, not even the ECW brand title but I could see him winning a touney for the title and thats it. I dont see him feuding with a World champ and going par to par..

As far as double standards for Orton, I know a few Dishonorable Dischargees doing better then their "honorable counterparts. As veterans they still get their checks for seeing action too.. As far as his injuries, his output outweighs those set backs. If he had been doing these things in 2002 or 3 yeah he would had been showed the door but one of the perks of working your way up the latter anywhere is increased leeway and being on the nicer side of your boss' discretion.. As far as the divas, hes a young guy, we all hurt girls.. maybe they should be less sensitive about flings and one niters? As for the trashing of rooms, as long as WWE made him pay for it who gives a fuck?

The point of the thread is this haters... When you have talent, don't let it go to waste. I'd hate to see Kofi and Dolph not get what they deserve. World title runs, why not? We have seen people with less talent win the big belts (Great Khali). We have seen guys have great rookie years and end up being a dissapointment (Brock), guys who were not so much great embassadors to the company(Warrior) become top stars, guys who direspect the past(that happed to be Batista before Booker T got a hold of his ass!), I can go on and on. While you DON'T have to agree with me I feel we have sat through more than enough failed experiments and the pure talent sometimes gets overlooked. By the way, throw Matt Hardy on my list too! He should have been World Champion on Smackdown around 2007 when he was hot, but instead we had to settle for Khali... Do you sort of get my point now?

I dont think Matt "deserved" a World title but i think putting a strap on him would be a worthwhile experiment just to see reaction. The same as with Steamboat and the NWA title.. Simmons and the WCW title or Whipwreck and the ECW title.. As far as Khali is concerned you cant be this stupid. How the hell can an orginization justify having men like Khali, Big Show, Morgan, Giant Gonzales, Andre, or others on their rosters with no titles to their credit? When you have men like that off by themselves not going anywhere it destroys the credibility of the sport and takes away from the other wrestlers. Its not reasonable to think HHH or CM punk could hold their own against the Big Slow or the One Chop Wonder.. its just not realistic..

Kofi needs to defect to another league. Hes like where Austin was in WCW or Hogan in the AWA.. He just cant go any further in this federation but he can use his momentum here to help him elsewhere.. Batista was disrespecting his peers not history.. Of course he got a false sense of greatness when he rose thru the ranks quicker then Booker T or Benoit, Guerrero, Savage, Bret Hart, or others. He became WHC like 2 years after his debut as Batista.. He was given a lot at a fast pace.

Dolph Ziggler needs to take steps up the ladder at the same pace that a midcard heel in his position would do in the '70s or '80s. He needs to study Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect and Superstar Billy Graham. They need to make sure he doesn't get off track too. U.S. title, I-C title, WWE title. His lower end accomplishments need to be fresh in the minds of fans when he unseats the WWE champion. He needs to work on getting clean victories as a heel and needs to shed Vicki before he makes the final plunge but not until she can give him a good boost.

Kofi does seem like the token black guy at times. I think him jumping to TNA and putting him on tv would reenergize him. I think a role or attitude similar to the one Austin displayed in ECW would send him over the top but hes gotta jump ship.

 

[iwinulose]

1.Sheton Benjamin - Meh not world title material.

2.John Morrison - Pissed off that he wasn't given a wwe/whc run, he had it all other then mic skills, but those could have been improved had the effort been properly put into him.. loved him, sucked when he left, waste of talent, instead the wwe used the miz....

3.Brian Kendrick - Moving on.

4.Mr. Kennedy - He is injury prone.... Not any good if after 3 or so months with the title he gets injured.

5.MVP - Yes i liked him a lot but he wanted to wrestle, so he went to Japan.

Dolph Ziggler is awesome, totally a main eventer in the very near future love the guy he is great. He isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Kofi Kingston rocks. he is great inring, his mic skills could use improving but he needs the effort put into him for him to get any better, and the wwe doesn't seem interested which sucks cause he is a great talent. But he is a attraction for the kids so he isn't going anywhere any time soon.

 

[dman1373]

whatever happend to the absolute best wrestlers being world champions. I guess the world heavyweight title is now a midcard belt but the wwe championship should only be for those that have proved they can draw.

