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I Coulda Been a Contender!
- 645 statements
- 121 feature instances
- 167 referencing feature instances
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Retirony is especially cruel when it strikes a character down in their prime just as they begin embarking on success and glory. At least the old soldiers in combat made something out of their lives even if they found no peace afterwards. These young souls don't have the opportunity to become somebodies — they get just a little taste of it before suffering a Career-Ending Injury or when circumstances, including their own deaths, force them to throw it all away. Naturally, this will be right after (or right before) they reach the point that would make them bona fide superstars. Years after, the disillusioned nobodies still can't get the taste of what could have been out of their mouths. This may lead to them taking their pent-up frustration out on the youths who look to be fast becoming the kind of people Fate prevented them from joining. The lost opportunity or career is most commonly some form of sports, but non-sports-related careers are not unheard of. A Super-Trope to The Pete Best (where someone left a team before big success hit). Compare Career Not Taken, Dream-Crushing Handicap, Stage Mom, Glory Days, Trade Your Passion for Glory, Life's Work Ruined. White-Dwarf Starlet is a related phenomenon, where the person got their moment of glory — it just didn't last long, and the bitterness is tangible. Sometimes associated with Jaded Washout. The inversion is Accidental Celebrity. Compare and contrast Going Home Again, when the character makes it to the big leagues, flunks, and then returns home to reconnect with their roots. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_12b2b8a6 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_12b2b8a6 | comment |
Subverted in the movie Unbreakable, where in college David Dunn faked an injury after a car accident to end a promising football career, the reason was his fiancée Audrey was not happy with the violence of the sport and they likely wouldn't have remained together if kept playing. But he then forgot he faked it through the normal process of memory reevaluation and editing, leading to his dissatisfaction with his "lost chance" at greatness in the movie's present time. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_12b2b8a6 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_12b2b8a6 | featureConfidence |
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Unbreakable | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_12b2b8a6 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_13134b01 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_13134b01 | comment |
Aladdin in Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier played for laughs. Despite it happening well into his thirties and him being the one who killed them, he thinks he could've been a success if his parents hadn't died. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_13134b01 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_13134b01 | featureConfidence |
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Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier (Theatre) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_13134b01 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_160c1407 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_160c1407 | comment |
Dave Mustaine was kicked out of Metallica shortly before they became famous. Although Megadeth is still a respected and fairly well-known band, it's nowhere near as popular as Metallica. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_160c1407 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_160c1407 | featureConfidence |
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Metallica (Music) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_160c1407 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1694f094 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1694f094 | comment |
Angelo from Backstreet Dreams was once a highly skilled boxer, but by the time he got his shot at the belt, age had weakened him too much. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1694f094 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1694f094 | featureConfidence |
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Backstreet Dreams | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1694f094 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_17e6cb15 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_17e6cb15 | comment |
Despite having a life of fame and fortune, Sarah Lynn of Bojack Horseman always wanted to be an architect - an aspiration shot down by everyone around her, including her own mother. This dream continues even in her adult years. It even forms her final words before her fatal overdose. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_17e6cb15 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_17e6cb15 | featureConfidence |
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BoJack Horseman | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_17e6cb15 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_18acb3a5 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_18acb3a5 | comment |
Invoked in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will tries to psyche up the college football team for the Big Game, encouraging them to give it their all because "I know some of you might get into the majors, but for most of you, this is the end of the line!", and then starts to go into detail about how their lives will be once their Glory Days end after graduation. It doesn't work. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_18acb3a5 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_18acb3a5 | featureConfidence |
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The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_18acb3a5 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_18bcfe7f | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_18bcfe7f | comment |
Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte: While downplayed as the titular Endo actually knows he is unlikely to go pro even without his Career-Ending Injury, he is working actively to defy this trope. This is because his past has been so entwined with baseball (his father is the school baseball coach in a rural community) that he doesn't want to make himself hating the sport because of this. This is why he made a clear cut from competitive play (even declining an offer for a Post-Injury Desk Job from the school baseball team) and trying to explore the possibilities in a career in sports commentary. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_18bcfe7f | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_18bcfe7f | featureConfidence |
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Endo and Kobayashi Live! | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_18bcfe7f | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1bebef69 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1bebef69 | comment |
The male lead in Wimbledon is a former tennis hopeful who just never quite made it. Ultimately subverted, as the film ends with him winning Wimbledon, but choosing to retire on a high note. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1bebef69 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1bebef69 | featureConfidence |
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Wimbledon | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1bebef69 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1cc09117 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1cc09117 | comment |
Invoked and subverted in Bleach with Tatsuki, who broke her arm after getting into the top eight in a fighting competition between girls of her age group, but still managed to earn second place despite the injury. She says that had it not been for the broken arm, she could have won the whole thing. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1cc09117 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1cc09117 | featureConfidence |
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Bleach (Manga) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1cc09117 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1e3b753c | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1e3b753c | comment |
In the film Friday Night Lights, the ex-star of the central football team's obsessing over his regrets turn him into a violent alcoholic. The current team members are painfully aware that a similar fate awaits them after the glory of the sport has long since faded. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1e3b753c | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1e3b753c | featureConfidence |
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Friday Night Lights | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1e3b753c | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1e945a7b | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1e945a7b | comment |
Wendover from Doctor in Clover is quite fond of ballet and bemoans the fact that his father stopped him from pursuing his dreams. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1e945a7b | featureApplicability |
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Doctor in Clover | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_1e945a7b | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_215b5498 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_215b5498 | comment |
In Thieves Can Be Heroes!, Izuku feels this way about his inability to get into U.A. after his Chronic Hero Syndrome made him rashly come to the aid of a woman in the midst of being sexually assaulted by a drunken man. This decision ended with him being arrested, charged, and convicted with assault in a rigged trial. The legal proceedings made him miss the U.A. Entrance Exam while his new criminal record all but ensures that getting a job at any Hero Office will be all but impossible. Subverted in that he ultimately doesn't regret what he did despite the consequences of his actions. He completely gets over it after he realizes that he would have left all of his new friends to suffer under Kamoshida's thumb if he had never come to Shujin, allowing him to finally move on from his forlorn wish and look towards what he's able to do now as a Phantom Thief. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_215b5498 | featureApplicability |
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Thieves Can Be Heroes! (Fanfic) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_215b5498 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2198fbf1 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2198fbf1 | comment |
Spinning Out: Carol was an extremely skilled skater in her youth, but getting pregnant with Kat put an end to her career and Olympic dreams. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2198fbf1 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2198fbf1 | featureConfidence |
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Spinning Out | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2198fbf1 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_22e004e2 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_22e004e2 | comment |
Ted, the co-pilot in Pan Am, used to be a Navy test pilot... until he crashed his plane, ruining his chances of getting into the space program. The worse part is, it was probably an equipment malfunction, but the faulty equipment was manufactured by Ted's father's company and his father killed the investigation to preserve his contracts. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_22e004e2 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_22e004e2 | featureConfidence |
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Pan Am | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_22e004e2 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2313563f | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2313563f | comment |
The central premise of Suits is based on a subversion. Mike could have been a great lawyer but the Toxic Friend Influence of Trevor got him expelled from college. When the series starts he is reduced to taking exams for other people for money and is about to be busted for being a drug courier. A chance encounter with Harvey, a top-level lawyer in one of the best law firms in the city, gives him a second chance. Harvey is so impressed by Mike that he hires him as his associate even though Mike has no law degree. Mike now has to use all his skills and talent to keep this dream job. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2313563f | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2313563f | featureConfidence |
