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Kofi Kingston may have just turned in the greatest performance of his life of tonight's episode of SmackDown Live. His insertion into the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship in the place of the concussed Mustafa Ali, was announced, and so he competed in a gauntlet match with the rest of Sunday's competitors.
Kingston wrestled out of his mind for over 50 minutes and picked up shocking pinfalls over the WWE Champion Daniel Bryan, Jeff Hardy, and Samoa Joe. While he eventually tapped out to AJ Styles, Kingston's outing was so exceptional that it had fans dreaming of a WWE Championship reign that has eluded him thus far in his career.
While it may be a little too soon to go all in on Kingston off the back of this one performance, let us have a look at how WWE could get to that point should that be their wish.
Elimination Chamber
At Elimination Chamber Kofi ought to put in a very similar performance to the one he did tonight on SmackDown. Kingston should enter the match at the very start, which is feasible as the only thing we know in terms of order is Randy Orton will be entering last.
Prior to the match, Kingston could share a backstage moment with Edge, who robbed Kingston of his spot in a Chamber match so many years ago, the moment would give Kingston a rub in terms of both popularity and credibility and would be a nice nod to Kingston's long history on the main roster.
In the match itself, Kingston should battle fiercely against the odds. He can take quite the beating from each fresh star entering the match but ought to pick up scrappy pinfalls and provide some high-flying moments to show off his skillset and keep the crowd believing he can score the upset.
Ultimately, it is likely too soon to have Kingston win the match, but by having Kingston either fight through to a final showdown with Daniel Bryan or only succumb to an RKO by a fresh Randy Orton in the match's closing stages, Kingston can further endear himself to the crowd and WWE can gauge just whether or not they are ready to take a gamble on him.
Fastlane
Following Elimination Chamber, Kingston should be out for revenge, appearing more serious and focused than the WWE Universe is used to seeing him. He can explain that after coming so close to winning his first ever WWE Championship that has eluded him his entire career, he now wants even more.
He can take on either Orton or Rowan on a SmackDown before Fastlane, depending on who out of Orton or Bryan eliminated him at Elimination Chamber, and come out victorious, heightening his credibility after years in WWE's mid card. Kingston can qualify for a scramble type match like we saw last year, where the winner will take on Daniel Bryan for the title at WrestleMania.
The multi-man match can feature the likes of Randy Orton, AJ Styles, Mustafa Ali, and maybe even John Cena, leaving Kingston once again as a clear underdog. In this match, however, Kingston should be more dominant, coming close to picking up the victory on a number occasions before finally picking up the victory and booking his place at WrestleMania.
WrestleMania build
With the WrestleMania main event set, Kingston can come down to the ring with a message for Daniel Bryan. He can talk about his long career in the WWE, all the things he's seen and accomplished and how he was even a fan of Bryan in his earlier days. Kingston can explain that while he hasn't always been the most successful or most beloved superstar in the WWE, what has always been at the heart of his wrestling career has been fun.
He can admonish Bryan for taking that very same fun out of wrestling and, in doing so, make a little more sense of Bryan's vegan, morally conscious villainy that can be somewhat difficult to root against at times. Kingston can acknowledge this is the biggest opportunity of his career and be aware that he is unlikely to ever get another should he fail.
As the weeks go by Bryan can question whether Kingston is ready for such a big stage, mock Kofi's claims that fun has any place in professional wrestling and grow frustrated with the New Day's antics.
WrestleMania
On the Grandest Stage of Them All, Kingston can appear at the top of the ramp with both Xavier Woods and Big E but send them both to the back, sending the clear message that he feels he has to do this alone. He can look determined in the early goings of the match and narrowly avoid being rolled up and shocked by the champion, hinting at his lack of experience in big match situations.
Eventually though Kingston should build up some momentum and come up with a number of near falls to tease the audience. At the match's conclusion, WWE can choose to either have Kingston come up agonizingly short of achieving his dreams or pull the trigger on a Kingston title reign that is sure to be greatly received.
Kingston could pin the champion and be swamped by his two stable-mates charging down from the back to congratulate him. While this is a long way from becoming a reality, it's hard to argue it would be an enormous feel good moment and one Kingston surely deserves for all his hard work.
