Kofi Kingston OUT Of WWE Title Match At Fastlane 2019
Kingston was replaced by a returning former world champion...
Kofi Kingston has been removed from the Fastlane WWE Championship match and replaced by a returning Kevin Owens, by order of Vince McMahon.
In a shocking development on last night's SmackDown LIVE, WWE chairman Vince McMahon interrupted the Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston contract signing for the WWE Championship match at Fastlane to announce he was giving the title shot to someone "more deserving" in Kevin Owens.
Owens, returning after five months out through injury, marched to the ring and signed the contract to make the match at next Sunday's PPV official.
Kingston & Owens teamed up to defeat Bryan & Rowan in the main event of the evening, but the sense of injustice surrounding the removal of one of the most popular SmackDown stars from a deserved shot at the title was palpable. Fellow New Day member Xavier Woods took to Twitter with his frustrations after the show went off the air:-
Owens wasn't the only stunning return on SmackDown LIVE though, we also saw Matt Hardy making a comeback alongside his brother Jeff, defeating The Bar in tag team action.
Matt, who looked in fantastic shape, last wrestled in September and according to WrestlingInc, the Hardys' contracts have been extended by a year with a significant pay rise for the duo.
The reuniting of the Hardy Boyz as a tag team may suggest a forthcoming storyline for the pair ahead of WrestleMania 35, although Matt did reveal in a post-match interview that he had "learned to control the woken wonder inside him", and thus his 'Woken' gimmick appears to have been abandoned.