WWE News: Kofi Kingston vs. Kevin Owens at Money in the Bank 2019

WWE Champion Kofi Kingston will defend his title against Kevin Owens at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view.

Kingston's match against the former Universal Champion will be his first pay-per-view title defense since defeating Daniel Bryan for the championship at WrestleMania 35 and facing Seth Rollins the following night.

If @FightOwensFight wanted an opportunity at the #WWEChampionship, all he had to do was ask...@TrueKofi has laid down the CHALLENGE for #MITB! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/nu3b3qzuuZ

— WWE (@WWE) May 1, 2019

Owens temporarily joined The New Day to fill in for Big E after he got injured, leading to Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Owens teaming up to face Cesaro, Rusev, and Shinsuke Nakamura on the April 16 episode of SmackDown Live.

Kingston would defeat Nakamura in a singles match the following week but would be attacked by Owens and informed that The Prizefighter had his sights set on capturing the WWE Championship.

Kingston would start SmackDown Live being interviewed by WWE Commentator Michael Cole and the subject eventually shifted to Owens' attack last week. The WWE Champion would respond by giving Owens a title shot at Money in the Bank which he accepted moments later.

Since Owens' debut on the main roster in 2015, Kingston and Owens have only crossed paths in tag team matches and the Royal Rumble, making their match at Money in the Bank their first singles match.

Owens was originally supposed to face Bryan for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, but the company decided to push Kingston after his performances on SmackDown and the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

Kingston was reportedly scheduled to face Bryan at Money in the Bank following their match at WrestleMania, but Bryan was pulled from SmackDown and live event performances due to injury.

The WWE Championship has been defended on every Money in the Bank pay-per-view since the event was created and has usually been defended successfully.

The title changed hands at the 2010, 2011 and 2016 shows, but was retained at all the other Money in the Bank pay-per-views excluding 2014 when Cena won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship weeks after Bryan vacated the belt.