10 HUGE Tests Wrestlers Failed

8. Kofi Kingston Doesn't Level Up

seth rollins failed
WWE

A really nice, earned story, KofiMania was a rare achievement, ahead of and at WrestleMania 35.

It was a feel-good reward for one of the most quietly impressive WWE careers ever. It is honestly miraculous, how well the New Day did to stay over during their peak - they even elevated tag team wrestling as a relevant, must-see concern on main roster TV - and Kofi had earned the spot. He showed awesome fire and range in those televised gauntlets, levelling up to the technique of AJ Styles and withstanding the brutality of Samoa Joe, and he entered a superb performance at WrestleMania. As did Bryan; he distilled Kofi's decade-long struggle with a towering display in which Kofi looked like the ideal babyface just by countering his hermetic strategy. It was a phenomenal presentation highlighted by a touching post-match celebration.

The run was another matter.

Kofi just wasn't a main event-level talent. The matches that were too short developed a suboptimal midcard flavour, and when he went long, opposite Dolph Ziggler and Randy Orton, those matches were drab and aimless - elongated midcard bouts, essentially. Who is and isn't a headliner is a feeling, ultimately. He deserved far better than the passé shock factor of the seven-second Brock Lesnar squash.

But it was more horrendous on principle than it was impassioned heartbreak.

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!