WWE wouldn’t put the belt on Randy Orton again, would they?
Kofi Kingston has already dispatched Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, and Samoa Joe during his title run. Does WWE go back to Randy Orton before their move to Fox?
The story so far
Kingston’s rivalry with Orton traces it’s roots all the way back to Oct. 2009. The beef dates back so long, Kingston was still transitioning from his failed Jamaican accent infused singles run at the time.
With an assist from Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase of Legacy, Orton dispatched Kingston in their two month feud. The Viper would win the last three matches of their storyline and Kingston’s time near the top of the card was shelved in favor of Intercontinental as well as tag team title pursuits.
For the most part Kingston and Orton were kept apart for the last several years. Though Orton did play a key part in the embryonic stages of #KofiMania. In yet another Gauntlet match Kingston had to wrestle through, Orton played the role of final boss in a match that allowed The New Day member to get his title shot.
The build to SummerSlam
After beating Samoa Joe at Extreme Rules to retain his title, Kingston was a champion without a clear number one contender. WWE cued up The Viper, who has largely stayed away from the main event scene for the last several months.
In recent months, Orton lost to AJ Styles at WrestleMania 35 and then went on to defeat Triple H at Super ShowDown.
Given their history, Kingston’s challenge wasn’t exactly out of thin air. The chemistry between Orton and Kingston reignited instantly and remained strong despite the time apart.
The go-home show
On the final episode of SmackDown before SummerSlam, Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton did not interact with one another. In fact both men did not physically appear and WWE instead elected to play a video package recapping the 10-year rivalry.
Usually just rolling the tape would be a negative but WWE’s video production team is top notch, and the above Kingston versus Orton montage hit all the right notes.
The Kofi versus Randy feud is good enough to be the anchor of tonight’s card. Without a clear cut main event, WWE could easily slot Kingston and Orton in the main event of SummerSlam without anyone blinking an eye.
Can Kingston continue his tidal wave of momentum he built since the birth of #KofiMania? Or will WWE pivot off Kingston to give Orton his 14th major WWE title win?
Poll
Who wins?
This poll is closed
-
63%
Kofi Kingston
-
36%
Randy Orton