I just realised how poorly written my post was. I didn't intend to come across as critical of the feud, moreso it's function. I believe the best feuds are the ones that benefit both parties. Where even the loser ends up higher on the pecking order than where they started. My issue with Orton/Kofi is that in hindsight, it had no ramifications beyond keeping Orton busy for a few months.
I agree that Kofi could have easily had a run with the title on SmackDown, but I don't think it would have been what was best for Kingston either. Jack Swagger is actually an excellent example here. When Swagger first came onto the scene in ECW in 2008, he became a genuine prospect for the WWE as this legitimate grappler who was making strides in the ring. His work with Christian and Matt Hardy at the time was a highlight and it seemed like in a year or two's time he could become an actual star for the company.
Instead of being careful with the character and maximising Swagger's star potential, Vince was lazy and reckless. Suddenly Swagger found himself on Raw with no real angle and his utility on the show was to highlight how stunning Eve Torres was. Swagger deserved better, but the way the WWE transitioned from that to making him the World Champion was so abrupt it hurt Swagger.
What Swagger and Kofi needed was another angle to solidify themselves as stars. For Swagger that may have meant beating all-comers as the US Champion and doing that Eagle shtick he wound up doing as World Champion. For Kofi that may have meant working a program with Sheamus or even Big Zeke.
However, the WWE was in a strange, strange place at the time and was more repetitive than it is nowadays. To paint a picture, we're talking about the Celebrity Guest General Manger phase, where every episode Chavo Guerrero Jr, Jillian Hall, Hornswaggle, Chris Masters etc. would get caught up in shenanigans and the show would typically end with Chris Jericho getting his bell rung. I wouldn't even necessarily call it bad TV, it just wasn't an era where they were looking to rebuild the show.
As an aside, I had no problem with Rey Mysterio being champion and wish he had a proper reign with the belt. One of the greatest in-ring performers of all-time who had been an important part of SmackDown for years and he never got the run he deserved. I don't think anybody should have had the reign he had in 2010, as a transitional champion for Kane's eventual run. It was odd, but after Jeff bailed (and was later busted...extremely suspicious timing) Vince made SmackDown The Undertaker's show, so this was clearly designed with that in mind.
After hearing Kofi Kingston on the E&C show, it bums me out we never got a proper Edge & Kofi program.
