Opinion
Levin: SmackDown Live 2/19/19: Giving Kofi Kingston The Shot He Deserves
Do you agree the opportunity is deserved; or is it just riding the hot hand for an eventual let down?
David breaks down the current direction of the WWE Championship scene.
WWE is doing the right thing at the right time. After what may have been his career-defining moment at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view this past week, Kofi Kingston will get a shot at the WWE Title at Fastlane in a match with Daniel Bryan.
The move comes after he pinned Bryan as part of the six-man main event on SmackDown Live Tuesday night. For whatever reason, and I am not a huge fan of the New Day member, I find myself jumping on the bandwagon after what we have witnessed from the superstar in the past seven days.
You can only define it as a feather in the cap of the company that lost faith in a solid mid-card champion, only to see him thrive in tag team competition as part of one of the better stables to come along in some time. After an 11-year run that never reached main event status, Kingston is poised to meet Bryan with the company title on the line and a chance to finally get what he justly deserves.
To some degree, Kingston – who captivated us in a gauntlet match last Tuesday night for over an hour and then looked like he would capture the gold at Elimination Chamber – has to some degree become Bryan’s former character of the underdog everyone wants to see win it all.
The story is better than Seth Rollins and his run at the back half of 2018 on Raw. It’s better than anything going right now on the blue brand and should he capture gold at WWE Fastlane, one would think the rematch for the strap will occur at WrestleMania 35 with Bryan reclaiming the belt.
With the changes the company has made in the first seven weeks of 2019, I am shocked there wasn’t a title change last Sunday night, but understand what Gordon Solie used to say about the challenger is in a better position than the title holder. Being the hunted puts Bryan on the defensive. An aggressive Kingston is at his best right now.
The current program also shows how taking a home-grown talent like Kingston and giving him a run like this – regardless of the outcome at Fastlane – gives fans what they want as well. Welcome to the “feel good” story of the year, the one where we all can fight with the common man.
WWE has also taking a step back and told a story with momentum, something the company has lost sight of on many occasions in recent years. While the Becky Lynch story captivates us because she has been an afterthought because of Charlotte Flair, Kingston has been kept down because of WWE’s unwillingness to give the former United States and Intercontinental Champion a chance to show he can carry the company brand, if only for a short while.
Kingston’s rise in the ranks reminds me of Ricky Morton and Ric Flair. For those of you who have never seen the spot, Morton was one of the best tag team specialists of the 1980s, worked a program with Flair and came within an eyelash of becoming the NWA World Champion. Flair said at one point working with Morton was like ballet because he and Ricky Steamboat sold for him more than any other wrestler he had faced.
Kingston may not be in that kind of spot at the moment, but Morton’s role in the script is along the same lines. The only difference is there is a real chance he wins at Fastlane my opinion.
WWE needs to continue to change its appearance. Kingston could be the straw that stirs that drink. Even if he does not win at Fastlane, the company has given fans a chance to finally see Kingston in the main event. That’s more than could be said of his run as a singles champion in the past.
I sure would like to see what happens if indeed he was able to pull off the upset and win at Fastlane. It might be short-lived, but it would certainly be entertaining.
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Opinion
Chris King: Is Brock Lesnar Truly Retired?
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
At WrestleMania 42, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar took off his boots and gloves following his loss to Oba Femi. Lesnar has done it all inside of his twenty-four-year career in professional wrestling. He’s a ten-time WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he’s one who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
While Lesnar was in the ring, he was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and crying while he thanked the fans in his own way. The Beast even threw up an x to signal to Paul Heyman, his longtime friend and advocate, that this was not scripted and was real. There had been rumors that Lesnar and Oba were supposed to have a series of matches before everything went down at Mania.
‘The Career Killer’ Gunther was doing Heyman’s bidding as he faced Seth Rollins for a favor. For a while now since Gunther retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles, the rumor has been Gunther was set to retire Lesnar in his hometown at this year’s SummerSlam event. There’s been no confirmation if Lesnar is truly retired, but on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we saw Heyman talking with General Manager Nick Aldis. Later that night following Rhodes’ match against the debuting Ricky Saints, Gunther choked out the WWE Champion. Could this be the favor from Heyman?
I know in the world of professional wrestling we live by the mantra of “never say never,” but what if Lesnar is actually retired and this was WWE’s way of shutting down those rumors about Gunther and Lesnar? What if Gunther’s next program is chasing after the WWE title, and where is Randy Orton at in all of these plans? There are so many questions that need to be answered, hopefully soon!
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Opinion
Chris King: Defend The Intercontinental Championship At Backlash!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
This year’s annual Backlash showcase is only a few days away, and while there are many big matches announced, one that definitely should be isn’t on the card. In my opinion, outside of Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu and Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Championship scene has been stellar over the last month.
Penta has been an excellent champion, especially after his triumphant title defense in a ladder match against JeVon Evans, Rusev, Dragon Lee, and the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. Their ladder match at Mania was one of the best that WWE has produced in a while.
The momentum never stopped, as on the post-Mania episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page made his debut and was quickly inserted into the Intercontinental title scene. Page had a fantastic showing against his longtime NXT rival Evans and picked up a big win in his debut match thanks to an assist from Rusev.
All Ego immediately joined forces with ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev, who was also vying for the Intercontinental Title in his own right. On this week’s episode of Raw, Page and Rusev defeated Evans and Penta. All Ego pinned the champion, making a huge statement and putting him one step closer to getting a title shot. For the past few weeks I’ve been anxiously waiting to see if WWE was going to add this incredible fatal four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, but it hasn’t happened yet.
As much as the WWE Universe enjoys witnessing great matches on free television, I truly believe all four superstars deserve the chance to showcase their talents on the PLE. While Penta has done a terrific job as the intercontinental champion, it’s time for a fresh face to hold the prestigious title. Page would make a great braggadocious heel that would help elevate the Intercontinental Championship to new heights!
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MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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