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Suits | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2313563f | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_249ada68 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_249ada68 | comment |
Chyna. To Chyna, Stephanie McMahon is to blame for her fall from grace. At one point Joanie Laurer had it all: fame, money, looks, and an awesome guy she thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with. And then (according to her), Steph steals her man, and she can't do anything about it because she's the boss's daughter. Her role on TV was gradually reduced, and eventually, they let her go. She basically became nothing, all because this one woman coveted her boyfriend. Her life ended up in downward spiral ever since, degrading herself to doing porn for a living. She was ultimately found dead in her home in 2016. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_249ada68 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_249ada68 | featureConfidence |
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Chyna (Wrestling) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_249ada68 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_251cd0d3 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_251cd0d3 | comment |
Low Ki. He's from the same generation of indy talent as CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe, and is widely regarded to be just as talented as they are — he was even the first ROH World Champion, a championship one of them (AJ) never won. Yet, while's he had a relatively successful career, it pales in comparison to the success they have all had, due to him being notoriously difficult to work with which has gotten him banned from several top indy feds and major promotions such as New Japan Pro-Wrestling. While Low Ki has found success again in MLW, one can't help but wonder how much more successful he could've been if he hadn't gotten in his own way. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_251cd0d3 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_251cd0d3 | featureConfidence |
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Low Ki (Wrestling) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_251cd0d3 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_258b2e5e | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_258b2e5e | comment |
In the musical Bye Bye Birdie, Albert Peterson plans to attend NYU and become an English teacher, until a need for money requires him to go into the music business. He ends up being the producer for a pop sensation (the titular Conrad Birdie) and stays for eight years. He spends most of the show trying to get out so he can marry his girlfriend and secretary, Rosie. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_258b2e5e | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_258b2e5e | featureConfidence |
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Bye Bye Birdie (Theatre) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_258b2e5e | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_261c8d3f | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_261c8d3f | comment |
The Simpsons: This is a broader theme across the show in general, with Matt Groening noting that the show reflected the Small Town Boredom he experienced and feared growing up. Homer Simpson admired John F. Kennedy and dreamt of being President one day during his childhood. As a middle-aged man, he remarks that the constant discouragement and contempt he received from his father turned him into an alcoholic and a deadbeat. For similar reasons, he also failed to be a gymnast. Barney's alcoholism caused him to squander his talents. Moe blames politics for the failure of his once-promising boxing career. That and his 46 straight losses. This is also true of some of the female characters. Marge Simpson, while a dedicated housewife, occasionally wonders about what she gave up to be with Homer; Edna Krabbappel laments her poor love life and her boring job teaching disinterested fourth graders at a terrible school. Even the kids, however talented they may be, are probably stifled by the town and the education system, and Lisa Simpson constantly fears that she will never fulfill her potential. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_261c8d3f | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_261c8d3f | featureConfidence |
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The Simpsons | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_261c8d3f | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_27a342f4 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_27a342f4 | comment |
Jeff Hardy. In another life, one where he managed to keep off the drugs (or at least minimize his use of them), he'd probably be the current face of the WWE. He had everything going for him: massive Popularity Power, more merchandise sales than John Cena, and backstage support from Vince McMahon himself. But in this life, he didn't, and while he's had an extremely successful career, his personal demons prevented him from reaching the heights could have at his peak. Jeff himself is aware of this, and aside from some bitterness towards himself, has made his peace with it. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_27a342f4 | featureApplicability |
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Jeff Hardy (Wrestling) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_27a342f4 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2bd34122 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2bd34122 | comment |
One episode of Marcus Welby, M.D. deals with a promising young boxer who has to end his career due to epilepsy. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2bd34122 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2bd34122 | featureConfidence |
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Marcus Welby, M.D. | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2bd34122 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2db2ff29 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2db2ff29 | comment |
F is for Family: Frank and Sue both suffer from this. Frank had dreams of becoming a pilot and joining the Air Force (which he started dreaming of during his days in the Korean War), and Sue wanted to become a scientist and went to college for that reason. One Teen Pregnancy later, and they were forced to settle for an average life in suburbia, and by the time the series starts 14 years and two more kids later, the weight of their failed dreams is becoming unbearable. The first episode shows Sue having a breakdown over how boring and pointless her life as a homemaker is. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2db2ff29 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2db2ff29 | featureConfidence |
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F is for Family | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_2db2ff29 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_313c5eb9 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_313c5eb9 | comment |
In Napoleon Dynamite Uncle Rico is this character played for laughs. He firmly believes that if his high school coach had just let him carry a football during a crucial game back in 1982, he'd be a Hall of Fame NFL star today. Most of his screen time in the movie is spent passive-aggressively abusing his nephews and earning enough money for a time machine to transport himself back to his old high school glory days. It is revealed towards the end of the film that he was a benchwarmer, and was never actually in the game at all. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_313c5eb9 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_313c5eb9 | featureConfidence |
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Napoleon Dynamite | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_313c5eb9 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3150705c | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3150705c | comment |
In Graceland, Johnny could have been a US Navy SEAL, but on the last day of Hell Week, he was hit by a boat. It's subverted because he is not really bitter about it. His time in the Navy got him US citizenship, and after leaving the Navy he easily landed a job as an FBI agent. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3150705c | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3150705c | featureConfidence |
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Graceland | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3150705c | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_338be055 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_338be055 | comment |
Used directly in the film Muppet Treasure Island. As the pirates sing (without regret) about the different possible paths they could have taken in life, one of them comments "I coulda been a contender!", prompting chuckles from the rest of the crew. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_338be055 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_338be055 | featureConfidence |
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Muppet Treasure Island | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_338be055 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_34e78869 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_34e78869 | comment |
The Rocker, in which The Office's Rainn Wilson plays a Pete Best (see the music category below) analog. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_34e78869 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_34e78869 | featureConfidence |
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The Rocker | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_34e78869 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_354d43de | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_354d43de | comment |
The first Red Dwarf novel, like the TV version below, has Rimmer blame his whole failed career on the gazpacho soup incident. In this version, he'd only been with the company for five months at the time, but the book still points out that in truth Rimmer keeps failing because he has neither the aptitude nor, at heart, the desire to be a Space Corps officer. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_354d43de | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_354d43de | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Red Dwarf | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_354d43de | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_35dc17db | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_35dc17db | comment |
In You Don't Own Me, Kendra did well at medical school and was doing her residency to become a pediatrician when she got pregnant. She intended to go on leave to have her baby then return to her residency, but she struggled to cope and had leave her job within a month, later realising she was suffering from post-partum depression. Her husband persuaded her to become a stay-at-home mother instead, with Kendra telling herself she didn't really need to work because Martin made more than enough as a successful neurosurgeon. Unfortunately, her mental condition deteriorated so badly she could barely take care of herself, let alone her children. Kendra has now recovered and has a job as a dermatologist's assistant that she enjoys, but she admits she still feels sad and disappointed she never got to become a pediatrician, saying that no one would take her on as a resident because of the rumours she was a drug addict and had Martin killed. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_35dc17db | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_35dc17db | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
You Don't Own Me | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_35dc17db | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_37f68071 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_37f68071 | comment |
An example outside of sports: Oji Tanaka, the protagonist of The Legend of Black Heaven, was the guitarist for the titular heavy metal band. They had a single hit, and the group then drifted apart for reasons even they can't describe. Oji, now a browbeaten middle-management salaryman with an unaccommodating family, is deeply bitter about his life as it is and as it could have been. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_37f68071 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_37f68071 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Legend of Black Heaven | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_37f68071 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_38dcc0e1 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_38dcc0e1 | comment |
