WWE Championship Match: Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton

Kingston and Orton’s rivalry is ten years in the making.

Orton came out to his normal half-cheer, half-boo reaction. He seems to be timeless with this treatment from the crowd. It was preceded by a hell of a video package by the WWE. Kofi came out to cheers and fans reciting the New Day speech alongside Big E. Orton dominated the early going in the match after Kofi showed him the same disrespect that Orton has shown in the buildup to this match.

Orton punished Kofi over and over with suplexes onto the announce table. The action moved back into the ring with Orton setting Kingston up for a final superplex. Kofi fought out of it into a tornado DDT to create some breathing room. Kingston wrestled control of the match back with an aggressive set of clotheslines into the Boom Drop for a “2” count. Kingston went for the final blow but Orton countered with a backbreaker.

The last quarter of the match was where it really picked up. Kofi countered an RKO into a backslide for a “2” count. Kofi went to the air again and ate an RKO. Randy waited too long showboating to cover Kingston, who rolled onto the arena floor. Orton gave a menacing stare to the family of Kingston seated at ringside. Kofi went into a rage, causing both of them to be counted out. Kingston laid into Orton after the match with a kendo stick and yelled “Get your bitch-ass up!” before hitting him with a gnarly Trouble in Paradise.

Kingston retained via double count-out.

Grade: B+

This would have been an A+ if it was given an actual finish. When Randy Orton is given material that he can sink his teeth into, he shows just how good of a performer he is. This match was going somewhere awesome but the finish was sub-par. This was the best story that WWE was telling up to this point. They need a big hot feud to carry them into the fall months and this is it. Kingston showed a violent, edgy side that he needs to keep momentum as a champion.

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