Nah bro the CoC team still thinks that a King in the Background and without King's haki is what Oda is going for.
1 - Big Mom YC (Cracker) and Kaido YC (Jack) didn't consider Doffy that strong or impressive.
2 - Katakuri is not hurting a serious King. It's clear Oda has made King harder to damage than Kaido. He's still strong even without that power.
3 - King is not a background character. Zoro, one of the main characters, is his main opponent.