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WWE SmackDown: Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler takes them full circle

By Trace Johnson

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 31: Dolph Ziggler stands on the ropes during their WWE match at the WWE Monday Night Raw Supershow Halloween event at the Philips Arena on October 31, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Moses Robinson/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 31: Dolph Ziggler stands on the ropes during their WWE match at the WWE Monday Night Raw Supershow Halloween event at the Philips Arena on October 31, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Moses Robinson/Getty Images) /
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The June 4 edition of WWE SmackDown saw the final encounter between Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler before their WWE Championship match at Super ShowDown on Friday.

Last night’s WWE SmackDown was the final war of words between WWE Champion Kofi Kingston and number one contender Dolph Ziggler just a few days before Kofi defends his title against Dolph at Super ShowDown, a night that is a decade in the making.

SmackDown started out with Kofi and Xavier Woods in the ring and Kofi talked about his long-awaited return home to Ghana, West Africa.  It was a moving experience for the WWE Champion, but Ziggler wasn’t waiting to chime in himself and he interrupted Kofi mid-sentence before going on one of his recent whining tirades.

Ziggler has made it clear that he believes Kofi’s rise should have been him, and he said as much again last night.  He also showed a video package of his career and how much he has done in the WWE, only to not be shown the appropriate amount of respect and opportunities.  Kofi responded by saying nobody is saying Ziggler hasn’t had a great career and that he understands what Ziggler is feeling.  However, Kofi separated the two when he showed Ziggler a video clip.

He showed the moment when Ziggler relinquished the United States Championship and walked out on SmackDown Live about a year and a half ago.  Kofi said he never quit on himself and the WWE universe like Ziggler did before saying he won’t lose the WWE Championship to Ziggler at Super ShowDown.  Dolph closed things out by saying on Friday at Super ShowDown, it will be him.

This was a stellar segment between the two that have had more of a coinciding career than most realize.  It was around a decade ago that both Kingston and Ziggler were young, up and coming superstars in the WWE that seemed destined for future success.  Kofi won the Intercontinental Championship early in his career back in 2008, but Ziggler won his first U.S. Championship against Kingston at the Capitol Punishment pay-per-view back in 2011.

Their paths would cross many times over the years, much of which included Intercontinental and U.S. Championship matches.  Both men were dubbed as workhorses that aren’t quite main event material.  However, Ziggler had his career breakthrough earlier than Kingston did and after winning the Money in the Bank contract back in 2012, Ziggler would famously cash in the night after WrestleMania 29 in 2013 to become World Heavyweight Champion.

Despite becoming a world champion, Ziggler was never truly treated as a main event player by the WWE.  He would fail to win a world title again in the WWE despite more stellar work over the past few years.  Kofi, on the other hand, maintained his mid-card level and eventually became part of one of the most successful tag teams in WWE history, The New Day.  However, earlier this year, the rise of Kofi took off on SmackDown like it never had before and it led to the ultimate success.

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Kofi captured the WWE Championship for the first time in his career at WrestleMania 35 in the match of the night against Daniel Bryan.  He has been a tremendous WWE Champion so far, but he will be challenged greatly by a motivated Ziggler at Super ShowDown.  This match has happened countless times over the years, but this version really brings both superstars’ careers full circle.

You could argue, and would probably be right, that Ziggler really isn’t in a significantly better position than he has been over the past several years, but the fact that he is challenging for the WWE Championship and has had time in the world title picture in the past says the WWE trusts him.  And then there’s Kofi, who is simply on the best run of his entire career and a bonafide main event superstar that has taken the WWE by storm.

Both men that started out as workhorse mid-card title superstars have risen to a level in which they can be viewed as main event players.  That’s a testament to the consistency of both individuals and their talent that, for the longest time, went unappreciated.  Many would have been skeptical back in 2009 if someone told them Kingston vs. Ziggler in 2019 would be for the WWE Championship.

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But that’s where things stand for two superstars that have had similar career paths over the past decade and have competed against each other countless times, with the biggest match set to take place at Super ShowDown to bring this rivalry full circle.