Kofi Kingston becoming WWE Champion is arguably the greatest thing that happened in 2019 for wrestling. One of WWE's ultimate good guys, Kofi had worked tirelessly throughout his career to get to that point and was someone the fans loved seeing as champion.

Despite worries that WWE would rip it away immediately, Kingston actually enjoyed a lengthy reign as champion until he met a Beast. However, despite how he lost the title along the way he certainly made a mark with it.

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The New Day member defended the title against any and all challengers, which helped build him as a credible champion. So, let's take a look back at all of his title defenses, and rank them from worst to best.

8 Kofi Kingston vs Brock Lesnar (SmackDown 1000)

Brock Lesnar Vs. Kofi Kingston

This was always going to be considered to be the worst of Kofi Kingston's title defenses, wasn't it? However, it isn't just because Kofi lost the title here that makes it the worst of the bunch.

It is the fact that it was essentially a squash match, lasting just eight seconds. Had WWE given the two men a good 10-15 minutes to put on a great match, this could actually have been Kingston's best match, regardless of the result.

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Brock Lesnar works really well with smaller wrestlers and fans felt robbed of a big match here. Instead, Kingston was totally disrespected in order to promote Cain Velasquez instead.

7 Kofi Kingston vs Dolph Ziggler (Super ShowDown)

Dolph Ziggler was a smart choice of opponent for Kofi Kingston to feud over the WWE Championship. Knowing they'd put on great matches each time they wrestled, the fans were able to be excited about all their matches.

Saudi Arabia shows are always interesting because WWE has yet to commit to having major title changes on those shows. Because of that, it felt a little predictable, but that didn't stop them from having a fun match.

The only thing that let this match down is the fact that Xavier Woods played such a key role in the finish. It didn't exactly make Kofi look like a credible, babyface champion and it cheapened the moment.

6 Kofi Kingston vs Samoa Joe (Extreme Rules)

Kofi Kingston and Samoa Joe worked excellently with each other whenever they got the chance to wrestle. Add in the WWE Championship and it created a truly special match between two top tier talents.

With Samoa Joe having a clear power and strength advantage, this created a David vs Goliath style match. The two men worked that storyline brilliantly, with Joe being incredibly aggressive, but Kofi's underdog ability came out on top in the end.

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WWE could really have enhances this match by adding a stipulation to it, especially considering the PPV was Extreme Rules. However, they kept things simple with a singles match and proved they didn't need any bells and whistles to have a great match.

5 Kofi Kingston vs Samoa Joe vs Dolph Ziggler (WWE Smackville)

This event was basically a house show that WWE decided to turn into a WWE Network special at the last minute. Because there was no real build to this show, this was a title defense that a lot of fans actually missed.

It is a shame that is the case because it was actually one of Kofi Kingston's best title matches. Without the same limitations that a normal PPV have, they were really able to go all-out here to put on a great match.

With three varying styles all combining, they did a great job of making this as gripping as possible. The only thing really holding this back was the fact that the outcome was obvious, due to this not being a major PPV.

4 Kofi Kingston vs Randy Orton (SummerSlam)

Has this match ended in a different way, it could have ranked much higher on this list because it was actually a solid match. This was, without doubt, the best rivalry of Kofi Kingston's title reign, but this wasn't the best match.

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WWE built this feud up so well, using a real moment from their history both in the ring and backstage, the storyline got interesting. There was a lot of excitement to see them wrestle and they didn't disappoint.

When they got into the ring, they had instant chemistry and really managed to make things work. However, the double count-out that took place to end the match really was anti-climactic, even if it didn't continue the storyline without Kofi having to drop the title.

3 Kofi Kingston vs Kevin Owens (Money In The Bank)

Kevin Owens turning on The New Day was such a fun storyline that it's a shame they only got one PPV to really work with it. The two of them could really have gone out and had an amazing series of matches if WWE had wanted to, but instead, we just got this one.

However, that does make their match at Money in the Bank that much more special. This was the initial storyline that Kofi had after capturing the title, so Kofi Mania was still running wild here to add to the atmosphere.

They put on a brilliant match together, with Kevin Owens getting in plenty of offense throughout, adding to the fun. They went back and forth and kept the pace high with some great near falls to really make this feel important.

2 Kofi Kingston vs Dolph Ziggler (Stomping Grounds)

This particular match was a steel cage match after Dolph Ziggler had complained about Xavier Woods' interference in their previous match. Making the most of the stipulation, they put on a really entertaining match.

While they didn't have a particularly brutal match, they put on a brilliantly athletic encounter. Using steel as a weapon when needed, they really showed the amazing in-ring chemistry that they have.

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Kofi and Dolph have wrestled countless times, but this felt like the best of them all. With a really innovative finish as Kingston dove through the ropes as Ziggler crawled out, the match was brought to an end in a great way as well, which really helped.

1 Kofi Kingston vs Randy Orton (Clash Of Champions)

The best match of Kofi Kingston's WWE Championship reign happened to be his final one on PPV, bringing an end to his storyline with Randy Orton. This also happened to be the longest match of Kofi's reign as well, which likely played a big part in it being so good.

Giving Kingston plenty of time to carve out a fantastic wrestling match is never a bad idea, and this proved it. Working with a Randy Orton who clearly wanted to be there also helped and they carved out a great match.

This is something that fans wanted to see happen for years, and they ensured it delivered. With Orton being someone who was easy to see as a legitimate threat to Kofi's title reign, there were real stakes in this one as well, which had been lacking in other title matches.

NEXT: WWE: 5 Reasons Why Kofi Kingston's Title Reign Has Been Great (& 5 Why It's Been Disappointing)