10 Insane Stories From WWE Tryouts

5. WWE Writers Don't Think Much Of Eddie Kingston's Promo

WWE Eddie Kingston
WWE

'WWE Writers Don't Think Much Of Eddie Kingston's Promo' reads like an Onion headline; a self-contained joke mocking the absurdity of everyday mundane life.

Kingston told Renee Paquette on a 2021 episode of her Sessions podcast that, when he tried out for WWE in 2016, the writers observing promo class were horrified by his approach to interviews.

Kingston - one of the best promos ever, an agonised poet who can make it feel like a rivalry has consumed his very soul with a killer turn of phrase - attempted to put over the intensity of the training drills. He said he's been shot at and stabbed and would sooner do that. He also said - trying to convey how hard his life was, and how hard he turned out as a result - that where he comes from, people believe in 2Pac more than they believe in Santa Claus.

According to Eddie, he spotted two writers, whose confused looks signalled to him that he had no chance.

"Why isn't this fellow reading out his Wikipedia page?!"

Sadly for WWE, in what can only be explained as an administrative error, they actually loved his work in the tryout - but only made contact with Kingston hours after he had made his debut for All Elite Wrestling.

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!