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man: Boomerang deeply misses his days of being a professional baseball player before being kicked out over a bribery scandal, and his overarching goal is to play one more game while in disguise. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_38dcc0e1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_38dcc0e1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_38dcc0e1 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_39381802 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_39381802 | comment |
In Earwig and the Witch, the band Earwig was at its height when Erica's mother suddenly left without warning, presumably having to do with her then unborn daughter. It becomes clear that her bandmates never got over it, her absence why they are both so bitter. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_39381802 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_39381802 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Earwig and the Witch | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_39381802 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3dea1146 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3dea1146 | comment |
Penguindrum provides another music example. Double H, the two idol singers that are all over the place, were originally Triple H before Himari's illness forced her to quit the band. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3dea1146 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3dea1146 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Penguindrum | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3dea1146 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3ee90f99 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3ee90f99 | comment |
Happy Gilmore features the main character becoming a pro golfer under the tutelage of Chubbs Peterson, a former golfer who was hyped up by Sports Illustrated to be "the next Arnold Palmer" until an alligator bit off his hand, forcing him to retire. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3ee90f99 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3ee90f99 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Happy Gilmore | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3ee90f99 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3f0d1805 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3f0d1805 | comment |
In Spaced, Marsha tells Daisy about how she could have been an Olympic sprinter had she not been knocked over by her first husband to be and introduced to alcohol. She still shows interest in it, though, on one occasion persuading Daisy to join her on a run. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3f0d1805 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3f0d1805 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Spaced | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_3f0d1805 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_42b5b5bf | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_42b5b5bf | comment |
Donaldson, the money-grubbing researcher from Utopia claims he was a real scientific high-flyer until he discovered that the SARS epidemic did not actually exist and he was Reassigned to Antarctica for his troubles, and now the only job he can get is testing pet food. He is bitterly resentful of this and keeps trying to sell out the gradual uncovering of The Conspiracy to the very people that demoted him just so he can be rich again. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_42b5b5bf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_42b5b5bf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Utopia | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_42b5b5bf | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_43a79959 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_43a79959 | comment |
Majikoi! Love Me Seriously! has Hideo, who was apparently a genius baseball pitcher before getting caught up in a terrorist attack and suffering a career-ending injury. Particularly of significance in the Wanko and Ryuuzetsuran routes. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_43a79959 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_43a79959 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Majikoi! Love Me Seriously! (Visual Novel) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_43a79959 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_45dbe39b | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_45dbe39b | comment |
A downplayed example would be Randy Orton, which John Cena commented on during a promo right before the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships were unified in late 2013. Cena was actually fourth choice to be the face of the company. Brock Lesnar was first choice, but after he left, the company turned their attention to Orton, leading to his first major push, where he defeated Chris Benoit clean to win the World Heavyweight Championship and was promptly kicked out of Evolution. (Un)fortunately, the reign was cut short, due to a variety of factors: a still inexperienced Orton wasn't over enough with the crowd as a heel to really get cheered as a face, but what really sealed the deal was Orton's poor backstage behavior, including one rumor where he wrecked a hotel room in a fit of drunken rage. While Orton continued to have a steady push, his backstage attitude prevented him from becoming the face of the company, at which point they turned their attention to the third and fourth choices, Batista and Cena, respectively, before settling on the latter when he proved to be the most popular. Orton wouldn't win another world title until 2007, three years later, and it was as the company's top heel. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_45dbe39b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_45dbe39b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Randy Orton (Wrestling) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_45dbe39b | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4617a9f2 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4617a9f2 | comment |
Al Bundy from Married... with Children is also an ex-high school football star whose plans for fame were dashed with an injury and marriage to his then-girlfriend, after which he was forced to settle into a banal life as a wage-slave shoe salesman. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4617a9f2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4617a9f2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Married... with Children | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4617a9f2 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4737c653 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4737c653 | comment |
On Elementary Sherlock tries to avert this for his colleague and friend Detective Marcus Bell. Marcus is a top-notch detective and his cooperation with Sherlock has produced spectacular results. However, Sherlock realizes that Marcus's career has become too tightly tied to Sherlock. When Captain Gregson retires, the new captain might have a less enlightened view of police consultants like Sherlock and Joan, so they would be forced to move and Marcus's career would likely be sidelined. To avoid this, Sherlock passes Marcus's file to a friend in the US Marshal Service, who's more than happy to offer Marcus a job. Becoming a US Marshal would be an ideal job for Marcus and would allow him to progress his career. Marcus is not happy with the meddling, but admits that if he did not take the US Marshal job, he would probably regret it for the rest of his life. Sherlock discovers that a former Scotland Yard Detective Inspector is sabotaging Marcus Bell's transfer to the US Marshall Service as Revenge by Proxy against Sherlock. Sherlock does not know what he might have done to turn the man into an enemy and is surprised to learn that this trope is the reason for the feud. During his final days as a Scotland Yard consultant Sherlock was barred from going to crime scenes due to his drug-addled behavior but he nevertheless barged his way into the investigation of the murder of a Member of Parliament and solved it with a brilliant deduction in a few minutes. The Inspector was the lead investigator on the case and was responsible for tying up loose ends after Sherlock identified the killer. The Inspector quickly discovered that there was enough physical evidence to solve the case even without Sherlock's help. He could have solved the case himself within a day and reaped all the glory for himself. He figures that if he was allowed to solve the case on his own, the prestige of closing such a prominent case so quickly would have earned him a promotion and led to a stellar career at Scotland Yard. Instead, he was upstaged by Sherlock and is now teaching a criminal statistics course at a US college. |
|
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4737c653 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4737c653 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Elementary | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4737c653 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_47b50df9 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_47b50df9 | comment |
Teddy Hart. A member of the famous Hart wrestling family, Teddy was signed to the WWF at the mere age of eighteen. By all accounts, Teddy is one of, if not the most talented wrestler that the family has ever produced, and considering this is the family of Bret Hart and Owen Hart, that says a lot. Teddy had everything in the world going for him — and that became his downfall. As far as backstage attitudes go, Teddy made the above-mentioned Orton look like a saint. He was so bad that WWE released him twice due to his bad behavior. Over the years since then, Teddy has been similarly fired and blackballed from nearly every major wrestling promotion in North America, with more than one promotion admitting to firing him for his own safety, as their respective locker rooms were that close to lynching him alive. More than one fan has lamented how much Teddy has wasted his talents over the years. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_47b50df9 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_47b50df9 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Bret Hart (Wrestling) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_47b50df9 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_489580cb | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_489580cb | comment |
After she made the cover of Time at the age of eighteen around the time Pretty in Pink was released, big things were expected of Molly Ringwald, who had made a splash with Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club. However, an acrimonious split with John Hughes, failed attempts to gain more respect as a young actress, and her own personal crises led to her career going downhill by the end of the eighties. Since The Secret Life of the American Teenager, she's mainly been playing smaller parts, particularly mothers or mother figures, for an easy paycheck. The remnants of her fanbase aren't exactly pleased with what she's become. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_489580cb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_489580cb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Pretty in Pink | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_489580cb | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4a11fc06 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4a11fc06 | comment |
The saloon madam from The Lone Ranger could have made it as a ballerina had Butch Cavendish not eaten one of her legs. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4a11fc06 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4a11fc06 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Lone Ranger | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_4a11fc06 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_50c2ac6 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_50c2ac6 | comment |
