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What did Kofi possess that Rusev or Nakamura did not?

4K views 65 replies 56 participants last post by  Lesnar Turtle 
#1 ·
So I don't think anybody could really argue that Russev & Nakamura at a time had a lot of fan support behind them, but they just failed to go all the way like Kofi Kingston.... is there a particular reason you think this happened was it because of kofi's back story ,was it timing or what?
 
#3 ·
Kofi was simply lucky and in the right spot at the right time. An injury allowed him to get in the match, and as averagejoe said he had a really good match and got hot because of it. It has nothing to do with what he has compared to someone else. When you sense that someone is hot you have to pull the trigger and capitalize on it.
 
#4 ·
Kofi got hot at the right time because of injury to Mustafa and right before Mania with no obvious opponent for Bryan in sight.

But more than timing, Kofi had those 11 years of being in front of the fans faces, becoming a lovable figure. And once fans saw an opening for him at the main event level, they got behind him and stayed behind him.

Nakamura, while talented, doesn't have the amount of time Kofi has put in and while booking did let him down, he didn't put his best performances out there, unlike Kofi has recently. And Rusev, he could have been in Kofi's spot, though I believe Kofi is better suited for the role. But the timing was never right.
 
#8 ·
Timing man, its extremely important in a lot of things.

Kofi wasn't even supposed to be there. Unfortunately Mustafa got injured so in goes Kofi who put in two incredible performers in the gauntlet match then in the elimination chamber.

Look at Stone Cold. Triple H was supposed to be in and win King of the Ring. H got punished cause of the curtain call. Out goes Triple H in goes Stone Cold and cut that "Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass." Took off like a rocket right there
 
#9 · (Edited)
Kofi was vastly more over. That's it. Rusev and Nakamura were over but they were never the most over person in the company at the moment, whereas somehow Kofi got more over than Becky.

Until he won at least. Now the novelty's worn off, thankfully, it seems like. Not that I expect them to correct course, mind you. They've already committed, and once Vince commits to something bad, he'll keep going.
 
#62 ·
I think you're underestimating how over Rusev Day was dude.

Rusev Day sustained it longer too, Kofi is already losing steam.

Anyway, obviously he got super over, he also had timing in his favour. Rusev Dat peaked at Mania 34 when they already had their big matches planned. Kofi got super over a month or so before Mania when they only had like 2 big Mania matches in place. People point to Mustafa Ali, but it was Kevin Owens who was the big loser of Kofi getting over.
 
#10 ·
For me Nakamura was ruined in his very first match with Ziggler, what a terrible match.
Rusev was ruined after his dog-shit match with Orton on Smackdown, even the mid-card looks too high for him now.

But Kofi in nine years has never been less than good, often great and occasionally exceptional, and to coin a phrase 'he deserved it.'
 
#12 ·
I think Kofi's long tenure is part of what got him into the position he is in. I don't think Nakamura was on anywhere near the same level of popularity as the other two, but I feel that both he doesn't care that much, and that Vince probably isn't all that high on him to begin with? Kofi is their guy, Nakamura is not. The Rusev thing is truly baffling, they gave him that one US title win, but they just weren't going with that at all. Ridiculous. I do think that timing is definitely key too, yes. It was Wrestlemania season, and he was going against a big bad heel, and there was nobody else around to take the spotlight from him.
 
#14 ·
In my opinion, I don't think that you can discount the number of WWE fans that have been waiting to get behind Kingston for a moment such as this where he's competing for the WWE title. It was a long time coming and a well deserved moment for him. On the other hand, it has nothing to do with luck. Sometimes things occur in life for a reason because it was meant to happen in the way that it did happen. However, the person still must seize the opportunity that's in front of him or her. And Kingston did that. Perhaps, he has a story worth reading about because many people can see themselves in his situation at their jobs. That is to say, people are working very hard for several years to climb the ladder but seldom reach the pinnacle. So, they can sympathize with him. Therefore, Kingston is an easier person to relate to because you can respect him for the grind that he's on.

Why hasn't it happened for wrestlers, such as Rusev or Nakamura? I don't know. I mean, you can ask this same question about Joe.

In my opinion, I compare Rusev to Strowman. That is to say, they both were hot when they were initially pushed as a monster heel. But then, they'd cooled off. Unfortunately, that could've more to do with the booking committee and the lack of faith they or Mr. McMahon have in this wrestler. Ditto for Nakamura. Or, there was backstage heat on one or both of them at some point which contributed to their regression from their initial push.
 
#17 ·
Tyrion said:
...Not that I expect them to correct course, mind you. They've already committed, and once Vince commits to something bad, he'll keep going.
I don't see Kofi being champion beyond the summer. I think there's a good chance Owens beats him for the gold and then drops it to Roman, or Roman wins it from Kofi at some point. Either way, that's where the title is headed.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Kofi was more over, always has been even since they first thought of pushing him back in 2009, the man always had a way of firing up a crowd.

Nakamura was dead the moment he hit main roster, the crowd have slowly lost interest in him since then. Is he even still on TV?

As for Rusev, the whole Rusev Day gimmick was 80% Aiden English... No one cared about Rusev and it shows now since when they split them. Rusev has been exposed without English to be his hype guy.

Kofi has consistently been over throughout his career. The man is just so likable. Every time he came out he got a good reaction, mostly from casuals back then, and now he has the hardcore audience too, so Kofi pretty much nailed both demographics, Rusev and Nakamura really only appeal to small groups of hardcore fans. I dont even think most hardcore fans care about them anymore lol. Kofi pretty much nailed demographics that Cena and Reigns couldn't lol. Shame he cannot boost ratings but you cannot win them all.
 
#27 ·
Well personally I've complained A LOT about how WWE has underused Rusev. They guy has all the tools to be a legit main eventer if they'd just give him the chance.

That being said, Kofi was a case of "catching fire at the right time."

-He's been a popular babyface in WWE for a long time, but people had given up hope that he'd ever be put in this position. So when he finally looked like he might, people jumped onboard.

-He caught fire not that long before Mania, and there was no other set WWE title match/feud at the time. And he did so close enough to the show that WWE couldn't overbook it to death like they love to do.

-He got an unexpected opportunity with Mustafa Ali getting injured, and made the most of it by putting on great performances in the gauntlet match and EC.

-Etc.
 
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