So on Smackdown Live this past week, the “opportunity” was given to New Day member Kofi Kingston for an opportunity at the WWE title at Wrestlemania: Kingston would just have to win a gauntlet match against a phalanx of some of the toughest customers on the blue brand: Randy Orton, United States Champion Samoa Joe, The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro) as well as Daniel Bryan’s designated ‘protector’ Erick Rowan.
This harkens back to the time when Roman Reigns had to defeat literally half of the RAW locker room (which ironically included the members of the New Day while they were heels); the “one verses all” situation. Kingston’s current program is similar, but comes off as more organic with him being the 11 year veteran who never got a WWE title shot.
Each of the specific participants in the gauntlet match, rather than just random heels thrown together, have a reason why they are in the match. Rowan because he is supposed to do Bryan’s bidding in order to prevent Kofi from winning, The Bar because at Fastlane they were in the handicap match that beat down Kingston and the other New Day members.
Samoa Joe had been on a roll “tearing down the idols” of the WWE Universe, like Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio, and Kofi Kingston fits that bill perfectly. But as for Randy Orton, his inclusion may be one of the few times WWE alludes to previous story lines, if inadvertently. Orton was involved in a brutal feud with Kingston a few years ago, just around the time when Kofi was the up and comer and Orton was the established veteran.
It didn’t have the diabolical and evil “Mr. McMahon” unveiling his dastardly plan (in fact McMahon looked rather monotone and bland when revealing Kofi’s gauntlet match; he probably shouldn’t be on TV anymore), but having this match is quite a way to build Kofi’s eventual match for the title at Wrestlemania.
An average professional doing the 9-5 grind who really loves wrestling across all platforms. Here's hoping wrestlers finally get some basic workers rights in 2021.
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