In Vengeance of Dawn, Breaking Dawn is a highly intelligent, charismatic, and cunning unicorn mare with magical potential so powerful that even Celestia, her personal mentor, has almost never seen the like of it before. But her spoiled attitude and lack of dedication to her studies caused Celestia to set her aside in favor of a young Twilight. Heartbroken, Dawn's academic performance continued to worsen, and when she could not control her rage and assaulted Twilight, she was expelled from the School for Gifted Unicorns. In the present day, Dawn is living in a poor apartment and can't even hold down a job at a clothing store because she thinks her former status as Celestia's personal student makes her too good to work like an ordinary pony. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_50c2ac6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_50c2ac6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Vengeance of Dawn (Fanfic) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_50c2ac6 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_58f28be1 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_58f28be1 | comment |
Played with in The Godfather: Don Vito Corleone expresses his regret to his son Michael that he couldn't turn the family legit in his lifetime, or at least spare Michael from taking over as Don. In this case, it's the father despairing for his son: | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_58f28be1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_58f28be1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Godfather | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_58f28be1 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5908ee91 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5908ee91 | comment |
One of the random NPC guard lines in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim implies this, claiming that they used to be an adventurer like the PC, but then they took an arrow in the knee. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5908ee91 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5908ee91 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Video Game) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5908ee91 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5ae0b268 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5ae0b268 | comment |
As far as promotions go, TNA. Originally a small-time promotion established by Jerry and Jeff Jarrett to fill in the void left behind WCW, TNA gradually grew as a company, eventually escalating by signing other prominent stars from WWE, such as Christian and (most famously) Kurt Angle, as well as WCW star Sting, who chose to join TNA instead of the WWE. By 2009, they had over a million people watching their flagship show, Impact!, had a roster boasting some of the best young talent around, and all in all, seemed primed for greatness.Then Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff happened. These days, TNA is a running joke, mocked by the fans that once held it up as the future of Professional Wrestling, with constant shots at their nonsensical storylines, idiotic business management, and outright asinine PR decisions. Many are actually hoping it dies rather than continue on as a pale shadow of its former glory because TNA has fallen that far as a promotion. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5ae0b268 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5ae0b268 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
TNA | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5ae0b268 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5c6186ec | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5c6186ec | comment |
Ed Crankshaft in Crankshaft was an aspiring baseball player and playing for the Toledo Mud Hens and the Detroit Tigers called him up to the Major Leagues. At the same time, the U.S. entered World War II and he was drafted into the Army. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5c6186ec | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5c6186ec | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Crankshaft (Comic Strip) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5c6186ec | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5d354f8 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5d354f8 | comment |
Red Dwarf: Arnold Rimmer insists he only ever failed his shot at greatness by a narrow margin. The episode that first delves into this, "Me2", has him claim his failure stems from a gaffe involving soup... wherein Rimmer completely fails to notice the disconnect between his story and the fact he'd been in the Space Corps for fourteen years before that and was still a nobody. A recurring theme of Rimmer is that he'll blame everyone and everything for his total inability to become an officer but himself. That said.. later in the series we meet "Ace", an alternate-universe version of Rimmer who did indeed become a dazzlingly-successful test pilot in the Corps (what a guy!) but the point of divergence came long before the soup incident, when Ace was held back a year in school while Arnold squeaked through to the next grade. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5d354f8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5d354f8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Red Dwarf | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_5d354f8 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_60f02ddb | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_60f02ddb | comment |
Francine from American Dad! blamed George Clooney for stealing her one movie line that she believed could have made her a star. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_60f02ddb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_60f02ddb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
American Dad! | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_60f02ddb | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6418fc5 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6418fc5 | comment |
Yata/Wiseman in .hack//G.U. was once quoted as having a tremendous enthusiasm for football. His career ended up after he got a career-ending injury, ending his hopes of going pro. He's now one of the shareholders of CC Corp at seventeen, yet he's still Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6418fc5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6418fc5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
.hack//G.U. (Video Game) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6418fc5 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6642385 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6642385 | comment |
Zombie Land Saga takes this to its furthest extreme with two of its leads: Idol Singer Ai Mizuno, who was killed by a freak lightning strike right around the time she'd risen to the top of the charts and sold her first CD. Once she's reanimated as a zombie, she discovers that the world has largely moved on without her, remembering her more for her untimely death than her accomplishments in life, while she is unable to return to a society that would fear and shun her as an undead monster if she were to step into the light of day again. Her character arc is about her finding her second wind with Franchouchou, an idol group of zombies disguised as the living, once she gets over the sheer absurdity of the situation. The late first season Wham Episode twofer of 10 and 11 reveals that Sakura, while she was alive, was an aspiring extracurricular academic achiever throughout her short life, only for each of her attempts to be dashed by some misfortune. First, she gets the lead role in a school play, only to get sick on the day of the performance. Then, she gets sick again when she tries for the relay team after getting some of the best practice times. Her later attempt to get into the top high school in the area, for which she gets some of the highest mock test scores, is dashed when she reaches the testing site late due to running into too many old ladies needing help crossing the street and answering the questions in a panic. She spent the next few years in a depressed funk until she saw Ai, then of the idol group Iron Frill, in a TV interview saying that mistakes aren't the end of the world. Inspired one more time, she ran out the door in the moment circling back to the beginning of the series where she ran into a truck and died. Coming back to the present, she's forgotten everything that happened since she died, pushing her through the Despair Event Horizon. Thankfully, her teammates help her get better. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6642385 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6642385 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Zombie Land Saga | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6642385 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_678e2327 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_678e2327 | comment |
Silver Nina: In his high school days, Shutaro wanted to hit it big and own his own company. Ten years after graduating, however, he's forced to return to his small hometown in failure and poverty, kicking off the plot as he becomes his niece Nina's primary caretaker. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_678e2327 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_678e2327 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Silver Nina (Manga) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_678e2327 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_69f21bb7 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_69f21bb7 | comment |
Devil Survivor 2 reveals Airi Ban to have been a great piano player. She even won several competitions, but because the life of a professional musician is expensive and her family wasn't wealthy enough, she had to give up her playing. Realizing that a world of Egalitarianism would mean lack of money would not keep people from achieving their dreams anymore, Airi chooses to follow Ronaldo's vision of a changed world. The Restorer ending and the Triangulum Arc show that Airi managed to become a professional piano player, performing alongside Hinako. Similarly, Makoto was all set to become a professional swimmer until she got involved in a car accident that injured her shoulder. In the Updated Re Release, in the Triangulum Arc, she subconsciously had knowledge of where the accident would take place and used a different route to avoid it altogether. Even so, she ended up dropping her dream and works with JP's once again out of a desire to protect anyway. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_69f21bb7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_69f21bb7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Devil Survivor 2 (Video Game) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_69f21bb7 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6da4c85c | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6da4c85c | comment |
American Horror Story: Freak Show has two examples: Elsa Mars is convinced she would have been a big star if not for Marlene Dietrich eclipsing her as the nation's favorite German entertainer. Paul believes that his handsome face would have made him a star had he been born with a "normal" body. It's also the reason why he decided not to have his face tattooed. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6da4c85c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6da4c85c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
American Horror Story: Freak Show | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_6da4c85c | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_70152a4a | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_70152a4a | comment |
This happens at a pretty young age to Coco in Basquash!. After suffering a traumatic leg injury at the hands of a mecha, she became wheelchair-bound and unable to continue playing basketball, which is part of what kicks off the series' story. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_70152a4a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_70152a4a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Basquash! | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_70152a4a | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_73d7930f | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_73d7930f | comment |
Rom from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is an absolute genius when it comes to engineering and could have very easily thrived had he pursued a career in that field, but instead chose to follow Ferengi cultural expectations and become a businessman (for which he has zero talent). This is what motivates his son Nog to join Starfleet, because he knows that he isn't cut out to be a businessman either and doesn't want to make the same mistake. Ultimately subverted for Rom as well, as Nog's example makes him realize he can strive for better too and he steps away from business to start a career in engineering. Just before the series finale he's appointed to be the new Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance, so that he can oversee the transition of Ferengi society into a democracy. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_73d7930f | featureApplicability |
