Kofi Heel Turn; Triple h more old school than Vince

[The Wrestling Wall]

I think it would be a good idea to turn Kofi heel as it would be a way of making him more fresh and he could show a side of himself that we haven't yet seen the whole time he has been in the company. I would very much like to see him change his look to go with it. Perhaps he could shave his head or something or at least start wearing some different gear like long tights. I understand that going heel would limit his moveset but I think any change at this point could only help him get to the next level even if it does put the breaks on some of his more aerial moves.

Regarding the bullet points for the promos I think that is a very good idea as well. Triple H seems to be spearheading some positive changes.

 

[Nevermore Arcanum]

Why can't high flyers be heels? Somebody brought up WCW era Jericho earlier, and I'd like to use him again as an example.
Eddie and Chavo at points were also great examples of going heel without diminishing their moveset at all.

In fact, why does one's alignment have to affect their abilities at all? That's why CM Punk is such a great heel. When you watch his face matches
or his heel matches, he's still just as good as he was the match before.

 

[Keith]

Why can't high flyers be heels? Somebody brought up WCW era Jericho earlier, and I'd like to use him again as an example.
Eddie and Chavo at points were also great examples of going heel without diminishing their moveset at all.

In fact, why does one's alignment have to affect their abilities at all? That's why CM Punk is such a great heel. When you watch his face matches
or his heel matches, he's still just as good as he was the match before.

Also Brian Pillman in WCW in 92 and later with the Loose Cannon gimmick. It can be done, more often the based high flying heels are the ones who tone it down and don't change their styles much wether playing heel or face.

This could work for Kofi, he is pretty over as a face, but maybe has hit a brick wall and needs something different.

 

[We Are Legion]

Honestly I think turning Kofi heel is one of the dumbest fucking things I've read in a long time. That sounds almost as bad as JR's heel turn in 1996. It just seems like something that was proposed as a sort of "Well why not?" mentality as opposed to something that needs to be done or even makes sense.

 

[Killz]

Honestly I think turning Kofi heel is one of the dumbest fucking things I've read in a long time. That sounds almost as bad as JR's heel turn in 1996. It just seems like something that was proposed as a sort of "Well why not?" mentality as opposed to something that needs to be done or even makes sense.

I agreed entirely with that mindset until I actually started to think of the current state of WWE again and their lack of depth in the main event and even the upper midcard (can we say Kofi is a guaranteed upper midcard talent? I can't, not on the 'mania card.)

Certainly, a black main eventer beyond Rocky would be good for business just like having big hispanic stars and big masked stars is the best thing for the company.

If Kofi thought he could do it and be successful then why WOULDN'T you try it with a stale character? The potential benefits of another athletic and over guy who also taps into an African American market surely outweight the potential that he'd flop? We've seen with Tensai recently, and I think it'll happen with the Miz, that it doesn't matter one jot whether you switch alignments because if it doesn't work you can be back on the other side in less than a month.

I'd give it a go, not saying he'd make it at the top of the card of even that he wouldn't just be a face within 12 months again but what's the harm? Like Dolph, he's in that position where it's too difficult to make him a convincing threat again. Or more to the point it'd be EASIER to turn him heel to gain some relevance than invest in his current face character.

 

[We Are Legion]

I agreed entirely with that mindset until I actually started to think of the current state of WWE again and their lack of depth in the main event and even the upper midcard (can we say Kofi is a guaranteed upper midcard talent? I can't, not on the 'mania card.)

Certainly, a black main eventer beyond Rocky would be good for business just like having big hispanic stars and big masked stars is the best thing for the company.

If Kofi thought he could do it and be successful then why WOULDN'T you try it with a stale character? The potential benefits of another athletic and over guy who also taps into an African American market surely outweight the potential that he'd flop? We've seen with Tensai recently, and I think it'll happen with the Miz, that it doesn't matter one jot whether you switch alignments because if it doesn't work you can be back on the other side in less than a month.

I'd give it a go, not saying he'd make it at the top of the card of even that he wouldn't just be a face within 12 months again but what's the harm? Like Dolph, he's in that position where it's too difficult to make him a convincing threat again. Or more to the point it'd be EASIER to turn him heel to gain some relevance than invest in his current face character.

