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From Kofi Kingston earning a shot at the WWE Championship at Fastlane to NXT Superstars making impressive appearances throughout the episode, this week's edition of WWE SmackDown Live featured a lot of contrasting moments indeed.
As compared to this week's RAW, SmackDown Live basically followed the same footsteps for the most part. However, no major fatigue really set in, simply because the show encapsulated the basic plot points from this week's RAW in two hours, instead of three. Let us know what you thought about the episode in the comments below.
With that said, here are some interesting observations from last night's episode of SmackDown Live.
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#3 Both major SmackDown Live Champions got pinned on the same night
Over on Monday Night RAW, it is unlikely that Brock Lesnar will ever get pinned for the three-count during an exhibition match (that is if he decides to take part in one, the odds are also very unlikely).
Meanwhile, on SmackDown Live, both major champions - Daniel Bryan (WWE Champion) and Asuka (SmackDown Live Women's Champion) got pinned and lost their respective bouts on the same night.
The noticeable contrast between both weekly shows clearly indicates a divide between its major champions. While Daniel Bryan has been part of interesting and well-executed segments and matches in recent times, Brock Lesnar will always be considered the superior champion from WWE's standpoint, despite not being as frequent as the current WWE Champion.
The SmackDown Live Women's Championship scenario isn't gaining major traction either. All the focus seems to be on the Charlotte-Becky-Ronda saga for the RAW Women's Championship. While the latter feud is actually a good thing, that shouldn't necessarily mean that the writers stray away from Asuka's reign as SmackDown Live Women's Champion.
Simply put, the fact that both major champions of SmackDown Live got pinned last night sheds light to the aforementioned divide, and the writers have to do something about it sooner than later. What do you think?
#2 Zelina Vega's dilemma
What do you do when your husband faces your business partner in a singles wrestling match?
Perhaps this is not a situation that you come across every day. It doesn't matter whether backstage officials chose to acknowledge this on TV or not because the whole dynamic was interesting to see nevertheless.
In the end, Vega's real-life husband, Aleister Black, conquered her on-screen business associate, Andrade. The match itself was pretty well-executed, to say the least.
This also shows that WWE wants to protect Black's image on live TV week after week. This can be attributed to the fact that his dark and ominous persona might lose its way if they choose to acknowledge Vega and Black as a real-life married couple as part of WWE canon.
What did you think about Andrade vs Aleister Black during last night's show? Personally, Black has impressed me the most (so far) out of all NXT names featured on the main roster shows this week.
#1 Does Kofi Kingston stand a chance to become the new WWE Champion at Fastlane?
It has been 11 years, and Kofi Kingston's momentum has suddenly skyrocketed since last week. Not only that, but his performance in the Elimination Chamber made everyone stand firmly by his side after so many years.
#KofiMania might be a reality in the near future. Kingston was granted a title match against Daniel Bryan at WWE Fastlane towards the end of last night's show.
But the question remains, does Kofi stand a real chance at winning the WWE title from Daniel Bryan, or is he simply a roadblock on Daniel Bryan's path leading to a bigger story at WrestleMania 35?
The odds are stacked against Kofi right now. However, these circumstantial turn of events might churn out something the fans will remember for ages. Either way, #KofiMania is running wild, and it shows that the man himself has a lot left in the tank.
Thanks for reading this article, please share it to spread the word. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below, and stay tuned for more.
