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Kofi Kingston steps up to his toughest test to date as WWE Champion next Friday night, when he takes on The Beast Incarnate himself, Brock Lesnar.
SmackDown Live makes its debut on The Fox Network and it appears that WWE wants to kick off the show with a bang as part of one of the biggest weeks in WWE history, which also includes the season premiere of Monday Night Raw and Hell in a Cell.
Lesnar laid down the challenge after Kingston swept aside Randy Orton at Clash of Champions. The WWE Champion has been able to defeat all challengers since WrestleMania, including Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, and The Viper himself.
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Of course, this isn't the first time Kingston has taken on Lesnar, so the WWE Champion is aware of the task at hand, but there are some hints that seem to point to Kofi Kingston incredibly retaining his Championship against The Beast.
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#5. Brock Lesnar is no longer that undefeated Beast
Seth Rollins has already humanized Brock Lesnar twice this year, and both times he's been able to take the Universal Championship from around his waist, which could be why Lesnar decided to pick a fight with Kofi Kingston, since Rollins already proved that he's got Lesnar's number.
When Kingston last faced Lesnar back in 2015, he was an absolute beast, and Kingston was a mid-carder who could be overlooked in a show that was named after the former World Champion. Times have definitely changed. If Rollins can defeat Lesnar then there is no one who can say that Kofi Kingston can't achieve the same fate, since Lesnar is no longer The Beast Incarnate. He's currently on a decline and Kingston could take advantage of that.
#4. Brock Lesnar is switching one title for another
Brock Lesnar has been the company's go-to guy for a number of years. This has never been more apparent than when Roman Reigns was forced out on hiatus last fall and Lesnar was then the man that WWE called in to take the Universal Championship and keep his seat warm until he returned.
Lesnar has been bouncing around the Championship picture in WWE since 2012, with the only real break coming when he and The Undertaker went to war throughout 2015. Lesnar has only recently dropped the Universal Championship to Seth Rollins, and if he moves over to SmackDown Live and is able to defeat Kofi Kingston, then he will be swapping one title for another.
WWE doesn't want to look so transparent that the only person that they can put the title on following this huge switch is Brock Lesnar. WWE is running out of ideas for The Beast, this is why it would make more sense for Kingston to retain and it will then be proved once again that Lesnar can be defeated, much like Rollins proved back at WrestleMania and SummerSlam.
#3. SmackDown Live doesn't need a part-time Champion
It's entirely feasible that FOX have asked WWE to bring Brock Lesnar back to the company because he's seen as a legitimate fighter following his UFC career and that would give WWE some legitimacy when it's being promoted on their Network.
That being said, Brock Lesnar will never be a full-time Champion, he won't wrestle at smaller pay-per-views and he won't always be available for SmackDown shows because WWE can't afford how much he charges, which means that he would become a part-time Champion once again.
When Brock was Champion before, the mid-card title became the most prestigious title because he wasn't around to defend the Universal Championship at every pay-per-view, which isn't a position WWE wants to get itself into again.
SmackDown Live has become a place of opportunity under the control of Shane McMahon and this switch over to FOX shouldn't take this away. Lesnar is a huge pull for the Network, but he isn't enough of a pull to make him Champion once again and in turn, send a message to the WWE locker room when it comes to opportunities.
#2. The New Day
The New Day were the deciding factor in the match between Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler at Super ShowDown back in June since Xavier Woods had to involve himself in order to help his New Day teammate to retain his Championship.
Brock Lesnar destroyed all three members of The New Day at Beast in the East four years ago, but The New Day has grown since then and it's hard to imagine that they will allow Kingston to lose his Championship to Lesnar without involving themselves.
Even if they are seen getting involved by the referee, a disqualification would mean that Kingston would retain and live to fight another day. Lesnar is a lone wolf and has no one to watch his back like Kingston, which is why the odds should be in Kofi's favor heading into next week's match.
Xavier Woods and Big E have stated numerous times that Kingston is their brother, and even though he sent them away last week on SmackDown Live, it's hard to imagine that they won't at least try to help their brother retain his title.
#1. Hell in a Cell is looming
WWE has managed to book itself into a corner when it comes to Hell in a Cell this year, since we are a little more than a week away from the show and there are only three matches officially on the card.
Instead of making matches for Hell in a Cell over the past few weeks, WWE has made matches for SmackDown Live's switch over to FOX, which is just two days before and now there is only one week left to build the show.
The most likely scenario here is that Kofi Kingston is able to retain his Championship against Lesnar on Sunday night and then at Hell in a Cell there is a rematch between both men. It's highly unlikely that Lesnar would defend his title on a B-level pay-per-view like Hell in a Cell, but there needs to be a WWE Championship match as part of the show and if he could win the title then he might make an exception.
It's hard to imagine that Kingston wouldn't defend his title at Hell in a Cell, so it's likely that he will retain with the help of The New Day and the duo will then be banned from ringside for the rematch.
