#4. He seized the opportunity that was given to him
Kofi Kingston was never supposed to be in the match. It was Ali who was in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship. Due to an injury, he was replaced by Kofi Kingston, who entered the Gauntlet match five days before the Chamber match.
Kingston absolutely stole the show, getting over in a record-setting performance. Since then, WWE knew what they had in the storyline. They allowed him to steal the show once again at Elimination Chamber, further getting the crowd behind him.
The fact of the matter is that while he was booked that way, it's not easy to pull off such show-stealing performances with so much time in hand. But Kofi Kingston is the exact example of taking the ball and running with it. He proved every bit deserving of the opportunity and he ended up getting the reward he deserved.