3 reasons why Randy Orton may win the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2019

This past week on SmackDown Live, WWE Champion Kofi Kingston made his way to the ring and issued a WWE Championship challenge to Randy Orton. Orton gladly obliged and the two stars exchanged a few insults. The Viper talked about how he used his influence to hold Kofi back in the past. Their intense rivalry in late 2009 was brought to our attention and Kofi blamed Orton for not allowing him to break through to the main event scene.

The Legend Killer sat at ringside to witness Kofi's match with Samoa Joe. Towards the end of the match, Orton tried to strike Kofi with an RKO but the WWE Champion escaped. Instead of Kofi, Joe felt the wrath of the Viper when Orton laid him out with a vicious RKO. Mere seconds later, Kofi struck Orton with a Trouble in Paradise to send a statement. Kofi held his own against Orton and assured the Legend Killer that he wouldn't fall for the challenger's mind games.

The match between Orton and Kingston for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam was made official. It's a very intriguing story-line and rivalry. The die-hard, babyface WWE Champion will look to run through the vile, vicious, desperate and abominable challenger.

However, I have a feeling that Orton has a decent chance of dethroning Kofi Kingston and I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

We take a look at some of the reasons that are in favour of the Viper and why he could dethrone the man from Ghana as the new WWE Champion.

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3. Randy Orton hasn't been WWE Champion in a long time

Orton won his last WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33.

As The Apex Predator pointed out a couple of weeks ago, Orton hasn't held the WWE Championship since 2017. That's quite a long time for a star of Orton's caliber and it must agitate the veteran.

Orton's last WWE Championship run was forgettable. He won the WWE title from Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33 in a horrendous match and didn't even successfully defend it once. He lost the WWE Championship a month later at Backlash to an unlikely challenger in Jinder Mahal. Mahal's victory over Orton was hailed as one of the biggest surprises of 2017.

The Viper hasn't had a good reign with the WWE Championship in a long time. Hence, Orton would do anything to get the WWE title on his shoulders once again.

2. SmackDown Live is moving to Fox in October and it may all be part of a bigger plan

SmackDown Live moves to Fox in October

Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably would know that SmackDown Live is set to move to Fox this October. WWE will move the Blue Brand to Fox on October 4 and it will be a massive landmark in the Blue Brand's prestigious history. WWE is pulling out all the stops to make the debut program of SmackDown Live on Fox a memorable one. They are reportedly trying to bring The Rock back, Roman Reigns was drafted to SmackDown Live for Fox and Brock Lesnar is expected to be heavily featured once SmackDown Live moves to Fox. All of this was done to hype up SmackDown Live's debut on Fox.

The WWE Champion is often thought to be the face of WWE. Part of me thinks that the company doesn't want Kofi to represent them as WWE Champion when SmackDown Live moves to Fox. WWE would definitely choose Orton over Kofi if it wants a recognizable face to lead SmackDown Live into the Fox era. With all due respect to Kofi, Orton is a much bigger draw and a more familiar face for casual fans. Furthermore, Orton has always been one of Vince McMahon's favorites. Thus, Orton could be WWE Champion when SmackDown Live debuts on Fox.

Speaking of a bigger plan, Roman Reigns is expected to be the face of SmackDown upon its debut on Fox. To establish himself as the face, he would have to become WWE Champion. WWE seldom does face vs face feuds, hence Reigns probably won't dethrone Kofi. Orton would be the perfect stepping stone for Reigns.

1. Kofi Kingston hasn't drawn well as WWE Champion

Kofi Kingston hasn't been able to draw in fans

Perhaps the biggest and most important reason for taking the WWE Championship off Kofi is because he has failed to draw in fans. A report from Forbes suggests that Kofi is one of the worst-drawing World Champions in WWE history. After all, SmackDown Live's ratings continue to plummet, ticket sales are poor with many seats empty in house shows and fan interest is at an all-time low.

Although, Kofi cannot be blamed for the aforementioned woes. He is partly responsible, he hasn't been at his best lately. His feud with Dolph Ziggler was bland, his feud with Kevin Owens under-whelmed and he made Samoa Joe look weak at Extreme Rules and throughout their feud. Kofi struggled to maintain fan interest in the post-Mania season.

On the contrary, Orton is one of WWE's biggest draws and continues to be a huge attraction for casual fans. Unlike Kofi, Orton is a proven, valuable commodity that WWE can rely on in times of need. Hence, Orton's reliability and star-power may force WWE to take the title off Kofi at SummerSlam.