6 significant moments chronicling the infamous history between Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton

Back in 2009, Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton embarked on a rivalry, one that looked set to propel the former into the WWE's main event scene. The first-ever African-born WWE superstar was a constant and reliable presence in the mid-card of Monday Night Raw before crossing paths with Orton. However, his push was killed by the Viper in the pettiest of circumstances.

Ten years later, the pair will meet again. Kofi will defend the WWE Championship against the man who nearly ensured that he would never win it. This is the ultimate full-circle match, taking place at SummerSlam.

And after a decade, the truth officially comes out. I’ve been waiting for this match for a very long time. SummerSlam, it all finally comes full circle. I. Am. Ready. #SummerSlam #LFG
— KOFI (@TrueKofi) July 24, 2019

Here is the story of a potential star-making rivalry which did not end well, and how it has been renewed ten years later.

#1 A car-acking start

Kofi Kingston had a steady progression in WWE for his first couple of years, winning the Intercontinental, United States and World Tag Team Championships. In October 2009, it looked like the time had come for him to move into the main event scene.

So, at the Bragging Rights pay-per-view, Kofi came to John Cena's aid during his main event Iron Man Match for the WWE Championship. He would fend off Randy Orton's Legacy stablemates, Ted Dibiase and Cody Rhodes. Cena would end up winning the match, leaving Orton to blame his loss on Kofi due to his involvement.

The angle kickstarted on the next night, as the Viper ambushed the rising star following a victory over Chris Jericho. Later in the show, Kofi defaced Orton's brand-new race car, showing that he was not one to be messed with at all.

The evening of the odds at Bragging Rights and the destruction of the NASCAR started the feud between Randy Orton and Kofi Kingston with a bang.