WWE Extreme Rules 2019: 5 possible finishes for Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe

On Sunday, the WWE Universe will see Kofi Kingston once again put his WWE Championship on the line. Since winning the gold at WrestleMania 35, the champ has defended his title three times against Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler, respectively. The New Day member has passed those tests with flying colours but on Sunday, many would say he faces his toughest test yet. Samoa Joe, the submission specialist, will be the next challenger to Kofi’s throne. As a challenger, Joe is unique as he doesn’t just pose a threat to one’s gold, but also their health.

This title feud came out of the blue but has been met with nothing but positivity from the WWE Universe, and rightly so. The bout will allow two seasoned veterans to showcase their varied skillsets. This title match has all the ingredients to steal the show, but what’s most exciting is that there are so many ways it could be booked too.

Here are 5 possible finishes to Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe.

#5 Samoa Joe gets DQ’d

Samoa Joe has never won a world title in WWE

In typical Joe and heelish fashion, how does a DQ finish sound? After spending the whole match trying numerous submission techniques and different moves, Joe gets to a point where he finally realises he can’t beat Kofi Kingston. This realisation leads to an overflowing of frustration provoking Joe to either use a weapon or go for the dreaded low blow.

This kind of finish would stop Joe’s streak of being pinned across PPVs, it’d also allow him to come out of the show with his reputation intact. For Kofi, the finish would allow him to walk out of another PPV with his title, thus lengthening his first ever world title reign. Although Triple H said rematches were no longer a thing in the new era, but due to Joe’s incessant anger problems, a blockbuster no DQ rematch could easily be booked for a SmackDown to help boost ratings.

#4 Double count-out

At first, this feud seemed to spring out of nowhere. Kofi was coming off the rails of beating Dolph Ziggler again while Joe had just surprisingly lost his US title to Ricochet. But, in only a few weeks, the WWE has managed to generate some real heat through this storyline. The intense exchange of words and highly physical segments have garnered much interest from the WWE Universe.

Such is the bad blood between these two that a double count-out finish would make perfect sense. Often these finishes are frowned upon by fans as they’re seen as cheap and of course non-definitive endings. However, this is one scenario that this finish would be acceptable, thus following the theme of a highly volatile feud.

The duo could continuously beat the living hell out of each other up the ramp, refusing to adhere to the referee’s count. This would then leave an air of ‘unfinished’ business to the feud, perhaps leaving Joe to feel harder done by, thus giving him a chip on his shoulder for the rest of the year.

#3 Kofi Kingston wins clean

Kofi Kingston has been WWE Champion since Wrestlemania

With SummerSlam on the horizon, Kofi Kington vs. Samoa Joe is not the main event feud the WWE wants going into that PPV. Kofi needs an A-list opponent to headline the biggest fight of the summer. To cleanly beat Samoa Joe would only further cement Kofi as the number one babyface in the company with ample amounts of momentum.

Since defeating Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania, Kofi Kingston has been on a hot streak in the WWE, cleanly beating every opponent put in front of him. It’s clear that WWE is seeking to ride his wave into the summer. It’s at SummerSlam where we’ll see how much the company trusts the 37-year-old. Usually, title reigns are either ended at SummerSlam or defined. The booking of Kofi this far has been incredibly strong, leading us to believe there’s something huge planned for him in Toronto. So, a Trouble in Paradise followed by a quick 1,2,3 only largens his stock heading into the 2nd biggest show of the year.

#2 Dolph Ziggler screws Kofi

Dolph Ziggler is a former 2-time World champion

Since making his shocking return on the 22nd of May, Dolph Ziggler has been a pain in the side of WWE Champion Kofi Kingston. Several impassioned promos, vicious attacks and two matches later, Kofi Kingston believes he has ended a storied chapter with the show-off. But I don’t think the feeling has been reciprocated by the former world champion. Last week on the penultimate SmackDown before Extreme Rules, Ziggler once again reiterated his desire to be WWE Champion, claiming he deserves that title more than the current champ.

Although it may look like he’s entered into a programme with Kevin Owens, it wouldn’t surprise me at all for the show-off to find his way entering into Kofi’s business on Sunday, regardless of whether he loses to Owens or not. Ziggler’s obsession could lead him to attack Kofi, thus getting Joe DQ’d, allowing the submission specialist to turn his attention to Dolph. This would then leave Kofi free for bigger things as SummerSlam nears.

#1 Samoa Joe goes over

Samoa Joe has never won the WWE Championship

Let’s be honest, Samoa Joe hasn’t had the best of runs in recent months. The Submission Specialist has lost severally over recent PPVs to the likes of Rey Mysterio and Ricochet. As a man that was meant to be the next big heel in WWE, Joe has taken his fair share of humiliation thus far. However, Sunday could be the perfect opportunity to rejuvenate his main event career. A clean win over Kofi would give the 40-year-old his first world title in the big leagues.

Samoa Joe’s ability and presence deserves a world title and the world title scene deserves a dominant heel. A win in Joe’s favour would also add another element to the story of Kofi Kingston, as it would present us with his first loss since his organic push. It would give fans another reason to rally behind the Ghanaian Superstar. This would be best for business for all parties because it provides all-round character development.