-0.3 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_73d7930f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_73d7930f | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_73e39f4e | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_73e39f4e | comment |
Spoofed with the Mary (Had A Little Lamb) character in Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme, who claims she could have been so much more if only that damn sheep weren't following her everywhere. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_73e39f4e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_73e39f4e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_73e39f4e | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_74fb542e | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_74fb542e | comment |
The prevalence of this in sports films is parodied in That Mitchell and Webb Look, with a film (by the Lazy Writers) about cricket; the coach is bitter because he used to play cricket for a team that reached the "final of the Ashes", shyeah, but he never found fame, because he bowled a wide. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_74fb542e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_74fb542e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
That Mitchell and Webb Look | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_74fb542e | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_751cea2d | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_751cea2d | comment |
Willy Loman could have been running the New York office by now. Or at least that’s what he believes he could’ve done. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_751cea2d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_751cea2d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Death of a Salesman (Theatre) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_751cea2d | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7aaf9e41 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7aaf9e41 | comment |
Batman: In the 'Club of Heroes' arc in Grant Morrison's run on Batman, several of the Batmen of All Nations have fallen prey to this since the team-up which could have propelled them to international prominence and fame sputtered out after two meetings, one of which Batman himself didn't bother to show up for. Wingman, however, suffers most of all, since his bitterness at being denied what he sees as his chance to be in the big leagues leads to his Face–Heel Turn in that arc. Batman, naturally, is scathing: It's common to portray many of Batman's Rogues Gallery as frustrated geniuses undone by trauma and external malice. Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, and Scarecrow are seen as individuals with enough scientific talent that they can contribute legitimately to society, but instead use their abilities for evil schemes. Batman himself often thinks that his parents will see him as having wasted his considerable potential becoming a crime fighter when he could have done far more for the world as a scientist, engineer and intellectual, skills he displays as Batman but conceals as "Bruce Wayne" to avoid drawing attention. This is, of course, Depending on the Writer, and some have Bruce Wayne as far more active and less of an Upper-Class Twit. |
|
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7aaf9e41 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7aaf9e41 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Batman (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7aaf9e41 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7b67519d | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7b67519d | comment |
The Quincy Jones series In the House had LL Cool J play a football star who gets taken out by a knee injury, and starts a gym. His leg eventually heals, and he gets back in the game. Guess what happens? | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7b67519d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7b67519d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Quincy Jones (Music) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7b67519d | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7d39d1aa | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7d39d1aa | comment |
AJ Styles was the first Ring of Honor Pure Wrestling Champion, a title that faded from existence when the world champion, Bryan Danielson, defeated final Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness and merged the two belts. He fully recognized that that could have been him in that spot but his first Pure reign came to an end when he was pulled out of ROH by TNA, which was technically a breach of contract. Still, he was pretty much the face of TNA, rather than the soon-to-be face of ROH, until he kept being shoved to the side in favor of former WWE wrestlers, such as Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Jeff Hardy. By the time Hulk Hogan arrived, Styles basically ended up as a mid carder in the "house he built". Rectifying these events would be his drive in Fortune and Bullet Club, although he still failed in his final bid to take ROH's World title from Jay Lethal. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7d39d1aa | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7d39d1aa | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
AJ Styles (Wrestling) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7d39d1aa | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7df661c5 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7df661c5 | comment |
Kul Fyra in No Straight Roads was considered a rock legend as the lead guitarist of The Goolings. Unfortunately, she was unable to manage the conflicting needs of her bandmates, and they ended up splitting, with Kul Fyra herself unknowingly fading into obscurity afterwards. As it turns out, she was so embittered by the experience that she rejected anything to do with her past, establishing No Straight Roads as its CEO Tatiana, making sure to cater to her EDM megastars and be a better, orderly leader. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7df661c5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7df661c5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
No Straight Roads (Video Game) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_7df661c5 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_81ccfb64 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_81ccfb64 | comment |
Blood Brothers has an interesting variation, in the final words of Mickey I could have been him! - to his mother, who gave his twin brother to an upper-class family. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_81ccfb64 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_81ccfb64 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Blood Brothers (Theatre) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_81ccfb64 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_824cb42a | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_824cb42a | comment |
In Aaron Loves Angela, Aaron's father Ike spends much of his time drunkenly looking at slides of his college football days. He's sad and bitter that his career didn't work out, and his biggest wish for Aaron is that he'll have a successful basketball career, even though Aaron doesn't think he'll ever be tall enough. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_824cb42a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_824cb42a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Aaron Loves Angela | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_824cb42a | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_86149bb1 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_86149bb1 | comment |
In Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light, Joey distracts a number of duelists who want to challenge Yugi so that he can escape. When Yugi comes back and asks if the coast is clear, the duelists all charge at him and run over Joey and Tristan. Tristan tells Joey that they respect him alright, while Joey just mumbles that he could have been a contender. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_86149bb1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_86149bb1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie: Pyramid of Light | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_86149bb1 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_87b55b5d | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_87b55b5d | comment |
This article from The Onion tells of a contender that no one realized was a contender: 97-year-old Dies Unaware Of Being Violin Prodigy. (Warning: Severe Tear Jerker alert) | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_87b55b5d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_87b55b5d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Onion (Website) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_87b55b5d | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_881d35b | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_881d35b | comment |
The protagonist of Digimon World -next 0rder- is said to have been a runner-up in the Digimon national tournament in fifth grade, but by the time the game begins, he's an Ordinary High-School Student studying for exams that's long put games behind him. Interviews with the game's character designer suggest his primary arc revolves around rediscovering his love for Digimon. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_881d35b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_881d35b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Digimon World -next 0rder- (Video Game) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_881d35b | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8c2215d5 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8c2215d5 | comment |
In Starlight Express, when Rusty is disqualified from the race, the boxcars sing about how they could have been famous but failed to reach glory; including the line "Could'a been a contender, could'a been a star ..." | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8c2215d5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8c2215d5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Starlight Express (Theatre) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8c2215d5 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8c6be4eb | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8c6be4eb | comment |
Scandal: Cyrus Beene is one of the greatest political minds in America and by all rights a man that should've been President. Unfortunately, Cyrus isn't particularly physically attractive and an unhappy marriage made him come to the realization that he was gay. The former made the Presidency improbable — the latter made it a pipe dream, so Cyrus had to settle for Chief of Staff (all the power, none of the glory). Though he didn't voice it often, it's clear that he's very bitter about it. Essentially, Season Six was him making one last stab at that pipe dream, saying just the right words to manipulate Luna Vargas into doing the dirty work for him. Mellie was first in her class at Harvard Law and could've been successful on her own like Olivia is had she so wished. She gave that all up for her marriage to Fitz in hopes of becoming First Lady. While that did happen, considering what it cost her, it's obvious some part of Mellie regrets choosing Fitz at all. Mellie even admits that the real reason she stuck around after years of a dead marriage and finding out that her husband was cheating on her was in hopes that Fitz would make it up to her by helping her with her own political ambitions, making all the sacrifices worth it because it had to be. Season Five is Eli forcing Olivia into thinking she's this so he can have more power, as he sees his children's power as his own. Even though she's the successful head of a crisis management firm and has connections and contacts all over the world with very powerful people, Eli firmly believes she could be so much more than that. Thus, he manipulates his "son" Jake Ballard into taking initiative and becoming the National Security Advisor in hopes of convincing Olivia doing similar things. Olivia does, by becoming Mellie's campaign manager — a path that leads her to murder two US Vice-Presidents and resurrecting B613 with her as Command, all while also doubling as Mellie's Chief of Staff, effectively making her the most powerful person in the world. The Season Six finale implies that Eli has come to regret pushing her that far, even though she's become everything he wanted her to be. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8c6be4eb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8c6be4eb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Scandal | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8c6be4eb | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8d814070 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8d814070 | comment |
