5 Superstars Who Could Dethrone Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship

At WrestleMania 35, we saw Kofi Kingston go one-on-one with Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship in a show-stealing match which resulted in Kofi finally being able to achieve his dream of becoming the WWE Champion, after being in the company for 11 years.

There is no doubt that Kofi deserves to have a solid reign with his first world title, as he clearly deserves it out of everybody on the SmackDown roster. However, Kofi's huge win provides plenty of options to potentially take the WWE Championship away from him in the future.

So, here are 5 superstars who can dethrone Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship.

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#5 Elias

Walk With Elias

A couple of months ago, if you had suggested to anybody that Elias would've been in contention to win a world championship in the WWE, then you simply would've been laughed at. But with Elias' transition to the SmackDown Live roster, there is no denying that he is being set for big things.

Before the Superstar Shake-Up edition of SmackDown, Vince McMahon had announced that Smackdown would be gaining their "biggest acquisition" of the brand's history, which was later revealed to be the debut of Elias on the SmackDown brand.

Obviously, this segment was just a catalyst for the bigger draft pick in Roman Reigns. But the fact that Vince McMahon openly endorsed The Drifter on SmackDown suggests that he will be an important main event player, especially with Daniel Bryan's absence.

Elias has the ability to capture the attention of the WWE Universe whether he's a heel or a face, and that is what makes him special. If he was to defeat Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship, the WWE Universe would definitely be forced to walk with Elias as a world champion.

#4 Daniel Bryan

Bryan.

Despite the fact that Kofi Kingston had taken the WWE Championship away from Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35, there is still a possibility that their feud will continue. Bryan is currently injured right now, which explains why he wasn't on the Superstar Shake-Up episode of SmackDown Live.

However, there is still clearly so much potential in Bryan's gimmick as "The Planet's Champion." As I had stated earlier in the article, Bryan and Kofi had stolen the show at WrestleMania 35. It would be absolutely fickle of the WWE to not have the two men continue their rivalry, especially as the build-up to The Grandest Stage of Them All was so captivating.

There are plenty of heels on the SmackDown Live roster, but none of them are as entertaining and dynamic as Daniel Bryan. The fact that Bryan was able to go from the most loved superstar in WWE to the most hated is something that should be applauded. Therefore, the potential for Bryan to regain the WWE Championship from Kofi is something that certainly shouldn't be dismissed.

#3 Randy Orton

The Viper

Another top heel on SmackDown Live that could easily defeat Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship is none other than Randy Orton. But the reason why Orton could be next in line to potentially take the title away from Kofi is due to the fact that both men have history. Back in 2009, we saw Orton and Kofi have an intense rivalry on Raw. This feud was the first time that we had ever witnessed Kofi's aggression as Kofi was clearly destined for big things.

During this rivalry, we even saw Kofi hit a Boom Drop onto Orton from a table in Madison Square Garden. However, Kofi's main event push had come to a quick end following the rumored backstage politics suggesting that Orton had complained to WWE officials about Kofi due to a botch during their match. But this setback didn't stop Kofi from becoming the WWE Champion of the world, so if the two men were to feud again, what better way to make things entertaining then for all this real-life history to come out on air?

Another championship win would definitely be a way to rebuild Randy Orton as a viable threat on SmackDown seeing as there may not be a lot in store for him, following his WrestleMania 35 loss to AJ Styles.

#2 Kevin Owens

KO.

On the February, 26th 2019 episode of SmackDown Live, we witnessed the return of Kevin Owens as a babyface for the first time since his debut on NXT. However, Owens' return was a peculiar one as he was chosen by Vince McMahon as the man who would replace Kofi Kingston to take on Daniel Bryan at Fastlane when Bryan was the WWE Champion.

Owens' efforts against Bryan were great, but it wasn't enough as Bryan had successfully retained his WWE Championship. This could be the perfect reasoning for Owens to target Kofi, as he was able to do what Owens wasn't and that is defeat Bryan for the WWE title. On the 16th April episode of SmackDown Live, we saw Owens join The New Day as an honorary member due to Big E's absence.

But could this potentially be a ploy from Owens so that he can take out Kofi when he least expects it? It certainly wouldn't be the first time for Owens, seeing as how he has a track record of turning his back on people that he is friends with. For example, Sami Zayn at NXT TakeOver: Evolution as well as Chris Jericho during their "Festival of Friendship" segment. Therefore, The Prizefighter should definitely be considered a viable option to not only turn of Kofi in the future but to also take the world title away from him.

#1 Roman Reigns

The Big Dog.

Last but definitely not least, at #1 we have none other than Roman Reigns himself. On last week's Superstar Shake-Up episode of SmackDown, Reigns announced himself as a SmackDown superstar by coming out and nailing Vince McMahon with a Superman Punch. It was most certainly the best way to introduce The Big Dog. Reigns' exclusive debut on SmackDown is definitely a step in the right direction for him, as we will be able to see refreshing rivalries on the blue brand.

Out of all the superstar's on the SmackDown Live roster, Reigns seems to be the most worthy superstar to be next in line to become WWE Champion. Let's not forget that the last time Reigns was a world champion, he never even lost the title as he was forced to vacate the Universal Championship due to the return of leukemia.

Fast forward to the post-Wrestlemania season and Reigns is definitely one of the most over superstars in the WWE today. There is also the possibility that the fans would boo Reigns if he was to ever defeat Kofi for the title, but the chances of that are happening are unlikely due to Reigns' real-life struggles.

Ideally, if Kofi and Reigns were to feud, it would have to be a rivalry based on respect in order for the fans to accept either man as a winner. But as Reigns had stated when he arrived at the blue brand, SmackDown Live is his yard now. And there wouldn't be a more perfect way to complete his comeback story by becoming the new WWE Champion.