12 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Feb 12)

by Andy H Murray

1. Someone New

Kofi Kingston Daniel Bryan
WWE.com

Mustafa Ali's Chamber withdrawal left fans wondering if Andrade or Rey Mysterio would fill the void. WWE went with someone totally different instead, and it paid immediate dividends, with Kofi Kingston's star gauntlet turn largely responsible for making this such a successful SmackDown.

Kingston killed it last night. He has no realistic chance of winning the Elimination Chamber, but that he's being talked up as a potential WWE Champion out of nowhere shows how effective he was. WWE made the right choice in giving him this opportunity, he grabbed it with both hands, and we can surely look forward to him doing the same on Sunday night.

It's always great to see new wrestlers enter the main event scene, particularly when they deserve it as much as Kofi. He has been on WWE's payroll since 2006. That people are still into him after all these years speaks to his enduring value as an entertainer, and while many fans still look at Big E as the potential New Day breakout singles star, Kofi proved last night that he has all the physical and mental tools required for such an ascension.

Kingston's night was a home run from the SmackDown booking team. More of this, please.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.