Kofi Kingston

Infobox Wrestler
name =Kofi Kingston

---

img_capt =
names =Kofi Jamaica
Kofi Nahaje Kingston
Kofi Kingston
height =height|ft=6|in=0
weight =convert|218|lb|kg|abbr=on|lk=oncite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/raw/kofikingston/bio/|accessdate=2008-01-22|title=Kofi Kingston's WWE Biography|publisher=WWE]
birth_date =birth date and age|1981|8|14 [ [http://www.wwekids.com/superstars/kofikingston/ Official WWE Kids Profile] ]
death_date =
birth_place =Ghanacite web|url= http://www.milforddailynews.com/archive/x602864320|title=Wrestle mania|date=2006-08-16|author=Chris Bergeron| accessdate=2008-02-22|publisher=The Milford Daily News]
death_place =
resides =
billed =Jamaica
trainer =Chaotic Wrestlingcite web |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/k/kofi-nahaje-kingston.html |accessdate=2007-12-08 |title=OWW: Kofi Kingston Profile |publisher=Online World of Wrestling]
OVW staffcite web |url=http://rajah.com/base/node/10229 |accessdate=2007-12-08 |title=Kofi Kingston Debuts On WWE TV: News On Who He Is |publisher=Rajah.com |date=2007-12-07 |author=Michael Bluth]
DSW staff
debut =2005
retired =
website =|

Kofi Sarkodie-Mensah (born on August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known under his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment working on the Raw brand, where he is a former Intercontinental Champion.

Career

Early career

Born to Ghanaian parent , his family moved to the United States in 1981. Coming from a member of a family of intellectuals from near Kumasi in Ghana, Sarkodie-Mensah was expected to become a teacher like his grandfather. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7469398.stm BBC News Article] ] Sarkodie-Mensah has no connection to Jamaica, but has long been billed from Jamaica. According to Leslie Goffe of the BBC, " [Everyone] would be more likely to embrace a person from the land of Bob Marley and reggae music" than someone from Ghana.

A standout wrestler at Massachusetts' Winchester High School, Sarkodie-Mensah enrolled at Boston College.cite web|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/wrestling/story/652587.html|title=Fast rise for high flying Kingston|date=2008-08-21|last=Varsallone|first=Jim|accessdate=2008-08-27|publisher=Miami Herald] After completing a degree in communications, he first went into the corporate world - and almost immediately regretted it. "My first day at work I sat in my cubicle and looked at the empty walls and it was very depressing," he recalls. Sarkodie-Mensah decided to drop his business pursuits and opt to go into professional wrestling. "The first day I walked into the wrestling school, I knew I was in the right place," he says. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7469398.stm BBC News Article] ]

He made his professional debut in 2005. He competed primarily in the New England area, including stints in National Wrestling Alliance - New England, Millennium Wrestling Federation, New England Championship Wrestling, the Eastern Wrestling Alliance, and Chaotic Wrestling under the ring name Kofi Nahaje Kingston. [cite web|url=http://www.chaoticwrestling.com/profiles/kofi.htm|title=Kofi Nahaje Kingston|accessdate=2007-12-09|work=Chaotic Wrestling Profiles|publisher=Chaotic Wrestling]

World Wrestling Entertainment (2006-present)

Developmental territories

In September 2006, he signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and was assigned to Deep South Wrestling (DSW), a Georgia based developmental territory. He debuted in the new company, using the same ring name, in a dark match loss to Montel Vontavious Porter on September 21.cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/deepsouth/2006.html|title=DSW results - 2006|accessdate=2007-12-10|publisher=Online World of Wrestling] For the rest of 2006 and the beginning of 2007 he appeared in DSW, as well as its Kentucky based sister promotion Ohio Valley Wrestling, where he was placed into a tag team dubbed the Commonwealth Connection with Harry Smith. [cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/ovw/2006.html|title=OVW results - 2006|accessdate=2007-12-10|publisher=Online World of Wrestling] cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/deepsouth/2007.html|title=DSW results - 2007|accessdate=2007-12-10|publisher=Online World of Wrestling] cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/ovw/2007.html|title=OVW results - 2007|accessdate=2007-12-10|publisher=Online World of Wrestling]

2007 was also his first exposure to the main WWE roster, when he worked dark matches on March 5 and 26 before episodes of "WWE Raw" against Charlie Haas and Trevor Murdoch respectively. The March 5 dark match took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Kofi got a really good response from the crowd saying that he chose Albuquerque to make his WWE debut. For these appearances he used the ring name Kofi Jamaica. [cite web |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/raw/070305.html |title=RAW results - March 5, 2007 |accessdate=2007-12-12 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling ] [cite web |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/raw/070326.html |title=RAW results - March 26, 2007 |accessdate=2007-12-12 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling ] When he returned to the developmental territories he shortened his original ring name to Kofi Kingston, and continued to use both ring names throughout his duration there. That May he also worked house shows, defeating Shelton Benjamin in Greenville, South Carolina on the 5th, [cite web |url=http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/headlines/default.asp?aID=19457 |title=WWE house show report 5-5 Greenville, SC |accessdate=2007-12-09 |last=Simpson |first=Thomas |date=2007-05-06 |publisher=Wrestling Observer ] and Val Venis in Roanoke, Virginia on the 6th. [cite web |url=http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/headlines/default.asp?aID=19469 |title=WWE house show report 5-6 Roanoke |accessdate=2007-12-09 |date=2007-05-06 |publisher=Wrestling Observer ]

When Florida based developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling opened in June, Kingston was relocated there, appearing at their first show on June 26 teaming with Eric Perez against Keith Walker and Ryklon Stephens in a losing effort.cite web |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/fcw/2007.html |accessdate=2007-12-06|title=Florida Championship Wrestling results - 2007 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling] Kingston worked there for most of the remainder of the year, [cite web |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/675/story/326473.html |title=Ring report, 11/30/2007 |last=Wojcik |first=Alan J.|date=2007-11-30 |publisher=Miami Herald ] until he was called up to the main WWE roster.

