WWE Clash of Champions 2019 review: Highlights, takeaways and projections

WWE Championship Match

Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Randy Orton

Following the screwy finish at SummerSlam, Randy Orton got another shot at the WWE Championship as he and Kofi Kingston continued their rivalry that started a decade ago, a rivalry that seemingly finished up on Sunday night at Clash of Champions. After recreating his big moment at Madison Square Garden this past Tuesday night on SmackDown, Kofi needed one more big night to finally put this behind him and he came through.

Again, this was a good match that served the purpose it needed to serve but it never got to that “great” level. The intensity was there to a point and both looked good but it was just the pace that bothered me a little bit. Most Randy Orton matches these days are a little slower than they used to be but I did like him pulling out a few of the old tricks here.

The standing dropkick is still so impressive, especially now that he’s a little older, and attempting the big punt near the end of the match was fun as well, even if it didn’t connect. He did manage to hit an RKO (outta nowhere), but Kofi was too close to the ropes for The Viper to get the three count. After evading the punt, Kofi countered with Trouble in Paradise and after 10 long years, Kingston finally got the one-on-one clean victory that he’s always wanted — and maybe needed to really feel validated in this spot.

What’s next: This kind of victory leads me to believe that this Kingston-Orton program is over, which it probably should be. Kingston got his win and that aforementioned validation, and that should be it. They’re going to need something for the SmackDown debut on FOX in a few weeks so this might play out a little longer but hopefully something new is brewing for that. Find a match and a contender that we haven’t seen and pique our interest to make us really want to tune in on a Friday night.