Okay well... I'm just going to assume you didn't actually mean a heel Kofi would have any chance of replacing The Rock as a main event-level character simply because he's black.

I agree that it would be nice to see more cultural diversity in the upper echelons of the card, but if that is WWE's only reason for doing something this silly, I don't think I can get on board with that. I'd like to see Kofi break the glass ceiling eventually and more than just an undercard-filler, but they could do that by keeping him babyface and just making him less of a happy-go-lucky fruitcake.

It just seems turning someone of his overwhelmingly babyface aura into a heel seems more desperate than anything. Almost like someone in creative was drunk one night and pitched forward a proposal that sounded something like this: "You knoooooooow... what ifth Kofthi just caaaaaaame to the ring one nighth and said 'FUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOU!' Wouldn't that *burp* be cool?"

 

[Killz]

Okay well... I'm just going to assume you didn't actually mean a heel Kofi would have any chance of replacing The Rock as a main event-level character simply because he's black.

I agree that it would be nice to see more cultural diversity in the upper echelons of the card, but if that is WWE's only reason for doing something this silly, I don't think I can get on board with that. I'd like to see Kofi break the glass ceiling eventually and more than just an undercard-filler, but they could do that by keeping him babyface and just making him less of a happy-go-lucky fruitcake.

It just seems turning someone of his overwhelmingly babyface aura into a heel seems more desperate than anything. Almost like someone in creative was drunk one night and pitched forward a proposal that sounded something like this: "You knoooooooow... what ifth Kofthi just caaaaaaame to the ring one nighth and said 'FUUUUUUUCK YOOOOOU!' Wouldn't that *burp* be cool?"

Haha of course I wasn't implying Kofi could out-draw or replace Rocky by any stretch of the imagination. My point was more like that when most of the main event talent are part-time, and the closest any African American has come to being "the man" is the Rock, that having an African American athlete in the mix when the Rock does eventually depart again would be good from a business standpoint in my opinion.

I don't think it can be fairly called "silly" to say that having cultural diversity at the top of the card is a bad reason to try and turn and push someone? Certainly I think a heel turn would be more interesting to the viewer and, in my opinion, would lead to a better card place than trying to shill the same gimmick as right now except...less child friendly? Less happy-go-lucky? I don't think the mild face who jumps really high but doesn't smile as much as usual has any better a chance to get over than a heel turn.

 

[We Are Legion]

Haha of course I wasn't implying Kofi could out-draw or replace Rocky by any stretch of the imagination. My point was more like that when most of the main event talent are part-time, and the closest any African American has come to being "the man" is the Rock, that having an African American athlete in the mix when the Rock does eventually depart again would be good from a business standpoint in my opinion.

I don't think it can be fairly called "silly" to say that having cultural diversity at the top of the card is a bad reason to try and turn and push someone? Certainly I think a heel turn would be more interesting to the viewer and, in my opinion, would lead to a better card place than trying to shill the same gimmick as right now except...less child friendly? Less happy-go-lucky? I don't think the mild face who jumps really high but doesn't smile as much as usual has any better a chance to get over than a heel turn.

No, I didn't mean having cultural diversity was a "silly reason" to turn Kofi heel, I just think turning Kofi heel is silly because it's so out of the blue. I can't even imagine how that heel turn promo would sound coming out of his mouth. But I think they should try something a little more subtle with him first and just make him more serious. Keep him face, but drop all the pandering. They could gradually test the waters by doing that first. Then if he's still not getting over, then turn him heel later down the road. But I think just up and turning him heel right now with the way his character is would just be ridiculous. One minute he's jumping around clapping his hands together and smiling ear-to-ear, slapping high-fives to the children and ringside... then the next minute he's angry and wants to cripple everyone in his path and hates the fans? That's Russo-radical. That's just swerve-for-the-sake-of-swerve material. And I don't think many people would take it seriously at all. Just like no one took Rey Mysterio's heel turn in WCW seriously.

 

[Nevermore Arcanum]

A good reason to turn Kofi heel? There hasn't been a heel flyer in the WWE since Los Guerreros. 13 years ago.

