Opinion: Something amazing happened at the end of SmackDown's FOX premiere

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda.

"It's going to be a while till I really feel all right." - All Out Life, NXT's Theme Song

It just so happens that all of Kofi Kingston's WWE Championship opponents have been credible and established Superstars - Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, Samoa Joe, and Randy Orton. Having overcome all of these challenges, Kingston was gaining some real traction, with many fans recognizing the belief that WWE higher-ups were showing in the first-time WWE Champion.

Many believed his WWE Championship reign would come to an end against Randy Orton, and that there should be a more recognizable name atop SmackDown Live, especially with the FOX deal on the horizon. Despite coming within an inch of losing his WWE Championship at Clash of Champions, Kingston persevered against his biggest rival yet, and won a feud that stemmed back a decade - as we were reminded numerous times by WWE.

It seemed the whole point of this exercise was to position Kingston as a legitimate champion. Amid some real concerns about his reign, Kingston had nonetheless vanquished his opponents in convincing fashion. There were no shenanigans and no interference from The New Day. There was just the good booking - or so it seemed - of a babyface champion. Then last week happened.

Brock Lesnar marched to the ring after The New Day had beaten the team of 'The Top Guys.' Paul Heyman laid down the challenge, and warned the WWE Universe that KofiMania had an expiration date.

On SmackDown's first episode on FOX, when the bell rang for the main event, Kofi ran toward Lesnar, was scooped up and brought crashing down on the canvas with a devastating F5. Lesnar pinned the WWE Champion's shoulders, and Kofi's reign was over - after nine seconds bell to bell.

This occurrence is amazing by itself. Six months of solid booking was thrown out the window upon the emergence of 'The Beast' - the same 'Beast' who very recently lost convincingly to Seth Rollins, grew a beard, and surfaced on SmackDown right before the jump to FOX. He is now the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, adding to his mounting number of Championship reigns - without being a constant feature on WWE television.

That wasn't all. Ex-UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez came out to the ring and tackled Lesnar. Alongside Velasquez was Rey Mysterio, whom Lesnar had previously attacked on RAW. The history between Lesnar and Velasquez was referenced by an excited Michael Cole, and Lesnar left with what was described as fear in his eyes - something that apparently has never happened before.

Doesn't that just sound wrong? Lesnar has had 'fear' in his eyes when Goldberg squashed him at Survivor Series 2016, then again at the Royal Rumble after being eliminated. Lesnar was unsettled by The Undertaker's return before WrestleMania 30. So, this 'never seen before' fear doesn't add up, especially when one considers Lesnar's history.

Kofi Kingston's six month main event run, aided by Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler, Samoa Joe, and Randy Orton, ended in a squash loss. Kofi did not even land a single offensive maneuver on Lesnar. This is not 2014 Lesnar after ending the streak; this is a domesticated 'Beast' who suddenly struck an F5 harder than he has in over a year. Rollins kicked out of the F5 multiple times; the same goes for Roman Reigns - Kofi could not handle one.

Moreover, Brock Lesnar does not need any titles to attract eyeballs on the WWE product. He is the draw. A program with Cain Velasquez can be successful regardless, but why did it have to come at Kofi Kingston's expense?

To summarize:

1. Part-time attraction and devoid-of-momentum Brock Lesnar can get done in nine seconds what the likes of 13-time World Champion Randy Orton could not do over two months;
2. Kofi Kingston's previously 'solid' reign culminates in a joke, potentially taking any and all credibility away from him
3. All it takes for Cain Velasquez to presumably challenge for the 'top prize in all of sports' is 'history' with the new Champion Brock Lesnar.
4. The WWE Championship will likely be absent on SmackDown every week.

Lesnar is a household name. It is understandable that WWE wanted him to hold the strap, but the manner in which it happened offsets everything that went into making Kofi a credible name. The word 'disrespectful' has been used to describe these events from SmackDown's first episode on FOX and it feels appropriate. It is disrespectful to Kofi Kingston, to Daniel Bryan, to Randy Orton, to WWE fans, and most importantly, to all WWE Superstars who toil every week and are yet to get a whiff of the main event scene.

Without any implied sarcasm, this is truly an amazing time to be a WWE fan. One never knows what is going to happen, but the surprises often do not seem to fit into the overarching structure of storytelling. When they do, it is truly special, making for some unforgettable moments, but those instances have become increasingly rare.

The FOX era has just begun. It is going to be very interesting; here's hoping that the positives far outnumber such instances over time.