WWE SmackDown: Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe is the better option at Extreme Rules
The June 25 edition of WWE SmackDown saw a key development in the WWE Championship picture heading into the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view in just under three weeks.
Last night’s WWE SmackDown focused heavily on Kofi Kingston and the WWE Championship picture that took a drastic and painful turn the night before on Raw when Samoa Joe attacked Kofi and put him to sleep with the coquina clutch, making his intentions crystal clear.
It was announced that at Extreme Rules in just under three weeks, Kofi will defend his title against Joe in what could be Kofi’s toughest challenge to date in this current title reign. Kofi and the rest of The New Day opened up last night’s show by addressing Joe’s actions, but the bitter Dolph Ziggler wasn’t finished with Kofi yet despite losing a steel cage match at Stomping Grounds this past Sunday.
Ziggler said he wants another shot at Kofi and the WWE Championship, so he would take on Kofi in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match in last night’s main event and if he would win the match, he would be added to the WWE Championship match at Extreme Rules. As expected, this would turn out to be a very good match that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Kofi got the first fall, but Ziggler responded and got the second fall.
Both men scratched and clawed for the final fall with so many close near falls and dramatic moments, but in the end, Kofi put away Dolph once and for all after a Trouble in Paradise to get the win and keep Ziggler out of the match at Extreme Rules. This was an impressive match to main event last night’s show, but the bigger picture is how keeping the match as just Kofi vs. Joe is the better option.
A singles match between Kofi and Joe makes more sense for a few different reasons, starting with the fact that Ziggler has recently lost two title matches to Kofi in less than a month. It would seem odd to have him included in yet another title match given those circumstances, even if he would have won the match last night. And let’s be honest, you know not to get your hopes up when it comes to Ziggler winning the big one anymore.
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Another reason is how great Samoa Joe handles these big feuds and title matches. He has yet to win a world title on the main roster, but every time he has been involved in a big world title feud over the past couple of years, he has knocked it out of the park.
His mini-feud with Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship in 2017 and his personal feud with AJ Styles for the WWE Championship last year immediately come to mind.
It’s safe to expect the same for this feud and if anyone can bring out the best in Kofi as a babyface character, it’s Joe, who has to be considered one of the best heels in the WWE. Kofi’s current title reign has been nothing short of superb so far, but this feud has all the makings of being the best feud of his current reign as WWE Champion.
Not to mention, Joe needs this opportunity after not being enough of a focal point over the past few months. Ever since he failed to capture the WWE Championship in the feud with Styles, Joe has been bouncing around with not much of a clear direction.
Sure, he won the United States Championship a couple of times, but even it seemed like a hollow title reign that was only given to him because the WWE had nothing else to do with the title. Having him back in the WWE Championship picture will bring out the best in his character as it has done in the past.
Hopefully, the match goes well at Extreme Rules and this feels like a feud that could carry over into another pay-per-view if handled correctly. Depending on how the match finishes at Extreme Rules, don’t be surprised to see it happen again. It would be awesome to see Joe finally reach the top of the mountain on the main roster, but Kofi is having such a great reign that it’s next to impossible to say who deserves to have the title more.
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Regardless of those particulars, this is a feud that should greatly benefit both superstars and keeping it as a singles match without The Showoff is the best possible option heading into Extreme Rules.