 

[One to Remember]

oh yeah, and MVP. He like quit because he wasn't happy in WWE but he was going places just not as fast as he felt it should had been. I respect that. His criminal record means nothing, IDK why that was brought up. It means things when he can't get visas or passports but hes good to go in the Land of the Rising Sun.. Booker T has a record, Flair's is still growing, both Hardy Boys love the pokey, I think Mr. Sato had beaten a deputy to a pulp once.. Snuka's lucky he wasn't indited, convicted, and executed for some of the illegalities hes been accused of.. MVP's stature in WWE because of his record still pales in comparison to Art Barr's demise in WCW because of his conviction..

 

[lowandmighty]

Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston simply aren't that good thats why wwe hasn't done anything with them. They are just mid card type guys. Ziggler is way too much of an over actor and Kingston is just the steriotypical sun soaked black guy. he's too nice to be anything huge. Neither of them have that certain x factor that could keep them at the top.

Having said that they are better in my opinion than Daniel Bryan who's devalued the world heavyweight championship by putting his lame ass hands on it. The fact he got a match for the belt at wrestle mania is an embarrassment to the legacy of the show. I would much rather have seen Kingston or Ziggler take the belt into wrestlemania than him. The more I see daniel bryan the less I like wwe. I've even started to watch tna recently. Its scary.

 

[asiatic7]

I love all these ignorant "Token black guy" comments about Kofi. You guys really show your age and intellect level...There are other black wrestlers on the roster. Again, my point is this...he's a pure talent, TALENT! Like Rey Mysterio, Steamboat and nothing against those guys, they are great ring workers, mic skills...no. But if Kofi was in more high profile feuds with an actual storyline, he just might blossom into a future World Champion! He's not given the opportunity. Let the fans decide if they wanna follow this guy. They say it's about the fans and what they want, right? I wanna see pure WRESTLING TALENT, not fucking Johnny Ace! So much for "People Power"...

 

[One to Remember]

I love all these ignorant "Token black guy" comments about Kofi. You guys really show your age and intellect level...There are other black wrestlers on the roster. Again, my point is this...he's a pure talent, TALENT! Like Rey Mysterio, Steamboat and nothing against those guys, they are great ring workers, mic skills...no. But if Kofi was in more high profile feuds with an actual storyline, he just might blossom into a future World Champion! He's not given the opportunity. Let the fans decide if they wanna follow this guy. They say it's about the fans and what they want, right? I wanna see pure WRESTLING TALENT, not fucking Johnny Ace! So much for "People Power"...

even if your one of ten Blax that dont mean that you cant be a token Black guy.. its more then numbers, sometimes its your persona, what people would perceive of you off the bat, and your acts. Kofi is a token, MVP was not, Benjamin was not.. Like Vincent was in the NWO.. or JYD.. in the WWF.. Kofi is strickly for the kiddies which makes him look even more like a failure sincde we are in the PG era of all eras.. Mysterio had talent in WCW not WWE..

 

[lowandmighty]

I love all these ignorant "Token black guy" comments about Kofi. You guys really show your age and intellect level...There are other black wrestlers on the roster. Again, my point is this...he's a pure talent, TALENT! Like Rey Mysterio, Steamboat and nothing against those guys, they are great ring workers, mic skills...no. But if Kofi was in more high profile feuds with an actual storyline, he just might blossom into a future World Champion! He's not given the opportunity. Let the fans decide if they wanna follow this guy. They say it's about the fans and what they want, right? I wanna see pure WRESTLING TALENT, not fucking Johnny Ace! So much for "People Power"...

Well its true! Kofi is the stereotypical Jamaican guy even though he's not booked from there anymore and they didn't really change a lot when they revealed he's from Ghana. He's just the colourful African guy. Look at his ring attire its ridiculous!
Having said all that I do agree he has great wrestling skills but his character lacks that x factor to get him into serious contention for top spot. I think they can work the African dude gimmick but they need to turn him heel and make him more like an Idi Amin sort of character, the only thing is he doesn't really have the size for it. He needs to lose the sun soaked black guy gimmick before he can really be taken seriously in my opinion.