Ranking Kofi Kingston’s WWE Royal Rumble Saves

Kofi Kingston has earned a reputation for saving himself from eliminations in creative a spectacular ways since 2012. If there’s anything we look forward to besides the Rumble match itself, it’s how will Kofi Kingston save himself this year. With seven ways he has saved himself under his belt, let’s see how they stack up.

7. On Big E’s Shoulders (2016)

The least creative and memorable moment came at arguably the lowest point of the New Day since their rocky beginnings. 2016 was when the New Day began to get a bit stale as they were in the midst of their historical Tag Team Championship reign. It makes sense that at least one of these would include another member of New Day, so it was almost inevitable. As the strong man of the group, Big E made sure Kofi stayed in the match. The thing about here is that those types of saves have been done before, so there was a bit of disappointment considering Kingston’s track record. At least Kingston enjoying some popcorn was worth a chuckle.

6. Rose Buds (2015)

This one is quite forgettable as the rosebuds are no longer present in the WWE and this is the Rumble where Roman Reigns won, so the fans weren’t exactly thinking about Kofi Kingston spots whilst driving home. Similar to that of the last entry, Kofi didn’t do much to save himself. There was no athleticism on Kingston’s part as his early days in the Rumble would show. This is where the Rumble saves would start to diminish in quality, but he would prove that he could still pull off feats later in his Rumble career.

5. Pancake (2018)

Kofi’s most recent outing say him getting saved by Xavier Woods as the former caught Kingston’s right foot before it hit the floor. Kofi would use the plate of pancakes produced by Big E to stay on the outside before getting back into the ring. The way Kingston was hopping on one foot makes you thing why this isn’t done more. While it was a nice way to tie in the weird admiration for pancakes the trio recently picked up, it was still not as creative as hi earlier saves. The way Big E and Woods launched Kofi over the top rope to get him back in the match was a bit more impressive.

.@XavierWoodsPhD, @WWEBigE and @TrueKofi are BRILLIANT! pic.twitter.com/UEq4CDHvbD

— TDE Wrestling (@totaldivaseps) January 29, 2018

4. Ring Post (2017)

The best save during Kofi’s New Day run so far came last year, where Big E and Xavier were absent. It seems Kofi does better in the Rumble when he’s on his own. For this particular stunt, Kofi stood on the LED ring post and almost fell, only to catch himself on the post (which looked like it hurt). It was different and nothing like that had been done before or since, so it get’s a few bonus points, but it is still a far cry from the top three.

3. From the Barricade (2014)

At this point, we all started to recognize this was becoming an annual thing. This was similar to John Morrison’s save in 2011, which may be why it’s not higher on the list. However, it was still was impressive to watch. Kofi ended up at Rusev’s will, but the Bulgarian Brute decided to place him on the barricade instead of dumping him to the floor. The jump that fallowed was an amazing feat, and it all could have went south if one fan decided to ruin the fun. Luckily, that didn’t happen.

2. Announce Chair (2013)

Kofi found himself on Tensai’s back, and ended up on the announcer’s table. Instead of jumping to the apron (which he might have been able to pull off) he opted to pogo stick is way back to the ring using JBL’s chair. Everyone got a kick out of it and it was certainly one of his more memorable acts of the Rumble.

1. Hand Stand (2012)

It had to be this one, right? The save that started it all. Kofi has had his fair share of athletic and impressive moments, especially in the Royal Rumble, but this tops them all. Using the “two feet must touch the floor” rule to his advantage, Kingston was forced to do a handstand outside the ring to keep himself alive. In an incredible show of balance and strength, he was able to make his way to the corner ring steps, where he solidified his name as an attraction forever linked to the Royal Rumble.