As we etch closer and closer to WrestleMania, the WWE Championship match seems to get more enticing by the day. Will Kofi finally win? Will Big E turn on Kofi? Will “The New” Daniel Bryan retain? Sadly, I don’t have the answers to any of these questions yet but what I do know, is that Kofi Kingston is one of the greatest wrestlers in recent history. Athletic, innovative & undeniably reliable, Kofi Kingston has been with WWE for over 11 years and he’s finally getting his break with a shot at the WWE Championship at WrestleMania. With his match at WrestleMania looming, I thought it would be a great time to look back through the career of Kofi Kingston and pick out my 5 favourite Kofi Kingston matches of all time. Now, I am not going to count any of the Money in the Bank ladder matches or Royal Rumble matches that Kofi has been in but rather am going to try to stick to singles and tag team matches. Without further ado, let’s get right into it.
5: Big E & Kofi Kingston vs Lucha Dragons vs The Usos – Tag Team Championship Ladder Match,TLC 2015
This match was incredible and there were many, many memorable moments. The ladder was used in so many unique ways and every single team showed off their athletic prowess. These teams beat the life out of each other and all the ways each team used the ladder was incredible. Kofi took some incredibly bumps in this match but this match isn’t known for that. This match is known for the salida del sol, off the ladder, through a ladder. Sin Cara followed it up with a swanton bomb onto the ladder. Kofi showed off his great ladder match innovation in this and The New Day ended up holding the titles the titles after Xavier Woods threw a trombone at the back of Kalisto and Kofi Kingston ended up climbing to the top of the title to retrieve the titles. This match was hard-hitting and definitely very painful for all involved. For me at least, it was a great viewing experience and an excellent match.
4: Gauntlet Match – SmackDown Live (February 12, 2019)
The most recent match in this list and the one which started off all the love for Kofi Kingston, Kofi put in an over an hour performance in absolutely phenomenal effort. First up, Kofi had an over half an hour masterpiece against Daniel Bryan. I’d be tempted to put that match in by itself, it was phenomenal. Kofi showed off his athleticism throughout this matchup and both men put on an incredible performance. The gutsiness and heart of Kofi was shown as he managed to connect with the Trouble in Paradise as he countered the running knee to pick up his first pinfall of the match. Kofi then took on the equally innovative Jeff Hardy in a match of around ten minutes which saw an exhausted Kofi pick up the pin after an SOS. Kofi was then faced with the grave challenge of the ‘Destroyer’, Samoa Joe. Joe dominated Kofi throughout but just as Joe was about to win the coquina clutch, Kofi propelled himself off the turnbuckles and turned his weight to pin Joe. A pissed off Joe attacked & passed out Kofi who was then set to face AJ Styles. Kofi, exhausted and beaten still took on the challenge and put up a really good performance against Styles. Styles dominated for the most part but Kofi got some good offence in and even made me believe that he might just pick up the win. Styles ended up locking in the calf crusher to pick up the win. What a fantastic match and an excellent performance. This match turned out to be the start of the road to KofiMania which has seen Kofi compete in Elimination Chamber and put in a great performance on every episode of SmackDown Live for the past one and a half or so.
3: Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston – Intercontinental Championship, Night of Champions 2010
I absolutely loved this. Kofi was especially athletic and Dolph an incredibly good heel in this match. Kofi was bouncing all over the place and Dolph was doing everything he could to stop him. Both men gave each other their best shots and Dolph’s selling was great throughout. One of my favourite counter moments of all time was when Dolph managed to reverse an SOS into a sleeper hold. Watching the match back, it seems like either competitor could win at any point in the match. Ziggler managed to retain via pinfall after a zigzag but this match was great. A showcase of both mans athleticism and selling, it really is a showcase of two great professional wrestlers clashing and putting on an incredibly entertaining spectacle of a match. This may be a short match clocking in at under 13 minutes but every minute of the match is great.
2: Christian vs Kofi Kingston – Intercontinental Championship, SmackDown (May 14, 2010)
A match between two of my all-time favourites, this was absolutely superb and one of, if not the best Smackdown match of 2010. A match which marked the end of an Intercontinental Championship tournament, Christian & Kingston both put on the performance of their lives and delivered a really, really good match. With General Manager Teddy Long seated ringside, he watched on as the two went on and delivered a great match. Both men wrestle a really similar style and as such had excellent chemistry with each other. There was some great highflying, athleticism and some excellent counters. In fact, the counter work done in this match had to be some of the most unique and best I’ve ever seen. Christian managed to kickout out of an SOS but later in the match, Kofi Kingston hit Christian with a Trouble in Paradise for the victory and to win the Intercontinental Championship. This was an incredible match and I would definitely recommend finding it on the WWE Network and giving it a watch.
1: Kofi Kingston vs Cesaro – United States Championship, Main Event (May 1, 2013)
No, you are not hearing me wrong. My favourite Kofi Kingston match of all time was on Main Event. That makes me want to throw up just thinking about it. In what is my match of 2013, these two put on the best match in Main Event history. This is truly superb. Cesaro spent the whole match working the left leg of Kofi and showcasing his strength whilst Kofi showed off some incredible grappling, athleticism and heart. I’m not going to spoil the ending of this match as it is one of my favourites of all time. Seriously, just watch this match. It is ridiculously good.
With WrestleMania now only 4 nights away, I hope that this list gives you something to watch up until then. That’s it for now, have a great WrestleMania weekend.