ECW brand

A series of vignettes for Kingston's television debut began airing on the weekly "ECW" television show starting on December 6, 2007.cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/archive/12042007/|accessdate=2007-12-06|title=ECW Results 12/06/2007|last=Rote|first=Andrew|publisher=WWE|date=December 6, 2007] ^{[http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/ecw/2007/december1-7/5984980?zone=ecw_index view]} During this introduction phase the videos, official WWE website, and the ECW commentators all made note that he would be the first Jamaican-born person to wrestle for the company. He debuted on January 22, 2008 with a win over local wrestler David Owens. [cite web |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/ecw-wwe/080122.html |title=ECW on Sci Fi results - January 22, 2008 |accessdate=2008-01-30 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling ] [cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/archive/01222008/|accessdate=2008-01-22|title=Ain't no stoppin' him|last=Medalis|first=Kara|publisher=WWE|date=2008-01-22] After wrestling sporadic matches, Kingston was involved in his first major match; a 24-man battle royal during the Wrestlemania XXIV pre-show with the winner receiving an ECW Championship match, but was eliminated by Mark Henry. [cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/matches/6514336/results/|accessdate=2008-03-30|title=Big Red Champion|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment|date=2008-03-30] Kingston remained undefeated in singles competition in ECW for months and was placed in to a feud with Shelton Benjamin at the end of April 2008. After two straight losses, Benjamin got a win over Kingston on the May 20 episode of ECW. [cite web |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/ecw-wwe/_080520/ |title=ECW results - May 20, 2008 |accessdate=2008-05-21 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling]

Raw brand

As part of the 2008 WWE Supplemental Draft, Kingston was drafted to the Raw brand. [cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/wwedraft2008/7505418/|title=Official 2008 WWE Supplemental Draft Results|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment|accessdate=2008-06-25] At Night of Champions he defeated Chris Jericho to win the Intercontinental Championship in his first match as a member of the Raw roster. The win made him the first Ghanaian wrestler to hold a championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. [cite web|url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/wweppv/nightofchampions08/|title=WWE Night of Champions 2008|accessdate=2008-07-05|publisher=Online World Of Wrestling] Kingston would defend and hold the title successfully until SummerSlam, where he and Women's Champion Mickie James lost their championships in a intergender tag team match to Beth Phoenix and Santino Marella. [cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/matches/7793948/results/|title='Glamarella' wins the gold|last=Medallis|first=Kara A.|date=2008-08-17|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment|accessdate=2008-08-18]

In wrestling

*Finishing and signature moves
**"Trouble in Paradise"cite web|url=http://www.f4wonline.com/content/view/6600/105/|accessdate=2008-09-09|date=2008-09-01|last=Martin|first=Todd|title=Todd Martin's Labor Day Raw Report|publisher=Wrestling Observer Newsletter] (WWE) / "Jamaican Buzzsaw" (ECW) / "Cool Runnings" (DSW) (Jumping corkscrew roundhouse kick)
**Dropkick
**Leg-feed enzuigiri
**High-angle back elbow strike
**Monkey flip
**Multiple crossbody variations
***Diving
***Reverse
***Running
***Springboard, sometimes from the second rope
**Russian legsweep
**Seated mounted punches after a high jump to the corner turnbuckle
**Turning jumping double leg drop to the chest, with theatrics

*Nicknames
**The Jamaican Sensation (WWE) [cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/archive/06032008/|accessdate=2008-06-17|title=New, Extreme manager in town|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment|date=2008-06-03|author=Kara A. Medalis]
**"The Crazy Jamaican" (CW)

*Entrance themes
**"Confrontation" by Damian Marley (CW)
**"This Is Why I'm Hot (Remix)" by Baby Cham and Junior Reid (DSW)
**"S.O.S." by Collie Buddz (WWE)

*Signature taunts
**The Thunder Clap

*Managers
**Barry Ace
**Mickie James

Championships and accomplishments

*"'World Wrestling Entertainment
**WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/3644266111111|accessdate=2008-07-01|title=History Of The Intercontinental Championship - Kofi Kingston|date=2008-06-29|publisher=WWE]
*Pro Wrestling Illustrated:*PWI ranked #76 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2008 [http://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2008/918/randy_orton_346514.shtml]

Notes

External links

* [http://www.kofi-kingston.com Kofi-Kingston.com]
* [http://grapplelist.b1.jcink.com/index.php?showtopic=35 Grapple List: Kofi Kingston Profile]
* [http://www.wwe.com/superstars/raw/kofikingston/ Kofi Kingston at WWE.com]
* [http://www.fcwwrestling.com/talents/kofi_kingston.htm Kofi Kingston at Florida Championship Wrestling]
* [http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/k/kofi-nahaje-kingston.html Kofi Kingston at Online World of Wrestling]
* [http://www.cagematch.de/?id=2&nr=3687&worker=Kofi+Kingston Kofi Kingston at Cage Match] ger