M*A*S*H: In "End Run", SGT. Billy Tyler, a former college football star, suffers a severe leg injury in combat and his dream of playing in the N.F.L. is dashed when Hawkeye has to amputate it. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8d814070 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8d814070 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
M*A*S*H | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8d814070 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8df5521b | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8df5521b | comment |
Superman: Lex Luthor keeps thinking of how he could have saved the world and humanity with his great intellect if not for Superman, and that he actually hates developing Doomsday Devices and other Mad Scientist inventions. This is repeatedly shown as a self-delusion, however, and both in Pre-Crisis and Post-Crisis stories, Superman has contempt for Luthor for wasting his genius on petty schemes when he could have saved the world years ago if he wanted. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8df5521b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8df5521b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Superman (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8df5521b | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8df7a981 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8df7a981 | comment |
Billy's grandmother in Billy Elliot (who appears to be afflicted with dementia), rambles that she "could have become a professional dancer". | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8df7a981 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8df7a981 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Billy Elliot | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_8df7a981 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9aab88dc | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9aab88dc | comment |
Deconstructed in the film The Fan. Robert De Niro's character is convinced that he could have been a major league baseball player and latches onto Wesley Snipes' character as someone through whom he can live vicariously. Things go downhill fast. Near the end of the movie, it turns out that De Niro's character had never played ball beyond Little League. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9aab88dc | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9aab88dc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Fan | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9aab88dc | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9ac9d448 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9ac9d448 | comment |
Ultimate Spider-Man portrays scientists like Doctor Octavius and Shocker this way: genuinely brilliant scientists and technicians who as a result of circumstances end up becoming villains. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9ac9d448 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9ac9d448 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
UltimateSpiderMan | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9ac9d448 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9d47a2a2 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9d47a2a2 | comment |
A Song of Ice and Fire: Ned Stark thinks his late brother Brandon would have been the better Lord of Winterfell. Rhaegar Targaryen was one of the most promising warriors in not only the history of his house but also the Seven Kingdoms, and was prophesied to become the Prince That Was Promised (although he thought that his son, Aegon, was the one). Unfortunately, he was born as heir to the Mad King Aerys, who was jealous of his son's popularity, and then brought the fall of the entire house, the early deaths of Rhaegar and his children, and the exile of the remaining Targaryens to Essos. The only person who doesn't idolize Rhaegar in the present day is Robert Baratheon, and a few lament what could have been had he reigned on the Iron Throne. Viserys Targaryen II was the longest-serving Hand and was already old when he became king. He reigned for only a year and it's thought he could have done the realm more good had he lived. Daemon Blackfyre was considered the greatest uncrowned king of Westeros. His failed rebellion cemented him only as a villain. His mother Daena Targaryen could have been queen in her own right after her brother King Baelor died, but she had no supporters after her long confinement. Also, the brutal civil war that happened when her grandmother Rhaenyra tried to become queen (after which women were de facto barred from the throne) was still fresh in everyone's collective memories. Her uncle Viserys (who had pretty much ruled Westeros for the past decade and a half because his royal nephews couldn't be bothered to) took the throne instead. Prince Baelor Breakspear shared the same reputation as Daemon but he got accidentally killed in a tourney melee. "King" Renly Baratheon was popular but he was assassinated. Thanks to the regime's PR machine, he is remembered as a hero who lifted the siege of the capital instead of The Usurper that caused the siege in the first place. Subverted in the case of Willas Tyrell. Willas broke his leg in a tournament he entered at age fourteen, and the break never healed properly, effectively killing his dreams of knighthood. However, he quickly re-invented himself as a Gentleman and a Scholar and became one of Westeros' leading experts on falconry and animal husbandry, as well as something of a political prodigy. After her little brother Jaehaerys became king (and generally held to be the best king Westeros ever had), Queen Rhaena spent the rest of her life grumbling about how he and his sister-wife "stole" the throne from her, even though she spent all her time in seclusion, had No Social Skills even before the massive Trauma Conga Line that followed her marriage, and never showed any interest in actually ruling to begin with. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9d47a2a2 | featureApplicability |
-0.3 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9d47a2a2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
A Song of Ice and Fire | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9d47a2a2 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9d47ed22 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9d47ed22 | comment |
After they beat back the newly emerging New Horde in She-Ra: In The Wake, Hordak still feels like a failure, having needed help in fighting what he views as the person who usurped his accomplishments away from him. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9d47ed22 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9d47ed22 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
She-Ra: In The Wake (Fanfic) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9d47ed22 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9ff1dc28 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9ff1dc28 | comment |
The Barons' Propaganda scheme in King of the Castle involves trying to persuade the Kingdom that their claimant, a charismatic general, would be a much better King than the throne's current occupant. If the scheme fails, the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue reveals that they eventually became just another bitter old has-been, grumbling about how they could have been King. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9ff1dc28 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9ff1dc28 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
King of the Castle (Video Game) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_9ff1dc28 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a3454abb | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a3454abb | comment |
Under Suspicion: Downplayed with Leo Farley. He muses that if he hadn't retired he could've made police commissioner of the NYPD and that he misses police work, but then tells himself that protecting his family is much more important to him, he having quit after Blue Eyes murdered his son-in-law and threated to kill his daughter and grandson. Getting the rank of First Deputy Commissioner is also still an impressive achievement and he remains highly respected by the police. I've Got You Under My Skin: Blue Eyes complains that he could've done anything with his wide skill-set, especially in IT, if it weren't for him getting arrested for drunk driving by Leo Farley, which he attributes to screwing up the rest of his life. Muriel likes to go on and on and on about how she could've become a famous actress and/or been the second Mrs Powell and be living the high life right now, if it weren't for her daughter Nina and Betsy screwing everything up (Nina introduced Rob and Betsy, resulting in Rob dumping Muriel for Betsy). Nina thinks that Rob Powell was never that into her in the first place and that she was always a second-rate actress. Alison still feels sad and bitter she was never able to follow her dream of becoming a doctor, mostly because she was never able to afford the tuition costs and Betsy prevented her from getting a scholarship that would've resolved this issue. She hopes to use the $300,000 payout she's getting for appearing on a true crime show to cover some of the costs. In the end, she finally gets to pursue her dream. In You Don't Own Me, Kendra did well at medical school and was doing her residency to become a pediatrician when she got pregnant. She intended to go on leave to have her baby then return to her residency, but she struggled to cope and had leave her job within a month, later realising she was suffering from post-partum depression. Her husband persuaded her to become a stay-at-home mother instead, with Kendra telling herself she didn't really need to work because Martin made more than enough as a successful neurosurgeon. Unfortunately, her mental condition deteriorated so badly she could barely take care of herself, let alone her children. Kendra has now recovered and has a job as a dermatologist's assistant that she enjoys, but she admits she still feels sad and disappointed she never got to become a pediatrician, saying that no one would take her on as a resident because of the rumours she was a drug addict and had Martin killed. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a3454abb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a3454abb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Under Suspicion (Series) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a3454abb | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a3496fb1 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a3496fb1 | comment |
Yosuke Tendo from Yakuza: Like a Dragon was a famous boxer but never made it to the top because of a scandal. Nanba explains that Tendo was bribed to take a dive and beat the fixers to death when they didn't pay him. Tendo joined the Omi Alliance hoping he could get another shot at the top. It's worth noting that Tendo competed on the world stage in the men's heavyweight division, which most boxing bodies list as 200 pounds and over. In reality, no Japanese boxer has ever been a contender for the world title of any heavyweight boxing division ever. Japanese fighters tend to be shorter and lighter than western boxers, and though there are Japanese heavyweights out there, they tend to have few opponents domestically and perform poorly internationally due to inexperience. So while there have been many Japanese world champions, none have been heavier than Middleweight, or over 160 pounds. This would have made Tendo a trailblazer for Japanese boxing, and possibly a national hero had he succeeded. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a3496fb1 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a3496fb1 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Video Game) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a3496fb1 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a49a890c | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a49a890c | comment |
