10 Wrestlers Who Eventually Rewarded Fans For Sticking With Them

7. Gail Kim

Jon Moxley
IMPACT Wrestling

Without any semblance of hyperbole, not only is Gail Kim one of the best female wrestlers of the past 20 years, but Gail is one of the best wrestlers of that time, period.

It's not always been smooth sailing for Kim. After being brought in with a whole host of hoopla by WWE in 2002, many were excited to see what this much-hyped star would bring to the table. Unfortunately though, Gail Kim was never allowed to get anywhere near to reaching her potential across two separate spells with WWE.

For the talented Korean-Canadian grappler, success didn't instantly arrive after her first WWE departure. In fact, it took a good two years or so into Gail's first TNA run before she was allowed to show a significant glimpse of what she was capable of between the ropes. And when that chance came in 2007 and into 2008, Kim embarked on one of the great rivalries of the 21st century as she battled the formidable Awesome Kong.

Still, 2008 would see the one-time WWE Women's Champion return to WWE for a disappointing three-year run that culminated with Gail eliminating herself a minute into a battle royal contest. But again, it was the subsequent return to TNA that rewarded fans with the real Gail Kim - a Gail Kim who kicked all kinds of ass for the next six years and proved herself to be one of the very best in the game.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.