Opinion: Why Kevin Owens replacing Kofi Kingston isn't the best decision
This past week on SmackDown Live, Kevin Owens made his much-awaited return to the squared circle and was handpicked by Vince McMahon to replace Kofi Kingston in the WWE Championship match against Daniel Bryan at Fastlane in two weeks. Owens was on the shelf since October after suffering injuries to both his knees, which required surgery. The Prizefighter's return and him replacing Kingston at Fastlane didn't go down well with the rest of The New Day and a large section of the WWE Universe, with many feeling Kingston was being overlooked once again.
As things stand, the only possible explanation for Kingston being replaced at Fastlane can be that the WWE plans on having Kingston Vs Bryan at WrestleMania 35, something that the fans wanted to see in the first place. But, there were a plethora of Superstars that the company could've gone with to replace Kingston at Fastlane, but them going with Owens shows how little they care for continuity and logic in the storyline.
Just to give you some perspective, Owens was fired from the blue brand after The Prizefighter along with his best friend, Sami Zayn, failed to beat the team of Shane McMahon and Owen's opponent at Fastlane, the then- General Manager of SmackDown and the current WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 34. Owen's return to the blue brand seems completely out of place and illogical, given how his last stint on the red brand (Raw) panned out, and given the fact that he and Zayn were fired from the blue brand.
In addition to that, the Prizefighter already had a hot storyline going on with Bobby Lashley, who injured him and Zayn (in storyline), and put the duo on the sidelines. Owens returning to exact revenge from Lashley would've been a great story heading into WrestleMania 35. This would've been the best way to introduce Owens as a babyface as he already gained the sympathy of the fans following the beat down by Lashley last year.
Owens is currently in character mumbo-jumbo, with him pretending to be a good guy whilst also being an opportunist ( a trait associated with a heel).
WWE has made us scratch our heads in disbelief, time and time again, and this is another such instance. While some might find this storyline intriguing, this lack of continuity in the storyline and the company's failure to follow up on a hot angle is making the product bland, predictable and boring. The company has essentially killed off what could've been a great blood feud between Lashley and Owens, and given us something that we may not really want to see.