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Brock Lesnar will challenge Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship on the first episode of SmackDown on FOX on Friday, October 4.
Kingston, who has held WWE’s most prestigious title since defeating Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 in April 2019, has picked up statement-making victories over Superstars including Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe and Randy Orton in recent months.
Lesnar, meanwhile, has become a three-time Universal Champion in 2019, having won the title from Seth Rollins at Extreme Rules in July before losing it back to him one month later at SummerSlam.
Overall, Paul Heyman’s client has lost via pinfall on two occasions in 2019 – both times against Rollins – while Kingston has been pinned by Joe, Orton, Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus and Cesaro in the same amount of time.
Simply put, it is not uncommon for the New Day member to suffer occasional pinfall losses, but it is very rare for his upcoming opponent to lose via that method any more than twice per year.
In this article, let’s take a look at five Superstars who have pinned both Lesnar and Kingston in WWE.
#5 Big Show
Big Show’s first pinfall win over Brock Lesnar
One of the most memorable moments of Brock Lesnar’s first run with WWE came in November 2002 when he lost the WWE Championship against Big Show at Survivor Series.
Paul Heyman betrayed his client by pulling the referee out of the ring during a pinfall, allowing Big Show to take advantage by chokeslamming Lesnar onto a steel chair before picking up the 1-2-3 over “The Next Big Thing”.
Big Show’s first pinfall win over Kofi Kingston
In April 2009, Kofi Kingston had already held the Intercontinental Championship and Tag Team Championship but he was still trying to establish himself as a prominent member of WWE’s main roster.
With over a decade of WWE experience at the time, it was no surprise that Big Show quickly defeated Kingston in their first one-on-one encounter on SmackDown.
The finish came when Kingston attempted a cross-body from the top rope, only to find himself on the receiving end of a KO Punch, followed by a pinfall loss.
#4 John Cena
John Cena’s first pinfall win over Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar had many interactions with John Cena during his first run with WWE between 2002 and 2004, but “The Doctor of Thuganomics” was never able to pin his rival in a televised match at that stage of their careers.
Instead, Cena had to wait until April 2012 to finally pin Lesnar, with the long-awaited triumph coming at the end of an Extreme Rules match which left both Superstars with bloodied faces.
The physical encounter ended with Cena hitting Lesnar with an AA onto a set of steel steps before getting the 1-2-3.
John Cena’s first pinfall win over Kofi Kingston
This may come as a surprise, but the WWE match records show that John Cena has only ever recorded one televised pinfall victory over Kofi Kingston.
In September 2015, Cena was involved in a United States Championship rivalry with Seth Rollins, while The Prime Time Players were attempting to regain the Tag Team titles from The New Day.
This led to a six-man tag team match on Raw between Cena & The Prime Time Players and Big E, Kingston & Rollins, which resulted in Cena pinning Kingston after an AA.
#3 Batista
Batista’s first pinfall win over Brock Lesnar
Before making their WWE main-roster debuts, Batista and Brock Lesnar were part of a star-studded group of talents in the OVW developmental system, which also included John Cena, Randy Orton and Shelton Benjamin.
In July 2001, nine months before both men began working on Raw and SmackDown, Batista (fka Leviathan) pinned Lesnar at an NWA OVW event.
The future World Champions went on to briefly become a tag team in dark matches in the build-up to their WWE debuts, with their most notable loss coming against Spike Dudley and Tazz.
Batista’s first pinfall win over Kofi Kingston
Batista warmed up for his WrestleMania XXVI match against John Cena by defeating Kofi Kingston in a three-minute match on Raw in March 2010.
Long-term WWE fans may remember this first-time-ever match due to Batista – the WWE Champion at the time – getting busted open after a kick from Kingston in the early stages.
In the end, “The Animal” hit his trademark Batista Bomb to pick up the 1-2-3 victory, and he even refused to allow the referee to wipe the blood off his face while he celebrated the win.
#2 Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins’ first pinfall win over Brock Lesnar
After Roman Reigns finally conquered Brock Lesnar with a victory over his long-term rival at SummerSlam 2018, Seth Rollins became the next former Shield member to set his sights on “The Beast” – and his Universal Championship – in 2019.
“The Kingslayer” won the Royal Rumble to set up a title match against Lesnar at WrestleMania 35, where he hit three consecutive Stomps on WWE’s highest-paid Superstar to pick up one of the biggest pinfall victories of his career.
Four months later, the newly nicknamed “Beastslayer” defeated Lesnar once again at SummerSlam to become the Universal Champion for the second time.
Seth Rollins’ first pinfall win over Kofi Kingston
In April 2013, The Shield were beginning to establish themselves as the next dominant faction in WWE after defeating two super-teams – John Cena, Ryback & Sheamus and Big Show, Randy Orton & Sheamus – at back-to-back PPVs.
Shortly after WrestleMania 29, where they defeated the latter team, the trio picked up a win over Kofi Kingston & Tons of Funk on an episode of Main Event.
The victory came after Roman Reigns took out Brodus Clay with a spear, allowing Seth Rollins to pin Kingston following a knee to the face from the top rope.
#1 Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns’ first pinfall win over Brock Lesnar
After failing to defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31, WrestleMania 34 and the Greatest Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns earned another opportunity to take on the former UFC star in a Universal Championship match at SummerSlam 2018.
Braun Strowman stood outside the ring for the duration of the match as he threatened to cash in his Money In The Bank contract at any moment. This led to an exchange at ringside which resulted in Lesnar throwing the MITB briefcase up the ramp, preventing Strowman from cashing in.
When “The Beast” returned to the ring, he was met with a spear from Reigns, who finally pinned his rival to claim the Universal Championship.
Roman Reigns’ first pinfall win over Kofi Kingston
Earlier in this article, we looked back at a match where Kofi Kingston lost against Big Show after being on the receiving end of a KO Punch following a high-flying move from the top rope.
Well, six years after that match, a similar finish happened when Kingston met Roman Reigns in a one-on-one encounter for the first time on Raw in June 2015.
The New Day member launched himself towards his opponent from the top rope, but “The Big Dog” countered with a Superman Punch and did not even require a follow-up spear before getting the 1-2-3.
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