Penta and Kofi Kingston had a solid match tonight for the Intercontinental Championship, a match that made Penta look strong going into WrestleMania 42, but it also did something for Kingston in defeat, or at least I hope so. As Kingston continues to kind of tease a babyface turn once again, hopefully to join up with Je’Von Evans, there were two separate points in this match where he tried to tell Grayson Waller to go away.
I wasn’t a huge hater of Waller in the New Day back when he initially started to hang around them, but I do think he’s stayed a bit over his welcome. WWE probably should have pivoted away from his involvement when Xavier Woods went down with an injury, but I suppose that’s a bit more difficult to write around, when you’re kicking someone out of a group that is now just down to two people as it is.
When Kingston had Penta on the floor with a back body drop, he told Waller to go away, and a bit later in the match Waller tried to get involved 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 might not mean much now, as I don’t know if I see WWE breaking them up and going into a different story ahead of WrestleMania when so many things are going on already, but I like that the seeds are being planted. Kingston and Woods need something different after WWE failed to capitalize following their heel turn on Big E, and maybe pivoting once again for them, or even just Kingston, to align with Evans could be what they need.
I also loved the fact Penta revealed after the bout that he had taken it upon himself to go to “Raw” General Manager Adam Pearce and book himself into a title defense at WrestleMania. Not just any defense, but a ladder match. He was so confident during his promo about it all, too, and said that it was “his kingdom” on top of that ladder. I don’t necessarily love how convoluted it all was for a second when it came to Penta’s challengers, with Michael Cole saying there were qualifying matches already (though, there apparently weren’t?), but if you just look at the graphic, you get the picture. Penta will be taking on Dragon Lee, Je’Von Evans, Rusev, and JD McDonagh, which is a solid field already, and commentary mentioned those were the men involved “thus far,” which leaves things open and interesting these next two episodes of “Raw.”
Written by Daisy Ruth