Kofi Kingston’s 5 Best WWE Matches

Kofi Kingston hasn’t been given nearly enough recognition throughout his 11 year tenure in WWE. Fortunately things seem to be turning in his favour on the Road to WrestleMania, as Kofi finds himself in the World Championship picture against Daniel Bryan. Despite it taking this long for Kofi to be given that due credit, he’s put in WrestleMania quality performances all throughout his singles and tag careers.

With his humble beginnings being forged as part of the WWE’s shoddy attempt at ECW, Kofi took the singles division by storm, capturing several mid-card championships and seemingly destined to be the company’s future. Unfortunately as time slipped by, Kofi was lost in the shuffle amongst other burgeoning stars of the decade. Kingston found a saving grace in The New Day, who were so naturally over that WWE couldn’t help but market them as one of their top stars collectively.

Let’s take a walk back through Kofi’s career and look at what made him one of the most lovable veterans of the modern era, just in time for when he headlines WrestleMania in the biggest match of his career to date.

 

5. Kofi Kingston vs. Cesaro – Main Event (May 1st 2013)

A relatively unknown match that should be regarded more than it is. Main Event occasionally manages to pump out a hidden gem, one of their best is the United States Championship match between Kingston and Cesaro. For those who still aren’t quite won over by Kofi’s in-ring work then look no further than this match here. A pure technical masterclass between the two who naturally have amazing chemistry.

Kofi’s performance rallied the crowd behind him almost instantly, it’s shocking that it took WWE until now to realise how popular Kofi is with the crowd. If anything, watch this match for the most human of post-match promos, where Kingston celebrated his title defence by addressing his wife and newborn son at home. An amazing match headlined by an amazing moment for Kofi.

 

4. Kofi Kingston vs. Brock Lesnar – Beast in the East

Another example of just how popular Kofi can be with the audience. Despite being involved in a total squash match against the dominating Brock Lesnar in front of an international fanbase, the sound of ‘Kofi, Kofi, Kofi’ serenaded us. Kofi was naturally going into this match as the loser, but it goes a long way if you can make a Brock match into something more than a tedious slog.

Kofi Kingston was given a massive rub here, even if it was for being on the receiving end of a dozen German Suplexes. I would certainly consider the match in Japan as one of Kofi’s greatest moments in general, maybe one day there will be a rematch between the two once Kofi is finally an established main eventer, maybe the result will be different, who knows.

 

3. Kofi Kingston vs Chris Jericho – Night of Champions 2008

Another mid-card title victory for Kingston took place a few years earlier at Night of Champions 2008, in a match that also happened to be his main roster debut. Kofi fought against Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental title in what was an insanely good match, establishing Kingston as a great worker with heaps of potential.

As mentioned in our last ‘Best of’ feature, Chris Jericho has a habit of putting over the next generation of talent. Of course this was no exception to that rule, despite somewhat of a tainted finish thanks to an interfering Shawn Michaels, Kofi was able to pick up the win after a devastating Trouble in Paradise.

 

2. The New Day vs The Usos vs The Lucha Dragons – TLC 2015

The culmination of the three greatest tag teams of their time, The New Day, The Usos and The Lucha Dragons battled in a crazy three-way ladders match for the Tag Team Championships. The legacy left behind by the likes of New Day and The Usos really started alongside Kalisto and Sin Cara in this match.

All three teams really pushed the limits with some insanely innovative spots, the most memorable of which being Kalisto hitting one of the Usos with a huge SDS off the top of the ladder. Kofi took some ridiculous punishment throughout the match too, showing us some diversity in his performances, he can not only put on a mat classic but also take it to the extreme when necessary.

This was the peak of The New Day’s legendary title run, which lasted almost 500 days. Going in as heels, the three excelled as champions of the division, consistently putting on some of the most exciting televised matches. Kofi’s had some impressive runs with the likes of R-Truth and Evan Bourne but nothing compares to how hot he was as part of the heel New Day faction.

 

1. The Gauntlet Match – Smackdown (February 13th 2019)

Truly an instant classic, a superstar-making event. Kofi Kingston absolutely picked up the ball and sprinted with it in this marathon of a match, defeating some top-tier superstars; Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe and even the WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan. Kofi screamed in his closing moments “I’ve waited 11 years for this” and never have I felt more empathetic towards a professional wrestler.

Everyone wants this as much as Kofi Kingston does and seeing him slowly defy expectations in this match made for a really fun hour. This match should forever be known as the moment KofiMania was born, with an eruption of support from social media and the fans in attendance.

If Kofi doesn’t win the championship at WrestleMania 35 then it’ll be a massive anti-climax following the gauntlet match and his equally impressive performance in the Elimination Chamber. This is his moment and it all started on a random episode of Smackdown Live.

Watch this match.

So there are our five best Kofi matches from the past 11 years. Did we miss any? Have we been ‘stupid’? Let us know in the comments below.