Batista: Kofi Kingston's Push Should Have Happened Years Ago

Kofi Kingston is on the biggest run of his wrestling career, carrying the WWE Championship while firmly establishing himself as a main event star week after week on WWE television. But as many fans know, it wasn't always this way.

For years Kingston was relegated to the midcard, and with the exception of a brief rivalry with Randy Orton in 2009 he was never able to achieve more than a smattering of title runs with the US and Intercontinental Championships. Even when his New Day tag partners Xavier Woods and Big E started pushing for the idea of Kingston someday being WWE Champion, it seemed impossible up until just a few months ago.

In a new interview with Pro Wrestling Sheet this week, former WWE Champion Batista said he felt Kingston should have been pushed into WWE's main event scene years ago.

"I'm surprised Kofi wasn't at the point he is now years ago," Batista saod. "With all the love he is getting now, he deserved that many years ago, when I was there. He was something special in FCW. They got the bright idea so many years later. The guy is money, he is a star."

Kingston successfully defended his title against Dolph Ziggler on Friday at Super ShowDown, and the two will clash in a rematch inside of a steel cage at the upcoming Stomping Grounds pay-per-view. On SmackDown Live this week The New Day was finally reunited as Big E was cleared to return to action after suffering a torn meniscus. Together the trio defeated Ziggler, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a six-man tag match.

Elsewhere in the interview, Batista compared WWE's creative process from his run in 2014 to his latest appearance leading up through WrestleMania 35.

"The creative process, I still don't get," he said. "It was a nightmare to me the last time I was there, which was 2014, and it seems like it's become worse. I feel like they don't have a clear vision, a long-term vision. Everything's very week-to-week, and it doesn't seem like they stick to a plan very much at all."

"It's a very frustrating place to be," he added. "When you're ready to go and you want it and you're hungry and you just want to be there, you're starving for it, but they can't find a place for you. Or if they do find a place, they can't stick with it long enough for it to mean anything."