WWE SummerSlam 2019: Full card preview and predictions

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Randy Orton – WWE Championship

10 years ago, a young Kofi Kingston was on the verge of breaking through to the main event scene for the first time in his career. The zenith of his newfound push was reached during a feud with Randy Orton, which saw the Ghana native destroy The Viper’s car and send him crashing through an announcer’s table, both to a raucous ovation. However, that push just suddenly came to a screeching halt.

At the time, it was heavily rumored that Orton stopped Kofi’s push after preaching to The Powers That Be that the young man wasn’t ready for the spotlight after a blown spot made him look “STUPID.” And onscreen now, 10 years later, Orton has admitted those rumors to be true. The blending of reality with fiction has made a fascinating build for Kingston’s latest WWE Championship match.

Outside of these storyline intricacies, the feud was rekindled some weeks back when Orton pinned Kofi during a Six Man Tag Team Match, to which the WWE Champion challenged Orton to a title match at SummerSlam the following week. I not only expect Kofi to get his win back at SummerSlam, but I feel like he needs to win it. For a match 10 years in the making, to really solidify the man as a WWE Champion, Kofi’s character needs that – as he puts it – “vindication” for what happened during that time.

It’s a moral victory if he ever needed one.

Prediction: Kofi Kingston