Kofi Kingston is still waiting for what he calls the “ultimate trick” when it comes to his appearances in the annual WWE Royal Rumble.
“That would be to win it, which I still haven’t done,” he said. “Hopefully, we will do that that this year, go to WrestleMania and be in the main event, and wow, that would be amazing.”
But Kingston’s impact on the history of the Rumble — which marks its 30th anniversary on Jan. 29 in San Antonio — is already secured because of his acrobatic escapes that have become an annual highlight. Kingston and his New Day partners Big E and Xavier Woods are among the 30 entrants.
The match essentially has two rules for elimination: You have to go over the top rope and both feet have to touch the floor.
“The Royal Rumble has been around so, so long that it’s very difficult to do things that are unique,” said Kingston, who will be in his 10th consecutive Rumble. “There was a void that I saw that needed to be filled in terms of ways to avoid elimination. A few years into it, I realized that I was going to be the guy that was responsible for that portion of the Royal Rumble.”
Kingston cites John Morrison’s Spiderman move in the 2011 Rumble as the initial impetus.
“I used to love working with him because he had a very, very creative mind,” Kingston said. “He was the first one to get knocked off the apron and do a Spiderman grab onto the wall because he did a lot of parkour, and I was like, ‘I wish I had thought of that because that is like the coolest thing I had ever seen.’ The next year John Morrison wasn’t with the company anymore and I was like, now this whole platform is wide open.”
And off Kingston went, beginning with what is largely regarded as the best of his many escapes in 2012.
He was dropkicked onto the apron after going over the top rope, sending his hands toward the floor. The Miz then grabbed his feet in hopes of tossing him over, but Kingston turned it into a handstand. He then walked the length of the ring on his hands toward the stairs and put his feet on them. He then climbed the stairs and got back into the ring. “That has got to be the greatest thing I have ever seen in the Royal Rumble match,” announcer Michael Cole screamed at the time.
“It’s crazy that it’s been five years since that actually happened,” he said. “I get a lot of credit for a lot of those things because I’m the centerpiece, but a lot of stuff has to go right.
“If Miz throws me too hard, I fall over. If he doesn’t throw me hard enough, I land back and he has to try it again and it looks like this choreographed and coordinated sequence and takes people out of it. Kudos to Miz for throwing my feet with just the right amount of force that I was able to not fall. I just kept my balance for four or five steps and landed on the stairs. I was actually falling and I happened to fall when my feet were on the stairs.”
Among the other great escapes:
• He was flipped over the back of Cesaro over the top rope and then hung on to Cesaro, Kingston’s feet dangling inches from the floor, as he used Cesaro’s body to prevent himself from being eliminated.
• He was thrown from the ring and landed on Tensai’s back near the announce table. He then used a chair on wheels to hop his way back to the ring apron and climb back into the match.
• He got launched over the ringpost and landed on the floor on his back with his feet propped on the ring steps so every part of his body was touching the floor, except his feet — the only body parts that mattered.
• After being slammed by Rusev on the ringside barricade, Kingston stood and made an amazing leap to the ring apron.
• He was caught by Adam Rose’s Rosebuds and lifted back up.
“It’s cool and unique to do,” he said. “With all those Royal Rumble sequences, there’s a lot more people involved than just me. I have to find people who I trust. I tried to deliver my end, but there’s a lot that goes on.”
What does he have in store this year? We’ll see.
Tournament time
Tyler Bate, a 19-year-old from Dudley, England, won the two-night WWE United Kingdom championship tournament over the weekend on WWE Network and the event also introduced compelling characters in runner-up Pete Dunne and Mark Andrews. WWE is likely to begin a weekly series featuring wrestlers from the U.K.
It could be a precursor to tournaments to crown champions in Latin America and Asia in events that will air on WWE Network.
Triple H also confirmed in an interview with FOX Sports Wrestling Compadres Slamcast that plans are in the works for a women’s tournament, likely in the summer that would feature talent from around the world, similar to the Cruiserweight Classic.
The tournament format creates the obvious tension and buildup to a high-stakes final match. It also allows viewers to begin a connection as they see the performers more than once in a relatively short period of time.
Around the ring
• The buzz around Kenny Omega continues following his Wrestle Kingdom 11 bout for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Omega’s contract expires at the end of January and he is mulling his next move, which could be WWE. Omega is a former WWE developmental talent who asked for his release to go to Japan and pursue a larger role. He said on the Taz Show on CBS Radio on Wednesday that he wants to “change the business as much as I can in my own way and do something with impact.”
• Jerry “The King” Lawler will return to the broadcast table to call the Royal Rumble match with Michael Cole and Corey Graves.
• The Elimination Chamber is back in a Smackdown Live-only pay-per-view on Feb. 12 from Phoenix. The winner of the Royal Rumble WWE title match between AJ Styles and John Cena will defend the title inside the Chamber with the winner going on as champion to WrestleMania. Expect Cena, Styles, The Miz and Dean Ambrose to be among those entered.
• TNA tag team champions Matt and Jeff Hardy’s interest in being the “best tag team in all of space and all of time” will take them on their “Expedition of Gold,” in which they will defend the TNA titles against champions from other promotions. In a video message, the Hardys challenged Smackdown champions American Alpha, Raw champions Sheamus and Cesaro and Ring of Honor champions The Young Bucks, who responded by accepting the challenge. The match between the Hardys and Bucks could happen April 1 in Lakeland, Fla., at Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor XI on the night before WrestleMania. However, the Hardys’ TNA contracts expire in February so the match is not guaranteed should the Hardys sign elsewhere, potentially WWE.
• Ring of Honor is back on the road in Texas with Undisputed Legacy on Feb. 3 in San Antonio and Honor Reigns Supreme on Feb. 4 in Dallas. The main event in San Antonio is an eight-man tag team match with Bullet Club (Adam Cole, the Young Bucks and Hangman Page) against the Motor City Machine Guns, Lio Rush and Jay White. In Dallas, the Young Bucks face the Briscoes in a two out of three falls match with different rules for each fall – pinfall in the first, lucha tag in the second and no disqualification in the third, if necessary. Cole and Cody Rhodes face the Addiction.
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