SmackDown Live is set to make its debut on Fox this October, and WWE has big plans for the show. On last week’s episode of the blue brand’s weekly program, Brock Lesnar made a surprise appearance by attacking Kofi Kingston and setting up a WWE Championship match between the pair on the first ever Fox show. As a result, it is believed that Kingston’s reign as champion could be coming to an end.
Citing Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio , Ringside News is reporting that Fox wants to make SmackDown Live more sports-centric in its presentation. Therefore, it’s highly possible that they’ll want Lesnar to become the brand’s new champion, given his impressive credentials as a qualified combat sports fighter.
“When they announced Brock Lesnar for the [ SmackDown Fox debut] you know things sort of just add up in the sense that you know Fox wants to be sports-like and Brock is like their legitimate athlete. So I could see Brock you know winning the title, I’m not saying he’s going to, but it feels to me going to Fox early on that Vince would rather have Brock as Champion than Kofi Kingston.”
While Meltzer’s words are nothing more than speculation, he’s not the only industry insider who feels that Lesnar could be the new title-holder come the fall. As The Inquisitr reported earlier this week, Bully Ray thinks that Lesnar becoming WWE Champion is the right thing to do because he’s a high profile name who will attract fans from outside of WWE’s core audience.
While Lesnar’s name outside of WWE is certainly more known than Kingston’s, his part-time status could mean that Kingston walks out of the upcoming episode of SmackDown Live with the title. It remains to be seen how Fox executives feel about the idea of a brand representative who only appears on television every so often.
If Kingston beats Lesnar, his own profile will rise as a result and his championship run will be further solidified as one of the most impressive reigns in recent years. Kingston is also a huge fan favorite whose push was built on the WWE Universe getting behind him and making their voices heard. If a part-timer is given the championship, it might prove to be an unpopular decision among the WWE faithful.
Regardless of who wins, this match being booked at all is proof that WWE has big plans for SmackDown Live , and the future looks exciting for the blue brand.
