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#1. Kofi Kingston - A brief drop down post-WWE title reign
Kofi Kingston made history in 2019 by becoming the first African-born WWE Champion in history. It was an incredible story that culminated at WrestleMania 35. KofiMania became a phenomenon in 2019, especially when fans began to understand that the decade-long veteran in WWE was truly capable of holding the World Championship.
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The storyline was executed perfectly and Daniel Bryan presented the best heel Champion for Kofi Kingston to overcome. Looking back, the storyline wasn't just made by Kingston, but also by masterful heel work by Bryan.
In an unforgettable moment, Kofi Kingston overcame Daniel Bryan to a roar of approval. He would enjoy a surprisingly long reign. Many fans felt that Vince McMahon "reluctantly" made him the WWE Champion, similar to Rey Mysterio in 2006.
However, that wasn't the case at all. Kingston enjoyed a good run and was presented as a strong WWE Champion. While his pay-per-view match quality wasn't the best for a WWE Champion, the biggest problem fans had was how he lost the title.
Brock Lesnar appeared on SmackDown, and in the debut episode on FOX in October 2019, he was set to wrestle on free TV for the first time in nearly 16 years. Lesnar defeated Kingston in ten seconds to win the WWE title and that was what killed KofiMania.
Given how he lost, Kofi Kingston didn't feel like he could go back for a rematch and subsequently dropped out of the main event scene. He enjoyed tag team success on SmackDown and RAW, but it would only be in 2021 when he re-emerged as a WWE title contender.
