Welcome to a new series on the website, called Rating The Champ. This will follow my prior World Title Series, where I reviewed each and every WWE Heavyweight Champion in history from Hulk Hogan’s first title win in 1984 all the way to the current days. Money in the Bank cash-ins will not be included for obvious reasons, unless it was a proper match (ie: Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand 2006). Royal Rumble and battle royales won’t be included as well.
In this new series, I will rate all the PPV matches from each and every WWF/E Heavyweight Champion in history. To be fair, since this is the WWF/E title, I’ll only rate their PPV matches in the WWF/E. In this edition, we’ll be looking back at the PPV career of the one and only, former WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston.
2008
- Vs. Chris Jericho – WWE Intercontinental Chapionship (Night of Champions) **1/4
- W/ Mickie James vs. Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix – WWE Women’s & Intercontinental Championships (SummerSlam) *1/2
- W/ Team Batista vs. Team Orton (Survivor Series) ***
2009
- Money in the Bank Ladder Match (WrestleMania XXV) ***1/4
- Vs. MVP vs. William Regal vs. Matt Hardy – WWE United States Championship (Extreme Rules) **
- Six Pack Challenge – WWE United States Championship (Night of Champions) **3/4
- Vs. The Miz – WWE United States Championship (Breaking Point) **1/2
- Vs. The Miz vs. Jack Swagger – WWE United States Championship (Hell in a Cell) **1/4
- W/ Team RAW vs. Team SmackDown (Bragging Rights) ***1/4
- W/ Team Kofi vs. Team Orton (Survivor Series) ***1/2
- Vs. Randy Orton (TLC) ***1/4
2010
- RAW’s Elimination Chamber Match – WWE Championship (Elimination Chamber) ***1/4
- Money in the Bank Ladder Match (WrestleMania XXVI) ***1/2
- Vs. Drew McIntyre – WWE Intercontinental Championship (Over the Limit) *1/2
- Vs. Drew McIntyre – WWE Intercontinental Championship (Fatal 4 Way) ***1/4
- SmackDown’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank) ****
- Vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Intercontinental Championship (SummerSlam) *
- Vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Intercontinental Championship (Night of Champions) **3/4
- W/ Team SmackDown vs. Team RAW (Bragging Rights) **1/2
- W/ Team Mysterio vs. Team Del Rio (Survivor Series) ***1/4
- Ladder: Vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger – WWE Intercontinental Championship (TLC) **1/2
2011
- Vs. Alberto Del Rio (Elimination Chamber) ***
- W/ Kane, Show & Santino vs. The Corre (WrestleMania XXVII) 1/4*
- Tables: Vs. Sheamus – WWE United States Championship (Extreme Rules) **3/4
- Vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE United States Championship (Capitol Punishment) ***1/4
- RAW’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank) ***3/4
- W/ Rey & Morrison vs. Del Rio, Miz & Truth (SummerSlam) ***
- W/ Evan Bourne vs. Awesome Truth – WWE Tag Team Championship (Night of Champions) **1/4
- W/ Evan Bourne vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger – WWE Tag Team Championship (Hell in a Cell) ***1/4
- W/ Evan Bourne vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger – WWE Tag Team Championship (Vengeance) ***1/4
- W/ Team Orton vs. Team Barrett (Survivor Series) **1/2
- W/ Evan Bourne vs. Primo & Epico – WWE Tag Team Championship (TLC) ***
2012
- RAW’s Elimination Chamber Match – WWE Championship (Elimination Chamber) ***
- W/ Team Teddy vs. Team Johnny (WrestleMania XXVIII) **
- W/ R-Truth vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger – WWE Tag Team Championship (Over the Limit) ***1/4
- W/ R-Truth vs. The Prime Time Players – WWE Tag Team Championship (SummerSlam) **
- W/ R-Truth vs. Team Hell No – WWE Tag Team Championship (Night of Champions) **1/2
- Vs. The Miz – WWE Intercontinental Championship (Hell in a Cell) **1/2
- W/ Team Foley vs. Team Ziggler (Survivor Series) ***1/4
- Vs. Wade Barrett – WWE Intercontinental Championship (TLC) ***.
