I can’t help but feel like ECW’s Kofi Kingston is being forced on me week after week. Instead of bringing this guy in and building him up slowly (kind of like what they did for Cody Rhodes), they seem to have decided that the best way to introduce him is to bring back squash matches from the 80’s, give him an undefeated streak, and constantly put him in my face. And now recently, they have one of their top guys, Shelton Benjamin, put him over. Twice.
I don’t really have a problem with him personally (since I’ve never actually met him that’s hard to say I guess), I just have an issue with them pushing him the way they are. Having a storyline where part of the character’s gimmick is that he is undefeated shouldn’t be used often. It works for a Goldberg, or a Samoa Joe, or Umaga. It doesn’t really work for a laid-back dude from Jamaica.
The biggest problem I have are his matches so far (with the exception of the Benjamin matches, which I don’t think he had a lot to do with). Yes, he’s very athletic. Yes, he has a great vertical leap. But it always feels too “scripted” to me, like they are just going through the motions.
It’s as if he’s back in the locker room talking to his opponent and saying, “Listen, mon. I’m going to do a leapfrog over here, den a dropkick over there, den my patented leg drop here, and a spin kick over there. Your job is to get in my way, mon.” I almost expected to see numbers and arrows drawn on the canvas. “Go to #1, take a bump, get up, go to #2, take a bump, wait for me at #3…”. 
If I remember right, they tried to push Rocky Maivia like that when he debuted, and people hated him. They pushed him to win a title belt (Intercontinental?), and people hated him. Then he came up with “The Rock” gimmick, had time to put over his character, and people started to like him. Then they loved him.
Let us decide whether or not to like Kofi on our own. Whenever they “tell me” I have to like someone, which the announcers do every week, I end up not liking them.
Until they turn heel. 😉
I agree to some of what you are saying. Kofi is being pushed a little too much too soon. I really like the guy, though. I wish they’d give him a pay per view singles match and see how he does against someone like Chavo Guererro in a longer match.
He does have a lot of athletic ability. I think his matches with Benjamin were good, other than the ending (I don’t agree with the whole undefeated streak).
Good point. Putting him in a longer match with someone experienced where he could be the underdog might work also. When they have him go undefeated, it limits who they can put him against.
I definitely agree. At least his undefeated streak isn’t played up to ridiculous levels, though!