10 Times Wrestlers Were Too Silly For Their Own Good
2. Kofi Kingston
On the Road to WrestleMania 35, Kofi Kingston appeared to be receiving his due as a singles competitor after years of setbacks (partially thanks to Randy Orton) and residing in the Tag Team Division. Defeating Daniel Bryan, he picked up the big belt, establishing himself as the first African-born WWE Champion as well as the company's 20th Grand Slam Champ.
He might have gone on to defend the belt for 180 days, but the end of Kingston's reign was hardly satisfying. Trying to impress both FOX executives and fans, WWE scheduled Brock Lesnar to face The New Day member for the strap on the premiere episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
'The Beast' wasn't one to lose on free TV, and given the gravity of the new partnership between WWE and FOX, it seemed likely the belt was going to switch hands. However, what was less expected was how the match went down. Kingston slammed on the gas too soon and jumped right into an F-5, which caused him to lose the WWE Championship in a mere 8 seconds.
It's hard not to imagine the former champ's portrayal in The New Day had an impact on the decision to remove him from the main event picture. Ever since his big loss, Kingston has gone back to tossing out pancakes and cruising along in the Tag Division like nothing ever happened.