WWE Stomping Grounds 2019: Match Card, Preview, and Predictions
By Bryan Heaton
WWE Championship Steel Cage Match: Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
Let’s get this right out of the way: there is not a chance in hell that Dolph Ziggler leaves Tacoma with the WWE Championship. Kofi Kingston has had a good run with the title so far, the fans are solidly behind him and Ziggler is honestly not much more than a placeholder opponent. So don’t think he’s winning the title.
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Sure, it’s a little odd that Ziggler, brought in for Super ShowDown at the eleventh hour, is getting a second WWE Championship match. But considering he’s faced Kofi as many times as the earth has revolved around the sun. Alright, that’s an exaggeration — per Cagematch, Kofi and Dolph have had 26 previous televised singles matches, with 10 of those being title matches.
And though Dolph has the overall advantage 14-12, Kofi has won 7 of the championship bouts — maybe that’s why Kingston has compared his rivalry with Ziggler to that between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. It seems different in 2019 than it did in 2011, though — back then, Ziggler seemed like the star and Kofi would max out in midcard purgatory.
The steel cage stipulation may be the x-factor here, but I still don’t see it having any impact on the outcome. It keeps New Day from interfering — which, apparently, Ziggler finds necessary — and allows for some more extreme action. But I could use the Eye of Agamotto and look at 14,000,605 different outcomes, and I’d be hard-pressed to even find one where Dolph wins.