2013
- Vs. Dolph Ziggler (Elimination Chamber) **3/4
- Vs. Dean Ambrose – WWE United States Championship (Extreme Rules) **1/2
- Vs. Curtis Axel – WWE Intercontinental Championship (Night of Champions) **1/2
- Vs. Bray Wyatt (Battleground) **
- No DQ: Vs. The Miz (TLC) *1/2
2014
- Vs. Bo Dallas (Payback) DUD
- Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank) ****
2015
- W/ Big E vs. Kidd & Cesaro vs. The Usos vs. Los Matadores – WWE Tag Team Championship (WrestleMania 31) ***1/2
- W/ Big E vs. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro – WWE Tag Team Championship (Extreme Rules) ***1/2
- 2/3 Falls: W/ Big E vs. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro – WWE Tag Team Championship (Payback) ***3/4
- Tag Team Elimination Chamber Match – WWE Tag Team Championship (Elimination Chamber) **3/4
- Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank) ***1/2
- W/ Big E vs. The Prime Time Players – WWE Tag Team Championship (Battleground) **1/2
- Fatal Four Way Tag Team Match – WWE Tag Team Championship (SummerSlam) ***1/2
- W/ Big E vs. The Dudley Boyz – WWE Tag Team Championship (Night of Champions) **1/2
- W/ Big E vs. The Dudley Boyz – WWE Tag Team Championship (Hell in a Cell) ***
- W/ Team Sheamus vs. Team Ryback (Survivor Series) **
- Ladder: W/ Big E vs. The Usos vs. Lucha Dragons – WWE Tag Team Championship (TLC) ****
2016
- W/ Big E vs. The Usos – WWE Tag Team Championship (Royal Rumble) ***
- W/ The New Day vs. The League of Nations (WrestleMania 32) **
- W/ Big E vs. The Club vs. The Vaudevillains vs. Enzo & Cass – WWE Tag Team Championship (Money in the Bank) **1/2
- W/ The New Day vs. The Wyatt Family (Battleground) ***1/4
- W/ Xavier Woods vs. Gallows & Anderson – WWE Tag Team Championship (SummerSlam) **1/4
- W/ Big E vs. Gallows & Anderson – WWE Tag Team Championship (Clash of Champions) ***
- W/ Team RAW vs. Team SmackDown (Survivor Series) ****
- W/ Big E vs. The Bar – WWE RAW Tag Team Championship (Roadblock: End of the Line) ***1/2
2017
- W/ Big E vs. The Usos – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Money in the Bank) ***
- W/ Xavier Woods vs. The Usos – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Battleground) ***1/2
- W/ The New Day vs. The Shield (Survivor Series) ***3/4
- W/ Big E vs. The Usos vs. Rusev Day vs. Gable & Benjamin – WWE SackDwon Tag Team Championship (Clash of Champions) ****
2018
- W/ Xavier Woods vs. The Usos – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Fastlane) **1/2
- W/ Big E vs. The Usos vs. The Bludgeon Brothers – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (WrestleMania 34) **
- Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank) ****
- W/ Big E vs. Rusev Day – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Hell in a Cell) ***1/2
- W/ Xavier Woods vs. The Bar – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Super ShowDown) ***
- W/ Big E vs. The Bar – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Crown Jewel) **3/4
- W/ Xavier Woods vs. The Bar vs. The Usos – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (TLC) ***1/4
2019
- Elimination Chamber Match – WWE Championship (Elimination Chamber) ****1/2
- Handicap: Vs. The Bar (Fastlane) 1/2*
- Vs. Daniel Bryan – WWE Championship (WrestleMania 35) ****1/2
- Vs. Kevin Owens – WWE Championship (Money in the Bank) ***1/4
- Vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Championship (Super ShowDown) **3/4
- Steel Cage: Vs. Dolph Ziggler – WWE Championship (Stomping Grounds) **1/4
- Vs. Samoa Joe – WWE Championship (Extreme Rules) ***1/2
- Vs. Randy Orton – WWE Championship (SummerSlam) **3/4
- Vs. Randy Orton – WWE Championship (Clash of Champions) ***
- Tag Team Turmoil – “Best in the World” (Crown Jewel) **
- W/ Big E vs. Undisputed Era vs. Viking Raiders (Survivor Series) ***
- Ladder: W/ Big E vs. The Revival – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (TLC) ***3/4
2020
- W/ Big E vs. Miz & Morrison – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Super ShowDown) ***
- Tag Team Elimination Chamber Match – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Elimination Chamber) ***1/2
- Ladder: Vs. John Morrison vs. Jimmy Uso – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (WrestleMania 36) ***
TOP FIVE
5. Team Orton (Survivor Series 2009)
The members of Team Kingston were Kofi, Christian, MVP, Mark Henry & R-Truth while Team Orton’s members were Orton, Rhodes, DiBiase, CM Punk & William Regal.
