Kofi Kingston is a worldwide celebrity and legitimate star. A mainstay of the WWE roster for a decade, he has outdone his contemporaries both in terms of relevance (Jack Swagger, Zack Ryder, etc.), durability (Daniel Bryan, Edge, etc.), and patience (Batista, CM Punk, etc.).
It's that last virtue, patience, that has resulted in Kofi's big opportunity today: headling a major show in Japan against international combat sports sensation, Brock Lesnar. Other major WWE luminaries such as Randy Orton, Sting, and Roman Reigns are forced to watch from the locker room. The question on everyone's mind is: Why Kofi Kingston? Why not one of a dozen other seemingly "bigger" stars?
The answer is simple: WWE doesn't want Brock Lesnar to lose.
If anyone is going to beat Lesnar, The Authority seems to prefer WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins. While Lesnar losing this weekend wouldn't ruin the main event at Battlegound entirely, it would blunt much of the sheen from that marquee matchup.
Psst... I have a filthy little secret: Kofi can absolutely win this bout.
He's a main event talent masquerading as a mid-card warm body. I wouldn't regard him as a favorite, but if everything breaks just right, Kofi possesses the athleticism and dynamic offense to disorient and ground The Beast. Remember Kofi's feud against Randy Orton that culminated in that huge bout against (an oddly bald-headed and alien-like) Randy Orton at Madison Square Garden? Adding to Lesnar's peril is the fact that his chief confidant and strategist, Paul Heyman, isn't going to make the trip to Japan. That removes much of Lesnar's ability to adapt on-the-fly to the improvisational Kingston.
Of course, Brock's Plan A, B, and C are to give Kofi a special guided tour through the highways and byways of Suplex City, USA. If that happens, then a Lesnar victory is all but assured. Yet, isn't it more than feasible that Kingston rises to the occasion and gets lucky with an early Trouble in Paradise or another such high impact offensive maneuver? If so, look for Kofi to press his advantage and Lesnar, ever the frontrunner, to have difficulty recovering.
It's taken years for Kofi to earn this opportunity, and one wonders if the Ghana native has been sandbagging WWE in hopes of sneaking into a major spot. We'll have to wait for Kofi's tell-all book for the answer, but Kofi is no stranger to deception to further his career. This is a guy who posed as a Jamaican national for years, phony accent and all, in an effort to better market himself!
By the time you read this article, you'll know if Kofi was able to upset the balance of power in WWE by defeating Brock Lesnar. In the end, it doesn't really matter. Kofi is the big winner here, in victory or defeat.
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OFFICIAL WRESTLER WRANKINGS FORMULA
ANY WIN = 2 POINTS
US OR INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE BOUT = 1 POINT
WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE BOUT = 3 POINTS
NON "BIG 4" PPV BONUS = 1.5X
SUMMERSLAM, SURVIVOR SERIES, ROYAL RUMBLE = 2X BONUS
WRESTLEMANIA = 3X BONUS
The WWE season begins on the day after WrestleMania 31 and culminates with WrestleMania 32. The wrestler who accumulates the most points over the course of the season, wins the coveted Wrankings Championship!
Monday Night Raw-- 6/29/15
Main Event-- 6/30/15
Smackdown-- 7/2/15
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WRESTLER WRANKINGS, WEEK 14 *TOP TEN*
1. Seth Rollins -- 41 points
2. Neville -- 38
3. Ryback -- 37
4. Dean Ambrose -- 32.5
5. John Cena -- 32
6. Roman Reigns -- 25.5
7. Bad News Barrett -- 24.5
T8. Dolph Ziggler -- 23.5
T8. Sheamus -- 23.5
10. Randy Orton -- 23
Thanks for reading, Cagesiders. We'll see you back here next week!