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We saw a wonderful video package featuring all of Kofi Kingston's achievements to kick off SmackDown Live. The crowd knew that it was finally his moment to shine on the big stage. And then Kofi Kingston came out to make the match official, to sign the document that would guarantee him a title shot at WWE Fastlane. Suddenly, Vince McMahon's music hit.
Vince McMahon would make a massive change to the match, changing the dynamics of SmackDown Live. He announced the return of Kevin Owens to the blue brand. Moreover, he announced that Kevin Owens would be replacing Kofi Kingston at the Fastlane match.
The WWE Universe was both happy and sad in equal measure. While their favourite Kofi Kingston is no longer in the match, Owens' return is a pretty big deal.
Here are 5 reasons why this move was made on the blue brand.
#5 To delay the big Bryan vs. Kingston match
So, the rumour out there was that Kevin Owens would face Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35. Of course, this is a big match but then Kofi Kingston's popularity skyrocketed and how. It was much like the situation with Bryan at WrestleMania XXX, when he was portrayed as the underdog against two legendary WWE superstars.
And so, by booking a match between Kevin Owens and Daniel Bryan for WWE Fastlane, you save a Bryan vs. Kingston match for WrestleMania which is a much bigger deal. When you have an entire arena of people spurring the veteran on to victory and glory. I wonder if Kevin Owens will be a part of that match too.
I'm really excited about the Owens and Bryan match. But the money match is the one between Bryan and Kingston.
#4 Because another loss would have derailed Kingston's momentum
If you actually think about it, Kofi Kingston has not been winning a lot really. After all, he came up short in the Elimination Chamber against Daniel Bryan. And let's be honest, while he had an Iron Man Performance in the gauntlet match, he came up short against Styles in that particular match which was won by Randy Orton.
So, having Kofi Kingston go up against Daniel Bryan and losing on the stage would have killed his momentum. Conservely, having him win at Fastlane would have just robbed him of a WrestleMania moment. By booking the match at WWE Fastlane as they have done, it plays out in the best manner possible for all the parties concerned.
If Kofi Kingston suffered another loss, maybe the fan support would have waned as well. Nobody likes to support a loser, all said and done.
#3 To establish Vince McMahon as the one heel among the authority figures
If you think about it, then the McMahon regime that assumed control of RAW and SmackDown Live shortly after TLC is a band of babyfaces. And this is difficult to accept generally because, with the exception of Shane McMahon, all of them have been heels in recent times.
But even among them, Vince McMahon is the one character that still shows signs of being a heel more than a babyface. He got the thunderous round of boos when he replaced Becky Lynch in the big WrestleMania match against Charlotte Flair recently.
I mean, all said and done, this segment was pretty much a repeat of that one, all said and done. The Becky-Charlotte segment got so much traction on social media, WWE repeated pretty much the same segment with Kofi Kingston on the blue brand.
He's the one heel among the babyfaces!
#2 To establish Kevin Owens as a heel again
If you remember how things were panning out on RAW, Kevin Owens was a babyface at the end. This is when he was feuding with Bobby Lashley, the man who was responsible for injuring his best friend, Sami Zayn. And of course, soon after that, he suffered an unfortunate injury himself.
Kevin Owens is a far better heel than he is a babyface. If you remember his heel run with Chris Jericho, the two men carried RAW on their broad shoulders back when Owens was the Universal Champion. It somehow does not feel right to see Kevin Owens as a babyface, so WWE had him become a heel once more.
We also know that Vince McMahon trusts Kevin Owens because he allowed Owens to headbutt him not long ago. Maybe one day in the future, he will become an organic babyface but now is not the time.
#1 To freshen up the title picture on SmackDown
If you consider the men involved in the Elimination Chamber, the creme de la creme of the blue brand, you'll realise that the blue brand had grown a little stale. I mean Randy Orton has had way too many title runs already, AJ Styles' second run did not pan out as it should have and somehow Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe haven't been booked as Champions should.
Kevin Owens is someone who has excelled in every single role that he's ever been thrust into. And therefore, I believe that the time was rife for him to return to the blue brand again. There is just far too much talent on RAW at this point, really.
I know that a lot of men on SmackDown Live don't get any screen time either, like The Club. But Kevin Owens just seems like a better fit for the blue brand, as RAW is traditionally the land of the giants.
Why do you think Kingston was replaced in the big Fastlane match?
