Kofi Kingston was initially only meant to be Mustafa Ali’s replacement at the Elimination Chamber Pay Per View, but a groundswell of support helped him earn a WWE Championship opportunity at Fastlane. And it sounds like fans cannot rule out a dream WrestleMania title match for one of wrestling’s most respected performers.
Last week on SmackDown Live, Kofi Kingston captured the hearts of the WWE Universe with a fabulous Gauntlet Match performance that reminded fans why Kofi is one of the company’s living legends. With The New Day, Kingston has entrenched himself as one of the all-time great tag team wrestlers, but before joining up with Big E and Xavier Woods, Kofi held down the mid-card scene in WWE for years.
Thanks to his amazing performances in the Gauntlet Match and inside the Elimination Chamber on Sunday, Kingston will have the first world title opportunity of his career at Fastlane. Kofi picked up the decisive pin in a six-man tag match on this week’s episode of SmackDown to entrench his position as the No. 1 Contender to Daniel Bryan’s WWE Championship.
While Kofi’s title opportunity at Fastlane would seemingly preclude him from getting another WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 35, WrestleVotes spoke to a source backstage who stated they wouldn’t be surprised if Kingston faced Bryan for the title at ‘Mania, too.
Asked about the Bryan v Owens Mania rumors. Got back that they are true.
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) February 21, 2019
HOWEVER, nothing is set in stone.
This wave of momentum that Kofi is on could still shake things up. One source I talked to said don’t be shocked to see Bryan v Kofi as the Mania title match in the end.
Based on a report from Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter, it seems like Bryan’s opponent will be the returning Kevin Owens, who has received babyface vignettes on Raw after missing several months with a knee injury. Initially, fans wondered if he’d return on the Raw after WrestleMania, but Owens is currently a free agent with no set brand. Therefore, it seems like a sudden move to WWE TV before WrestleMania 35 could happen for the former Universal Champion.
Owens wouldn’t be a bad opponent for Bryan by any means, but Owens and Bryan were involved in a tag match at WrestleMania that concluded an intense feud pitting Owens and best friend Sami Zayn against then-SmackDown authority figures Shane McMahon and Bryan.
While Kingston and Bryan faced off in the Gauntlet Match, battled it out as the final two in the Elimination Chamber, and will have an epic match at Fastlane, this matchup would still feel fresh at WrestleMania with high stakes.
Plus, the chances of Kingston pulling off an upset win over Bryan cannot be discounted, because WWE has shown that they are all about trying new things in 2019. They called up four huge stars from NXT this week, and if they’re willing to do that, they could be willing to put the WWE Championship on Kingston, a wrestler who has earned that title victory.