The match did a fantastic job telling the old, simple and effective story of the heel captain doing his best to avoid the babyface captain, while other heels would get cheapshots to score eliminations.
The match was down to Kofi & Christian vs. Orton & Punk. A cheapshot from Orton took Kofi down long for the heels to take advantage and put the ECW Champion away with the RKO. Once it was down to Kofi, Orton tagged out as he still wanted none of Kofi. A distraction from Orton almost put Kofi away, but he rolled Punk up for the pinfall and then, as soon as Orton came back in, Kofi won with the Trouble In Paradise.
Just like that, in ten seconds, Kofi Kingston pinned two former Heavyweight Champions. It was one of the most important and most memorable matches in Kofi’s career and, despite not being one of the highest rated in the list above, it definitely deserves this place more than a random multi-person Money in the Bank Ladder Match or so where Kofi was just there as a body…
4. Four Way Tag Team Match (Clash Of Champions 2017)
New Day’s Big E & Kofi were challengers to The Usos’ SmackDown tag straps here, alongside the relatively short-lived duos of Rusev Day and Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin at the final WWE PPV of 2017.
This was a super exciting bout, with the super-over team of Rusev Day elevating it a few levels, creating some spectacular nearfalls and false finishes before The Usos put Chad Gable away with double superkicks followed by Jey’s Splash for the pinfall.
3. The Usos & The Lucha Dragons (TLC 2015)
This match is obviously memorable for Kalisto hitting the Salida Del Sol on one of the Usos, but we should not ignore New Day were by far the best thing on the shows at this point.
At a time when they were still heels, them cracking up jokes about how much they were injured only for the babyfaces to cut off their “fun” and kick their “booties” a little bit more made it very enjoyable. Kalisto was by far the star of this match, and Xavier hit him with Francesca in the end which allowed Kofi to climb and retain the belts for New Day.
2. Elimination Chamber 2019
The participants were Kofi, Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. The match was for Bryan’s WWE Championship.
Kingston came in third as the crowd favorite, and actually managed to eliminate Randy Orton with the Trouble in Paradise in order to stay until the end with Daniel Bryan. The ending saw Bryan and Kofi had a fantastic mini-match, which ultimately saw Kofi put the “risk” in “high-risk”, missing a giant splash off a pod that allowed the veteran Bryan to hit the Running Knee to retain.
1. Daniel Bryan (WrestleMania 35)
Just a little over a month after Elimination Chamber, Kofi went at it with Daniel Bryan one-on-one at WrestleMania 35 for the WWE Title.
Kofi was still as over as he was back at Elimination Chamber, perhaps even more as this was the big show and it allowed Bryan to get some incredible heat while generating more and more sympathy for Kingston.
Daniel Bryan, as heels usually do, carried the body of the match and helped make Kofi’s eventual moment as big as it was. The two were able to create magic inside those ropes, a beautiful moment in pro wrestling that neither Bryan or (especially) Kofi will ever forget, and Kofi’s best match in his entire wrestling career.
Overall average rating
2.85/5
Don’t miss the next piece here on Rating The Champ, where we’ll be looking back at the career of former World Heavyweight & WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan.