Is Kofi Kingston Truly on His Way Up in WWE?

After spending years languishing in WWE’s midcard, Kofi Kingston has been the recipient of a renewed push over the past month, as the company attempts to get him to finally live up to his full potential.

Kofi has spent the past month feuding with The Miz, even defeating “The Awesome One” for the prestigious Intercontinental Championship at last week’s Main Event on ION. He retained the title in their rematch at this past Sunday’s Hell in a Cell, once again winning clean with his finishing move Trouble in Paradise.

The title victory, coupled with his high-profile spot on TV as a foil to Miz, has heightened his profile in WWE. He’s now more over and relevant than he’s been in years—in fact, not since he was trashing Randy Orton’s car right in front of Legacy has he looked to have such potential.

So, what now? Is it all smooth sailing for Kofi on his way to the top of the card?

Well, that’s a difficult question to contemplate—and there’s no easy answer,

It does have to be pointed out that WWE’s lack of solid babyface characters works in his favour.

At a time when the company is faced with a dearth of talent, a popular, hard-working midcarder like Kofi can serve as a huge asset. Regardless of what it has him doing, he will always have a decent spot on the roster.

However, the possibility of Kofi moving up to the main-event scene is hindered by a few things.

For one thing, Kingston, while likable in his role and a terrific in-ring performer, still lacks the fiery charisma and intensity you would like one of your big stars to have. No matter how hard the company tries to give him an edge—most of his feud with Miz revolves around the usually calm and easy-going Kofi showing previously unseen passion in his quest for title gold—he still comes off as rather bland and dull.

It’s hard to imagine him ever being the guy you build the company around, a la John Cena. Maybe Kofi’s natural spot is simply in the midcard—not everyone is meant to be a main eventer, after all.

The only time Kofi has shown even a modicum of charisma when he was exchanging verbal shots with The Miz, an ultra-talented performer who can bring out the best in anyone on the mic.

Once the feud with The Miz is behind him, how will Kofi cope? It’s hard to believe he can work entertaining feuds with the likes of Heath Slater or Antonio Cesaro, and it seems possible—maybe even likely—that he will gradually sink back down to his lower-card spot, regardless of whether he has the title or not.

It will be interesting to see how Kofi’s career develops from here. He’s got renewed passion thanks to the most recent program, but in many ways is still burdened by the same issues that have hindered him during his time in WWE.