5 Reasons why Vince McMahon is delaying Kofi Kingston's title shot

Owens insertion into the Fastlane match only further screwed Kofi Kingston.
Owens insertion into the Fastlane match only further screwed Kofi Kingston.

If he hasn't been working hard enough in his 11-year career with WWE, Mr McMahon apparently wants to keep making the New Day member work even harder.

After his monumental showing in the SmackDown gauntlet match where he pinned Daniel Bryan and lasted over an hour, the WWE Universe has been hot for Kofi Kingston to get a singles match for the WWE Championship.

Kingston also had a great showing in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship, as he lasted as one of the final two with eventual winner Bryan.

Since he was on fire over the last month, it was assumed that Kingston would be facing Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at Fastlane.

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But right before Stephanie McMahon and Triple H could get Kingston to sign the contract for the match, Mr McMahon came out on the entrance ramp and replaced Kingston in the match with the returning Kevin Owens.

And the latest turn in the story, Mr McMahon called for Kingston to meet with him backstage during the Fastlane PPV. The Chairman made him wait outside his office only to apparently add him to the WWE Championship match later in the night.

While everyone finally though that it was finally the time for Kofi Kingston to get his championship shot, it was a bait-and-switch moment as he forced Kingston into a 2-on-1 handicap match with the Bar in which he lost.

So why does the Chairman continually keep pulling the rug out from under the feet of one of the most popular and dedicated members of the WWE roster? Here are five reasons why Vince McMahon is delaying Kofi Kingston's title shot.


#5 He wants to break up the New Day

New Day has been an effective faction for the last four years.
New Day has been an effective faction for the last four years.

The New Day are five time WWE Tag Team champions if you didn't know. So since they have been in the mix for tag titles on both Raw and SmackDown all the time, perhaps that is one of the situations McMahon was thinking of when he said the product and some superstars were stale.

They are still entertaining on the mic and during promos, so that aspect hasn't gotten stale. But maybe he feels that the shelf life is just up for the trio and some rumors have stated that he wants to break them up.

Big E and Xavier Woods are clearly still behind their friend, but the question will always remain of 'what could they have accomplished as singles stars'?

McMahon won't put the major titles of WWE on just anyone, even if one of those superstars has done practically everything asked of him for the last 11 years.

A New Day split would freshen things up, be controversial but polarizing as a huge portion of the WWE Universe would be outraged.

Outraging the WWE Universe hasn't really mattered before, so perhaps the constant screwing of Kingston leads to a break up of one of the most popular WWE factions ever.

#4 He believes it is unpredictable storytelling

Ambrose's betrayal of Rollins on the heels of Reigns' departure last October shocked the world.
Ambrose's betrayal of Rollins on the heels of Reigns' departure last October shocked the world.

The best heel/face turns that happen are usually unpredictable. It makes the product fresher, more exciting and have the feeling that anything can happen.

Dean Ambrose turning on Seth Rollins, albeit expected for a while, was more unpredictable because of when and how it happened.

When random things keep happening in order to keep ratings higher than the may have been, it's not exactly unpredictable and good storytelling but rather somewhat tiresome.

Fans have been chanting Kofi Kingston's name during any Daniel Bryan match and it does a disservice to the babyfaces challenging Bryan at any time.

Constantly offering opportunities for Kingston only to pull the rug out from under them just seems like McMahon is toying with the superstar.

The debuts of Ricochet, Aleister Black, Jonny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa were unpredictable and unexpected, but so unexpected that Triple H and the WWE locker room had no idea what was happening.

Unpredictability only really works when it is done every now and then and not on every show. Otherwise, it seems more desperate than effective unless Mr McMahon really doesn't like Kofi Kingston for some reason.

#3 He wants to recreate the Daniel Bryan Storyline from WrestleMania 30

Bryan and Kingston's characters share a lot of similarities but the execution has been vastly different.
Bryan and Kingston's characters share a lot of similarities but the execution has been vastly different.

It's hard to argue, but one of the most successful and gratifying storylines in WWE history was Daniel Bryan's fight and journey to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 30.

He had constantly been thwarted by Randy Orton and the Authority at almost every turn, but fan reaction to him was so strong that they basically revolted when Batista won the Royal Rumble and Bryan wasn't even in the match.

The catharsis came when he beat all three members of Evolution in a single night in order to prove the Authority wrong.

But everything that Vince McMahon has done to Kingston just seems mean and like a high-school bully. Hey, come here, I'll give you a triple threat match tonight, but it won't be for what you want!

That Fastlane trick was just plain mean, and if the purpose was to further sympathy for Kingston, it more so was sad that they've kept resorting to that storytelling device.

While Bryan's rise and Kingston's current popularity are both organic, the hoops that Kingston is being forced to jump through are not, and it is hurting everyone involved except for Bryan.

Mustafa Ali and Kevin Owens were booed as faces during their Fastlane match, so I don't know what the end game is with all of the unnecessary twists Kingston's story has taken.

#2 He still doesn't consider Kingston a main-event guy

John Cena has been the franchise up until the last couple years.
John Cena has been the franchise up until the last
couple
years.

One unfair but totally logical truth that might be behind the constant toying with Kofi Kingston is that maybe the top brass or just Mr McMahon don't consider Kingston to be a main-event guy.

Mr McMahon traditionally loves guys who are built like John Cena, Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns. That means over 6'4'' and 240 pounds.

Kingston is billed as six feet and about 210 pounds. That's a little bigger than Daniel Bryan but a little smaller Shawn Michaels.

Although smaller wrestlers like Michaels, Bret Hart, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio have held gold in WWE, some guys just aren't ticketed for main-event success.

With the huge amount of superstars now on the roster, it is hard to give everyone a top spot that the fans and the superstars might believe they deserve.

Someone like Kingston is certainly a workhorse and could have easily been given a WWE Championship run during the brand split. Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton had short title reigns, and Kingston could have easily carried the title for a few months.

#1 He thinks the pay off might be bigger for WrestleMania

Kingston's title triumph might be saved for the Show of Shows next April.
Kingston's title triumph might be saved for the Show of Shows next April.

While it is true that having the pay off for Kingston's journey end up at WrestleMania 35, the way to get there has been full of convoluted storytelling and downright mean tricks.

Bryan was more so thwarted by members of the Authority as he attempted to gain the respect from everyone in WWE that he was a main-event guy.

While constantly keeping him down will only make his eventual rise all the more sweeter, the hoops that Kingston has had to jump through just seem like the machinations of a mean old man.

He's dangling that carrot in front of Kingston's mouth constantly only for him to yank it away at the last minute time after time.

The pay off might be a better moment for WrestleMania, but the execution of Kofi Kingston's struggle has been way off. They seem more so like tricks rather than storyline devices used to garner sympathy for Kingston.

Kingston already has the WWE Universe loudly chanting his name on a nightly basis, so the sympathy for the character is already there. Anything more that is done to the superstar, whether to further the storyline or not, is just mean.

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Edited by Kingshuk Kusari
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