Opinion: Samoa Joe should win the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules
Last week on Monday Night RAW, Samoa Joe attacked Kofi Kingston after the latter defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in consecutive matches. It was then officially confirmed by WWE that Kingston will be putting his WWE Championship on the line against the Samoan Submission Machine at Extreme Rules.
Although a stipulation is yet to be announced for the match, it was hinted by Corey Graves during this week's RAW that a Ladder Match might be on the cards. Be that as it may, this feud has been pretty exciting so far. Joe knocked Kofi Kingston out after locking in the Coquina Clutch to end a 3-on-3 tag match on RAW this week. This was Kingston's first loss (in both singles and tag team competition) since winning the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35.
From being a last-minute replacement in the Elimination Chamber match to winning the WWE Championship at The Grandest Stage Of Them All, 2019 has been a very successful year for the New Day member. Kingston is one of the most popular stars on the main roster right now and it is to the company's credit that they have booked Kingston like a top-level performer.
But, despite the company's near-perfect booking of Kingston and him being at the top of his game, Kingston's title reign hasn't been as memorable as many had hoped. Whether it be the kind of feuds he has been in or the general decline of the WWE product, something seems to be missing in this title reign that has been eleven years in the making.
Ever since debuting on the main roster in early 2017, Samoa Joe has had stop-start pushes. Just when it seems like he will break through at the main event level, WWE pull the rug out from under him. Joe has been one of the most obvious victims of the company's inconsistent booking.
In spite of that, Joe has managed to shine in whichever spot he has been booked in. He is one of the absolute best talkers and has proven to be a consistently great in-ring performer throughout his run. There hasn't been a better time for the company to put the WWE Championship on Joe. He can be relied upon to deliver memorable moments, and his heel persona is truly engaging, something that cannot be said for most villainous characters on the main roster at the moment. Despite being a sneaky, conniving antagonist, Joe is one of the most over stars on the roste; his popularity can be gauged from the fact that every time his music hits, fans erupt with chants of "Joe, Joe". If there is one superstar whom fans wouldn't mind seeing Kofi drop the title to, it is Joe.
An underdog babyface like Kofi will feel very much at home in scenarios where he is the one chasing the title, looking to dethrone the evil Samoa Joe. Joe's win at Extreme Rules will also open up the doors for a potential Brock Lesnar cash-in. Lesnar vs. Joe 2 will be a money feud, if that is where the storyline leads to. It is my hope that the company does the right thing and lets Joe claim the WWE Championship, especially since it will be very difficult to revive his mystique if he suffers yet another crushing defeat in a World Title match.
See WWE Smackdown Live Updates, Highlights of event, & more on WWE Smackdown updates page