5 Superstars who rose to main-event status during their time on SmackDown 

#1 Kofi Kingston

Kingston is the first African-born WWE Champion

Kingston's career has seen him being boxed as a 'perennial mid-carder'. The Ghana-native has held the IC and the United States Championship on numerous occasions. He is a part of one of the most beloved factions in WWE in the form of The New Day, who have been the backbone of the company's tag team division for over four years now.

But despite all of that, Kingston becoming a World Champion was always a distant dream. If you'd told us a year ago that not only will Kofi Kingston become WWE Champion but he would also have one of the strongest WWE Championship reigns in recent history, we would, in all likelihood, have laughed it off.

But not only has The New Day Member has carried the prestigious prize in the company with utmost panache and has been a great ambassador for the company.

Kingston finally got his shot at glory when he challenged Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35. The build-up to this match has been one of the best stories WWE has told in recent memory.

What made Kofi's quest for the World Title even more fascinating was the fact that he was going up against Daniel Bryan, a man who had a similar trajectory to World Title as that of the Dreadlocked Dynamo. Kingston defeated Bryan to win the WWE Championship in what was the best WWE main roster match of 2018.

Kingston is currently scheduled to put his WWE Championship on the line against Brock Lesnar on Smackdown's premiere on FOX.