#2 Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston should not be a surprising name here, considering he lost the WWE Championship not long ago. Having dropped the WWE Championship on SmackDown's FOX debut, Kingston didn't get his rematch. Within a few weeks, Kingston (along with Big E.) managed to win the SmackDown Tag Team Titles, punching their ticket for Survivor Series, where The New Day came up just short in securing a victory for the Blue Brand.
It has been an incredible year for the former WWE Champion, who started KofiMania earlier this year. The New Day member made history at the Grandest Stage of Them All, where he won the WWE Championship by besting Daniel Bryan. As a fighting champion, Kingston defended the belt many times, keeping it around his waist for six months, until he ran into Brock Lesnar, who ended KofiMania last month.
Kofi Kingston still has momentum and is certainly one of the biggest names on SmackDown, making him more than qualified to challenge for the Universal Championship. Spreading the power of positivity, Kingston is a babyface, who is well-liked by a legion of fans. The Fiend, on the other hand, has been targeting WWE's good guys since making his debut a couple of months ago, and it would not be surprising, if he goes after the former WWE Champion.