It's "out of the blue"? Hulk/Hollywood Hogan's turn went over with absolute shock, was thrown together overnight,
and created the greatest heel that WCW has ever seen. Hence out of the blue is a good thing.

 

[Keith]

Honestly I think turning Kofi heel is one of the dumbest fucking things I've read in a long time. That sounds almost as bad as JR's heel turn in 1996. It just seems like something that was proposed as a sort of "Well why not?" mentality as opposed to something that needs to be done or even makes sense.

What was wrong with JR's heel turn in 96? I think it made perfect sense, he had played the clear cut face for too long, and to be fair he played the part really well, the problem was that WWF pulled the plug on it just as it was getting going. His heel turn in 99 however was dreadful.

 

[The Cork]

Kofi prol does need a turn to be honest, he was the only guy last night who got NO REACTION.

X-Pac and RVD got more chants and they haven't been in the company for at least 6 years :

 

[DeathChamberzMusic]

I've always wondered how they would turn Kofi heel. Everything about him, the very essence of his being screams face. He's almost like Rey Mysterio.

lol'd when I imagined him as vicious heel, shoving people into TV sets like Chris Jericho or circling around his opponents and stomping them/picking them apart slowly like Randy Orton.

I'm with Chris on this one, "King Kofi Kingston" like "King Booker" would work. Do you guys know of the play "Emperor Jones" by Eugene O'Neill? Kofi could play a Brutus Jones like gimmick after winning KOTR if they bought it back.

How do you turn Kofi heel. You make him pull the race card Maybe even form a new nation

 

[Defiant]

Just have him grow bitter and frustrated with his own stagnation in the cards until he finally snaps on someone, maybe The Miz or Jericho? Then he comes out and says he's been overlooked and under appreciated for too long and that, whether you agree or not, he's been the work horse around here for years! Yeah we all know how the song goes, but c'mon, if there's anyone who should turn and pull this card, it's Kofi.

Alternatively, turn him like they turned Jericho in late '01 culminating by backstabbing The Rock at Survivor Series. Kingston loses one too many #1 contender matches while the commentators put him over in the way JBL often does: "Kofi has all the talent but isn't showing us that killer instinct", and how he can't seem to win the big ones. He gets major heat by eventually losing it and costing someone else a big win, simply out of a new found stroke of jealousy. Additionally, he shouldn't address his distaste for the fans until he's done a couple of bad things and it's clear the people aren;t with him anymore. Then he can start going "...What? What are you looking at ME for!?" and have something to bitch about.

Yes, a lot of my solutions would involve Kofi snapping on someone and being unhappy with his own status rather than because of a beef with a babyface. But I think smaller, speedier heels work best as being cowardly, envious and slippery. And the bonus with Kofi is that he has something to whine incessantly about for heat (not getting his shot, the fans turned on him, etc).

As for his ring style, I thought of a neat "ultra" finisher for Kofi, like E&C's chair finisher, Orton's punt and Taker's chair guillotine. Where Kofi stomps a chair wrapped in someone's leg/arm from the top rope with big hang time. In matches he trash talks, slaps, uses his style for unique roll ups, or uses acrobatic ring escapes in tense moments to completely bring the match to a halt for heat.

With all that said, I agree with most others that a heel turn may not be the wisest move for Kingston. I mean I'd REALLY like to see it if it ever happened, but without knowing how capable Kofi is outside of his current schtick, the above is pretty much my best shot.

 

[The New F'n Show]

I like Defiant's idea but I don't see Kofi playing a sneaky heel. He just doesn't seem to have the personality for it. He would have to snap and stay crazy. Still think long term he is better as a face though.

 

[Twist of Fate]

If they wanted to add a realistic kind of approach to it, they could reference how he was red hot back when he was facing Orton/Legacy and have him blame Randy Orton for him being the single biggest reason why his career has gone nowhere.

Speaking of which, remember how he was during that whole feud (destroying Orton's "car" etc)? Have him show that kind of intensity but in a bitter and frustrated but also sneaky/calculating sort of way. When I say sneaky I don't mean elaborate Bully Ray/Aces & Eights kind of sneaky, but moreso just picking his moments to strike and simply staying one step ahead.