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This week on WWE SmackDown, Brock Lesnar surprised the WWE Universe when he came to the ring and beat down Kofi Kingston. Paul Heyman then announced that Lesnar would be challenging Kofi Kingston for his WWE Championship on the upcoming FOX debut edition of the show.
The move came out of the blue, with many fans expecting one more match up between Randy Orton and Kofi Kingston at Hell in a Cell.
The WWE obviously want to make an impact when they move over to FOX and crowning a new WWE Champion is one way of doing that. While fans may not want to see Kingston's reign brought to an end, it seems highly likely that it is going to happen, and these are four reasons why.
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#4 Kofi Kingston's disappointing title matches
Kofi Kingston has had a great run since winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35. His match with Daniel Bryan at the event is still arguably the main roster's finest encounter of the year, and the superstar is still receiving massive pops wherever he goes.
Unfortunately for Kingston, his feuds and matches since becoming WWE Champion have been far from inspiring. His matches with Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, Samoa Joe, and Randy Orton have all been average at best and his storylines have just lacked the same level of drama that his original run before WrestleMania had.
Arguably the biggest reason for this is that Kingston has been booked to look too unbeatable. Heading into all of those matches, Kingston was the heavy favorite and that lack of drama and unpredictability has made his matches feel fairly dull.
With SmackDown matches likely to overtake RAW ones as the main event on PPVs as the WWE shifts their attention towards the brand, the WWE will want to have much more compelling match-ups in those main event slots. While fans may not want to see Lesnar defeat Kingston, the WWE is likely to see it as the easiest way to make title matches more important.
#3 Big debut for FOX
NXT made its debut on the USA Network this week and the WWE made the decision to switch the North American Championship from Velveteen Dream to Roderick Strong after a thrilling match-up.
The decision was made to show the new audience members who were perhaps tuning in to NXT for the first time, that anything can happen on live WWE television. The WWE are likely to deploy the same tactic on SmackDown on October 4th.
The show's new Friday night slot is likely to draw a lot more casual viewers and the WWE will want to make a statement to them that SmackDown is one of the most exciting and unpredictable shows on television. Brock Lesnar is also one of the company's most recognizable faces which will only aid them in this endeavor.
With the television debut of AEW just a few weeks away as well, the WWE are going to seriously up their game in the coming months and having their biggest and most iconic belt swap hands on the show, potentially in dramatic fashion, really makes a statement as we head into this exciting new era. The WWE Universe may not be too keen on the idea but it is a guaranteed ratings boost to start things off.
#2 Nowhere else to go for Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston has been on an incredible run in the WWE so far this year. The former tag-team champion has risen to the top of the card and beaten everybody in his path. The likes of Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, Samoa Joe and Randy Orton have all been beaten clean by Kingston which means that if he defeats Lesnar, he has all but defeated every major threat the WWE has to offer right now.
If Kingston defeats Brock Lesnar on SmackDown, and especially if he manages to do it clean, then there is no major heel left for Kofi Kingston to face. You could argue that The Fiend could move over from RAW, but he is currently preoccupied with Seth Rollins and the Universal Champion.
A defeat for Kofi Kingston actually helps further his narrative. It works as a reminder that he isn't unbeatable and that he got to the point he is currently at through being an underdog and overcoming adversity. Having him lose the belt, only to later come back and finally vanquish the one man that he couldn't beat will only further establish him as a main-event superstar.
#1 Brock Lesnar is Best for Business
The decision to have Brock Lesnar take on Kofi Kingston comes down to the fact that the WWE is in need of a big-name star to rule over the brand now that they have moved to FOX. While fans may not be happy with Lesnar taking the belt from Kingston, from a business point of view, it makes a lot more sense. With Ronda Rousey and John Cena both off television for the forseeable future, the company has no-one else to turn to in the WWE right now.
While Lesnar is not likely to be on TV every week, having Lesnar and the belt as a special attraction will probably help draw in casual viewers. It is also likely to be better for the WWE from a marketing point of view, with Lesnar pretty much being the only mainstream name left wrestling in the WWE right now.
Kingston's popularity among the WWE universe is undeniable but he has no brand recognition away from the company and whether fans like it or not, that is exactly what is going to dictate SmackDown's first few months on their new home.
