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Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston did not arrive at WWE Hell in a Cell 2012 with the respect and admiration of his challenger, The Miz.But he departed in possession of his championship gold and with another decisive victory over The Awesome One.
Kingston retained his title after dropping the boom on The Miz at Phillips Arena in Atlanta on Sunday evening. Despite being slowed down by an injured leg, the Ghanaian grappler held on and caught his opponent with a timely execution of Trouble in Paradise to seal the victory. ( PHOTOS)
The rivalry between the Intercontinental Title Match combatants grew fast and furious in recent weeks. Just one week after amicably parting ways with his former WWE Tag Team Championship partner, R-Truth, Kingston made his mark in singles competition by defeating The Miz twice in three days, with the second victory scoring The Dreadlocked Dynamo his fourth Intercontinental Championship. The former champion, embarrassed at losing his title to someone he believed was a lesser competitor, became unhinged and promptly invoked his rematch clause at Hell in a Cell.
Both competitors opened the bout at a frenetic pace, with Kingston and Miz trying and failing to connect with their respective finishers early in the bout. Things remained fairly even until The Awesome One put Kingston on the ringside floor with a brutal kick from the ring steps.
Miz made the most of his newly acquired momentum, which grew as he used his shoulder to hinder the high-flying champion’s left knee. After removing the titleholder's knee pads to expose the injured joint, The Awesome One increased the pressure by applying a single-leg Boston Crab, which nearly made Kingston submit.
Still, a fast-paced exchange sent Miz out of the squared circle once again and ultimately led to his demise. As The Awesome One reentered the ring, Kingston unleashed his inner wildcat at just the right time as he found enough strength to deliver Trouble in Paradise for a hard-earned victory.
With the win, Kofi Kingston remains undefeated at Hell in a Cell with four wins in four tries. Including the 2012 edition of the pay-per-view, Kingston has also successfully defended championship gold at three of the four events after retaining the United States Championship in 2009 and the WWE Tag Team Championship in 2011. And with his first successful title defense now in the history books, Kingston can look ahead and, as he indicated in a post-match interview with Matt Striker, let his inner wildcat run free against WWE's competitive ranks.