Kofi Kingston's Legendary SmackDown Performance Reportedly Intended for Another Superstar

It took an hour of hard work, but Kofi Kingston may be the hottest Superstar SmackDown has to [...]

By Jeremy Snodgrass

It took an hour of hard work, but Kofi Kingston may be the hottest Superstar SmackDown has to offer. And apparently, Kingston's epic gauntlet match performance was not meant for him.

According to multiple sources (PWInsider, Fightful, and WrestleVotes), WWE's original plans were to give Mustafa Ali the heroic gauntlet match effort. However, due to an injury, Ali was pulled from both SmackDown and Elimination Chamber on Sunday. As fate has it, Kingston got Ali's Chamber spot and his big shiny moment.

Kingston's ironman performance drew praise from WWE Superstars, fans, and seemingly backstage officials too. Apparently, there is newfound momentum for The New Day's veteran leader.

For Ali, watching his opportunity being fed to someone else has to be hard. But the 32-year-old wrestler can take solace in the fact that WWE is clearly planning on building something around him. In December, WWE plucked him from 205 Live and gave him a permanent spot on the SmackDown roster. Since joining the Blue Brand, Ali has enjoyed a hefty dose of organic growth and is one of the more promising Superstars on the roster. While he missed his big night this past Tuesday, we'd guess WWE already planning another for him.

Not only did Kingston serve as a proper replacement, but there's suddenly a narrative brewing that has him becoming a WWE Champion, potentially as soon as Sunday. While an Elimination Chamber victory would be quite the surprise, Kingston looks to have put himself in the discussion. Fans have always loved Kingston, and now that he's hot, WWE may see how far he can go.

At this moment, it doesn't look like WWE has solidified plans for Daniel Bryan and his WWE Championship. If we had to guess, he'll enter WrestleMania with the title, but who he'll be facing is still a mystery. With Erick Rowan around, and Luke Harer ready to return, it seems like Bray Wyatt may be the man who steps up to the plate. However, WWE is running out of time to introduce Wyatt, especially if he'll be tossed right into the main event program, If he doesn't show up on Sunday, WWE may have other plans for the Eater of Worlds.

So if not Wyatt, WWE's best option could be Kingston. With Big E and Xavier Woods behind him, Kingston could take on Bryan, Rowan and presumable Harper in the build to 'Mania with him going one-on-one with the WWE Champion on April 7th.

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