In Preacher, Jesse Custer becomes the sheriff of Salvation. His key officer is a woman who was going to join the Army, but her mother fell ill and she stayed to look after her. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a49a890c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a49a890c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Preacher (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_a49a890c | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_afbade24 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_afbade24 | comment |
Sander Cohen from Bioshock 1 moved to Rapture because his career on the surface was waning and he liked the idea of being the only headliner in the city. Eventually, he grew bitter about giving up the opportunities to revive his career and become a Hollywood or Broadway star. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_afbade24 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_afbade24 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
BioShock (Video Game) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_afbade24 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b24f49ab | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b24f49ab | comment |
Back to the Future Part II: Marty's Bad Future includes a car accident which resulted in a hand injury that left him unable to play the guitar. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b24f49ab | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b24f49ab | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Back to the Future Part II | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b24f49ab | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b27899b8 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b27899b8 | comment |
James from That Championship Season thinks he could have been a successful congressman by now had he not been so busy taking care of his father, despite having no political experience. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b27899b8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b27899b8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
That Championship Season (Theatre) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b27899b8 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b30ae4db | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b30ae4db | comment |
Game of Thrones: Bran wanted to be a knight, which becomes something of an impossibility after Jaime pushes him out a window. He's very angsty about it at first. Ned and Lyanna actually saw a potential in Hodor to be a warrior when they were younger due to his immense size. His great-grandmother, Old Nan, politely brushes off her then little Lord and Lady's suggestions, citing it doesn't suit their social status for him to train with highborn children. Now imagine him as a Mighty Glacier or Lightning Bruiser, maybe even an Acrofatic badass if he trained. Even more tragically, Hodor soon after had a seizure that reduced his mind to that of a child and the only word he could speak for the rest of his life was "Hodor". The reason it happened is even more tragic than the incident itself. Played with, with Tyrion. Tyrion tells Varys that because of his dwarfism and his father's hatred for him as an Inadequate Inheritor, he never expected to have a real opportunity for his talents and his tenure as Acting Hand of the King is the only real chance he has had to apply himself in a meaningful way. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b30ae4db | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b30ae4db | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Game of Thrones | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b30ae4db | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b4501394 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b4501394 | comment |
While he doesn't seem bitter about it, Left 4 Dead 2's Coach used to be a potential star football player in his youth - before a knee injury meant he had to be content with being a high school coach. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b4501394 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b4501394 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Left 4 Dead 2 (Video Game) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b4501394 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b4996199 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b4996199 | comment |
Spider-Man: One of the annuals gave the Sandman an entire story built on this idea, complete with reference to On the Waterfront. One of the highlights was ruining his potential football career by fixing a game in high school (to help a friend square a mob debt, no less). For a long time in the comics, many saw Peter Parker himself as this. He was a science prodigy as a high school student, but as an adult makes a living as a freelance photographer, and was traditionally seen as the underachiever in his social circle. The fact that by his mid-20s he kept having the same life as his high school days (balancing his aunt, his relationships, his rent, his superhero work) only cemented this. For a time, writers made him a CEO of his own corporation specifically to challenge this idea, and also to update the setting, since it strains credibility for Spider-Man to remain poor and struggling and still operate in a contemporary New York of high student loans, high rent and constant expenses. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b4996199 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b4996199 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Spider-Man (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b4996199 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b7ca6f6e | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b7ca6f6e | comment |
Samoa Joe, much in the vein of AJ, was a major star in TNA when he first debuted and one of its top draws. However, the success didn't last long, as soon after Kurt Angle signed with TNA, starting a floodgate of ex-WWE and WCW talent signing with company, of whom Joe soon found himself playing second fiddle to. However, Joe didn't really get pushed down the card until Hogan and Bischoff came along and he never came even remotely close to winning the TNA World Heavyweight Championship during that time. Eventually, Joe would follow AJ, Daniels, and Kazarian by leaving the company, and would go on to sign a full-time deal with the WWE. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b7ca6f6e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b7ca6f6e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Samoa Joe (Wrestling) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_b7ca6f6e | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ba56e582 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ba56e582 | comment |
Nixon: Exaggerated by Nixon. He is The Leader of the most powerful country in the world. Even so, that is little compared to his dreams. His tragedy is that is played straight, not parodied. Nixon is full of bitterness: | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ba56e582 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ba56e582 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Nixon | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ba56e582 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ba91ae7a | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ba91ae7a | comment |
Rocky: Rocky Balboa is only 30, but he's already past his boxing prime. He's never progressed past low-stakes fights in dive bars, and moonlights as an enforcer for a loan shark to pay his bills. As a gimmick to fill an empty fight card, he's offered a title shot against Apollo Creed, the reigning Heavyweight champion. Rocky knows that he has no chance of actually winning, but he decides to give it his all to prove that he's not just "a bum". The old trainer Mickey Goldmill is crusty and bitter because he was never a success as a fighter, and he's particularly hard on Rocky because he sees that Rocky could have been successful, but became just another bum anyway. When Rocky gets his title shot against Apollo Creed, Micky gets to serve as his Manager so they can both make the most of it. |
|
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ba91ae7a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ba91ae7a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Rocky | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ba91ae7a | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c02ce5b4 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c02ce5b4 | comment |
In House of the Dragon, Princess Rhaenys had a chance to be chosen as the first queen regnant of the Seven Kingdoms and is known as "The Queen Who Never Was." She had a strong claim, but was passed over in favor of her (less skilled) cousin Viserys on the basis of gender. When Viserys decides being female isn't actually an issue after all and makes Rhaenyra his heir to the throne, it makes the whole thing pointless and frustrating for her. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c02ce5b4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c02ce5b4 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
House of the Dragon | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c02ce5b4 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c155f87f | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c155f87f | comment |
Mitsuki Hayase in Rumbling Hearts. At the beginning of the story, she's already a bona fide Olympic-grade swimmer. Then, her best friend Haruka got hit in a car accident, all because she chatted with her other friend, Haruka's would-be boyfriend, Takayuki, way too long on his way to date Haruka. At that point, she became unable to swim further, eventually quits, and ends up as a salary woman. Over time, when she passes a swimming pool, she's always reminded of this fact. And things just go downhill from that point on. The anime version at the end also had a shot of her looking at the newspaper, and saw Haruka's sister Akane, also Mitsuki's 'protégée/successor', eventually making it to the Olympic championship, which makes the ending really bittersweet, even if Takayuki returned his love to her and promises to restart anew together. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c155f87f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c155f87f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Rumbling Hearts (Visual Novel) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c155f87f | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c25b1f2f | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c25b1f2f | comment |
Star quarterback Jason Street suffers a spinal injury in the Friday Night Lights pilot. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c25b1f2f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c25b1f2f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Friday Night Lights | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c25b1f2f | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c6005d35 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c6005d35 | comment |
Parodied by Markiplier in this video, featuring Mark in a Shower of Angst over dropping out of college (Mark makes it very clear the scene was purely Rule of Funny, and in reality, he does not regret choosing his fans over his degree). The phrase "I coulda been an engineer!" has since been (jokingly) repeated by Mark on several occasions. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c6005d35 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c6005d35 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Markiplier (Web Video) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c6005d35 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c9aabd02 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c9aabd02 | comment |
In Keeping You a Secret, Holland's mother wanted to be a lawyer but never did because she got pregnant in high school. She both resents Holland and wants her to live out her mother's dreams — she relentlessly drives Holland to take advanced classes, become student body president, apply to the country's top universities. She assumes that Holland is going to major in pre-law, and won't let Holland tell her otherwise. Furthermore, she micromanages her daughter's life, even spying on her, constantly telling her that she doesn't want her to "throw away her life" as the mother did. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c9aabd02 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c9aabd02 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Keeping You a Secret | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_c9aabd02 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ca08598f | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ca08598f | comment |
