10 Wrestlers Who Couldn’t Come Up With A Comeback

9. Kofi Kingston

AJ Lee
WWE

Less couldn't, and perhaps wouldn't, Kofi Kingston naturally failed to navigate a minefield when, in 2009, Triple H asked him "Aren't you supposed to be Jamaican? What happened to your accent?"

A line of meta comedy cracked to get him over as the smartest guy in the room, what, if anything, could Kofi do in response? There's a dire paradox at the core of WWE: Vince McMahon, with his "millennials can't grab the brass ring" patter, insists that his contractors must show initiative to get over. They have to want it, and that involves showing something that isn't meekly reciting the (mandated) scripts.

Road Dogg has reinforced the company line: only by earning trust with the ability to improvise is a talent allowed agency. But, when a talent attempts to earn it, they are cuckolded, costumed to look beyond pitiful, and thrown off the stage with a profound symbolism - in a wheelchair! - with a bump that looks like absolute hell on the coccyx.

It's a rotten, fixed game that naturally mystified Kingston into a hushed quiet. He could have said "Aren't you supposed to be French?"

But why would he?

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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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!