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WWE Champion Kofi Kingston is set to face Brock Lesnar on SmackDown's FOX debut. Many fans are expecting Lesnar to win the WWE Championship next week because he is a ratings draw and it will be his first time wrestling on the Blue Brand since leaving WWE in 2004.
Kingston won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35, after defeating Daniel Bryan. Since then, he has successfully defended his title against the likes of Randy Orton, Kevin Owens, and more. However, 'The Beast' will prove to be his toughest opponent yet. Lesnar doesn't usually lose matches, especially those with a title on the line.
Brock Lesnar returned to RAW this week and caused havoc when he mercilessly attacked Rey Mysterio and his son, Dominick. Lesnar's all out assault on Monday Night RAW was a warning to Kofi Kingston. The former two-time Universal Champion fully intends to do the same to Kingston this Friday and also take his WWE Championship. But, not so fast.
There are still reasons why Vince McMahon may not allow 'The Beast Incarnate' to win his upcoming match against Kingston. Here are a few of them.
#5. Brock Lesnar doesn't work full time in WWE
Brock Lesnar is one of the few Superstars who makes millions despite only working part-time for WWE. A few months back, he lost the Universal Championship to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania before regaining it and then losing it again. Each time, Lesnar disappeared more often than he actually showed up to work.
When Lesnar had the title around his waist, fans criticized him for being a part-timer. Some wanted him to drop the belt because he didn't defend as often as most champions.
If Lesnar wins the WWE Championship, fans won't forget, nor will they forgive. The WWE Universe will show their disapproval once again because 'The Beast' will never work full time. SmackDown's new era begins next week and it isn't likely that Vince McMahon would get it started in such negative fashion.
#4. SmackDown won't get high ratings
Next week's SmackDown is probably going to receive millions of viewers under the FOX banner. Brock Lesnar's return to the Blue Brand will play a huge role in that. However, this doesn't mean that he should win the WWE Championship from Kofi Kingston. Even though his presence guarantees a rise in ratings, this would only occur when Lesnar actually shows up, which as discussed in the previous slide, isn't nearly often enough.
If Lesnar is unable to regularly defend his WWE Championship, the title will become increasingly irrelevant. This will hurt SmackDown in terms of viewership. If the show's top champion missed weeks of WWE TV, fans will simply tune out. With FOX dedicated to getting as many eyeballs on the product as possible, it might be a smart business decision to keep 'The Beast' far away from a WWE Championship run.
#3. This will be the biggest shock of 2019
Kofi Kingston won the WWE Championship as the underdog in his rivalry against Daniel Bryan. This time things are different. Kingston will face Brock Lesnar, who has shocked the world many times during his title matches. At WrestleMania 34, Lesnar unexpectedly retained his title against Roman Reigns. No one expected 'The Beast' to retain his title, but he did.
Something similar could happen, but this time Kofi Kingston could be the unexpected victor. Instead of Lesnar winning the WWE Championship, Kingston could shock the WWE Universe by retaining. Not only will this prove to be 2019's most shocking moment, but this will also end SmackDown's FOX premiere with fans talking about the show. The move would organically promote SmackDown more than WWE's marketing machine ever could. If done correctly, more fans will watch SmackDown in the weeks ahead, just to find out what else WWE has to offer.
#2. Kofi Kingston needs to be WWE Champion for a little longer
Although Vince McMahon put many obstacles in front of Kingston, he overcame them all and proved that he isn't a "B+ Player."
Since then, Kofi has lost a bit of his momentum and the WWE Championship scene needs something refreshing. Enter Brock Lesnar. Yes, Brock Lesnar vs Kofi Kingston is something new and unexpected, but this isn't enough. Kingston needs to hold the WWE Championship for a little longer in order to engaged in memorable feuds with other WWE Superstars.
We still haven't seen a rivalry against the likes of Buddy Murphy, Andrade, Ali and more. If Lesnar wins the WWE Championship then he will feud with only a handful of Superstars over the course of his reign. Every title defense will have a long gap between them, which isn't good for anyone except Lesnar. To avoid this, Vince McMahon can pull the trigger and book Kingston to win the match. This will increase Kingston's momentum and will also allow more rivals to come forward. Kingston vs anybody is a bonus for the WWE Universe.
#1. Survivor Series 2019
If Brock Lesnar wins the WWE Championship this week on SmackDown then he will likely keep it for a few months. Hell in a Cell takes place this Sunday and WWE still hasn't booked a WWE Championship match for the pay-per-view. This indicates that either Kofi Kingston isn't going to defend the title at HIAC or Lesnar is going to become the new champion, as 'The Beast' doesn't usually defend his titles outside of WWE's biggest pay-per-views.
Another reason a Brock Lesnar WWE Championship reign is unlikely to happen is because the WWE Universe will be forced to see Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar once again and this time at Survivor Series. Fans have already seen this matchup numerous times this year alone and we don't think anyone is looking forward to see this feud rekindled.
This is assuming Rollins retains against The Fiend. Even if he loses the title this Sunday, it's an even bigger conundrum for WWE at Survivor Series. The Fiend is the hottest thing in WWE. He won't lose to Lesnar, and Lesnar likely wouldn't lose to him either.
Even if this Champion vs Champion Match ends in a disqualification, this means that either Lesnar or Wyatt will have to make themselves look weak. The safest thing WWE could do heading into Survivor Series is to allow both Kingston and Rollins to retain and have the long awaited bout they both teased on the RAW after WrestleMania 35.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
