13 Ups & 0 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown

2. Brock Lesnar Is Winning...

Kofi Kingston Brock Lesnar
WWE.com

... and that's totally fine, because Kofi Kingston's WWE Championship reign has taken its course.

An awesome first-hour moment saw Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman hit the ring to challenge Kofi after The New Day's victory over Randy Orton and The Revival. Always the fighting champion, Kingston accepted, and the title will now be passed to 'The Beast Incarnate' when SmackDown debuts on FOX on 4 October.

It's the right move. KofiMania was one of the year's best storylines, but Kingston's brilliant chase hasn't yielded a brilliant reign. It has been fine. Good, even. WWE have done a solid job of presenting the New Day man as a spirited, determined competitor who never backs down from a fight, and his various feuds have at least been peppered with moments of excellence. The problem is that it hasn't delivered between the ropes. The Randy Orton programme concluded after it had jumped the shark, too, and Dolph Ziggler didn't exactly make for a compelling challenger either.

Besides, jumping toe Fox is a huge move for SmackDown. It shouldn't surprise anybody that they'd want a star of Lesnar's magnitude holding the belt as they transition into this new era, though there'll undoubtedly be some complaints about Brock beginning another part-time championship run.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.