10 Exact Moments Wrestlers Died Inside

4. Gail Kim

CM Punk Inside
WWE Network

Gail Kim was a tremendously accomplished talent years ahead of the North American in-ring standard.

If you've ever seen a video of her early training days, you might even call her a prodigy. She had such incredible speed, agility, and poise, but it never looked too smooth nor too coordinated. There was a snap, aggression and fire to everything she did. She was also, as she'd later be marketed when pioneering a new chapter of professional wrestling, a knockout.

Vince McMahon wouldn't sign her until budged because he wasn't convinced men would masturbate over an Asian woman.

This outrageous anecdote makes sense, when one revisits a WWE career that depicts Gail Kim as a flash in the pan, as opposed to the real arc in which she set women's wrestling ablaze in the US. Relegated to afterthought status, Kim, who as gloriously documented on Twitter gives no f*cks, responded to her booking in kind. On the August 1, 2011 RAW, she participated in a battle royal from which Maryse was originally scheduled to eliminate her. When it was discovered that Maryse was injured, it was left up to Kim.

She took the apathetic message literally, eliminating herself, knowing it was just her time.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!