Penta and Kofi Kingston had a solid match tonight for the Intercontinental Championship, a match that made Penta look strong going into WrestleMania 42, however it also did something for Kingston in defeat, or at the very least I hope so. As Kingston continues to sort of tease a babyface turn once more, hopefully to hitch up with Je’Von Evans, there have been two separate points on this match where he tried to inform Grayson Waller to go away.
I wasn’t an enormous hater of Waller within the Recent Day back when he initially began to loaf around them, but I do think he’s stayed a bit over his welcome. WWE probably must have pivoted away from his involvement when Xavier Woods went down with an injury, but I suppose that is a bit tougher to jot down around, while you’re kicking someone out of a gaggle that’s now just right down to two people because it is.
When Kingston had Penta on the ground with a back body drop, he told Waller to go away, and a bit later within the match Waller tried to get entangled again. The second time, he cost Kingston, allowing for him to be laid out by the champion, and when he was gloating over the fallen Kingston, Waller took a Mexican Destroyer for his trouble.
I may not mean much now, as I do not know if I see WWE breaking them up and going into a special story ahead of WrestleMania when so many things are occurring already, but I like that the seeds are being planted. Kingston and Woods need something different after WWE didn’t capitalize following their heel activate Big E, and possibly pivoting once more for them, and even just Kingston, to align with Evans could possibly be what they need.
I also loved the actual fact Penta revealed after the bout that he had taken it upon himself to go to “Raw” General Manager Adam Pearce and book himself right into a title defense at WrestleMania. Not only any defense, but a ladder match. He was so confident during his promo about all of it, too, and said that it was “his kingdom” on top of that ladder. I do not necessarily love how convoluted all of it was for a second when it got here to Penta’s challengers, with Michael Cole saying there have been qualifying matches already (though, there apparently weren’t?), but when you just have a look at the graphic, you get the image. Penta can be taking over Dragon Lee, Je’Von Evans, Rusev, and JD McDonagh, which is a solid field already, and commentary mentioned those were the lads involved “up to now,” which leaves things open and interesting these next two episodes of “Raw.”
Written by Daisy Ruth