11 Things We Learned From WWE 24: Kofi Kingston

6. Vince's First Impressions

Kofi Kingston Vince McMahon
WWE Network

After honing his craft in WWE's Deep South and OVW developmental territories for the best part of a year, Kofi was finally ready to make the step up. In preparation for his debut as the company's first ever (pretend) Jamaican superstar, Kingston went on location (perhaps not to Jamaica itself, but at least a sunny beach) to film a series of vignettes introducing his character - an insouciant inversion on his previous eco-warrior schtick.

The crew produced seven sandy segments in total, each set to air sequentially on ECW on SyFy. Kingston recalls that he was in the production truck when the inaugural skit landed, with Vince McMahon just over his shoulder. Worryingly, his boss' reaction didn't quite marry his expectations, describing it as "barely, barely passable." Ouch.

Kingston joked that it was a miracle he's still with the company 11 years later after such an inauspicious start: "I've seen people fired for less."

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.