Many otherwise brilliant characters from The Wire turned to crime for one reason or another and never became the people they wanted to be. Season 4 focused on Baltimore's faulty education system that forced kids to graduate despite them not being ready. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ca08598f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ca08598f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
The Wire | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ca08598f | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_caa66711 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_caa66711 | comment |
Vanya in Uncle Vanya says that if he didn't waste his life working as a property manager for a third-rate academic, he could have been a great writer or philosopher like Dostoevsky or Schopenhauer. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_caa66711 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_caa66711 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Uncle Vanya (Theatre) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_caa66711 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_cac20f89 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_cac20f89 | comment |
JAG: Bud's college roommate Ron Katz who became a dot com millionaire at one point had asked Bud to become his business partner. Bud ponders in "The Colonel’s Wife" what could have been if he had taken that path. Ultimately, he realizes that if so, he wouldn't have met his wife and had their kid. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_cac20f89 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_cac20f89 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
JAG | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_cac20f89 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_cba3559b | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_cba3559b | comment |
Simon Wood of Survival of the Fittest was an excellent footballer and was more or less set up for a career in the sport... then he is crippled in a horrible car crash. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_cba3559b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_cba3559b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Survival of the Fittest (Roleplay) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_cba3559b | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ccf875f7 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ccf875f7 | comment |
The UnSub of one episode of Criminal Minds was a former high school football star in a small, football-obsessed town, who was reduced to working as a garbageman after blowing out his knee in his senior year, while his teammates abandoned him and went to college on scholarships, and had the successful careers and families he believed he should have had. He got his "revenge" on the team by abducting their neglected, soccer-playing daughters and forcing them to kill each other. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ccf875f7 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ccf875f7 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Criminal Minds | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ccf875f7 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ce851203 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ce851203 | comment |
Parodied in You Don't Mess with the Zohan. Zohan's friend refuses to give him a job at his electronics store because the store sucks out people's ambitions. He points out his many employees initially had other dreams but they got stuck at the store and never left. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ce851203 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ce851203 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
You Don't Mess with the Zohan | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ce851203 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ce9c80bf | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ce9c80bf | comment |
Slam Dunk: The Start of Darkness for Mitsui Hisashi is this. In junior high school basketball, he's an MVP. He's surely on the way to repeat such feats in high school... then Game-Breaking Injury kicked in. As he watched his friend Akagi get most of the glories in his place, Mitsui left the basketball court, bitter with the sport and become a delinquent. Subverted 2 years later, when he's given a chance to redeem himself and be a contender; a great contender he becomes. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ce9c80bf | featureApplicability |
-0.3 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ce9c80bf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Slam Dunk (Manga) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ce9c80bf | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d2f60d4 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d2f60d4 | comment |
The March sisters in Little Women (2019) never achieve their dreams. Meg is unable to become an actress because of the stigma towards that profession and instead marries John. Jo abandons her dreams of being an author and falls back on being a teacher. Amy gives up on becoming a painter because of her mediocrity and settles on marrying Laurie. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d2f60d4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d2f60d4 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Little Women (2019) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d2f60d4 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d99024a2 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d99024a2 | comment |
"Duchess" by Genesis, about a failed pop star trying to relive her glory days. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d99024a2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d99024a2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Genesis (Band) (Music) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d99024a2 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d9c602eb | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d9c602eb | comment |
Mr. Garrison from South Park hated Kathie Lee-Gifford for beating him in a talent show that he thought could have made him famous. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d9c602eb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d9c602eb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
South Park | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_d9c602eb | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e0f061e4 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e0f061e4 | comment |
Munsen from Kingpin was on his way to becoming a champion bowler until a bunch of guys he tried to hustle chopped off his right hand. Years later, his name is a byword for failure. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e0f061e4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e0f061e4 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Kingpin | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e0f061e4 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e1f8efe3 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e1f8efe3 | comment |
I've Got You Under My Skin: Blue Eyes complains that he could've done anything with his wide skill-set, especially in IT, if it weren't for him getting arrested for drunk driving by Leo Farley, which he attributes to screwing up the rest of his life. Muriel likes to go on and on and on about how she could've become a famous actress and/or been the second Mrs Powell and be living the high life right now, if it weren't for her daughter Nina and Betsy screwing everything up (Nina introduced Rob and Betsy, resulting in Rob dumping Muriel for Betsy). Nina thinks that Rob Powell was never that into her in the first place and that she was always a second-rate actress. Alison still feels sad and bitter she was never able to follow her dream of becoming a doctor, mostly because she was never able to afford the tuition costs and Betsy prevented her from getting a scholarship that would've resolved this issue. She hopes to use the $300,000 payout she's getting for appearing on a true crime show to cover some of the costs. In the end, she finally gets to pursue her dream. |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e1f8efe3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e1f8efe3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
I've Got You Under My Skin | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e1f8efe3 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e77a4e2c | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e77a4e2c | comment |
In 99 River Street, Ernie had to give up boxing due to an eye injury which could have left him blind if he were ever hit there again too hard. But even though he can no longer compete, he's still able to put his boxing skills to good use when faced with violent criminals. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e77a4e2c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e77a4e2c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
99 River Street | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e77a4e2c | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e7bb061c | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e7bb061c | comment |
This is the source of most of Evelyn's angst in Everything Everywhere All at Once. She feels like she should have been something great, though she can't seem to decide exactly what. Turns out, she's right - she really did have the potential to make it big in a number of different fields, but for one reason or another, she managed to miss every single one of the pivotal moments that would have led to her actually realising one of the talents. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e7bb061c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e7bb061c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Everything Everywhere All at Once | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e7bb061c | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e837917e | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e837917e | comment |
This is how the plot of I Couldn't Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job starts off. The protagonist Raul was the top of his class to become a hero, only for the demon king to kick the bucket. With peace brought into the world, the hero business was closed down and he's forced to work as a retail sales clerk, unable to find a job with abilities that he can't use in any other businesses. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e837917e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e837917e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
I Couldn't Become a Hero, So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_e837917e | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ea4f62db | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ea4f62db | comment |
Parodied in Family Guy, where in one flashback, we learn Cleveland was a fast-talking auctioneer until a bop on the head turned him into the slow-talking man we know today. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ea4f62db | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ea4f62db | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Family Guy | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ea4f62db | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ec1507e2 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ec1507e2 | comment |
The book Ethan Frome features a young man's frustration over being unable to pursue his scientific interests because of being tied to his small hometown with the illnesses of his parents and wife. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ec1507e2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ec1507e2 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Ethan Frome | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_ec1507e2 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_edb22dc3 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_edb22dc3 | comment |
Ladybugs: Rodney Dangerfield sucks up to the boss to get a soccer coach job, claiming the only reason he didn't get to the pros was because of injury. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_edb22dc3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_edb22dc3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Ladybugs | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_edb22dc3 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f0c816fb | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f0c816fb | comment |
Walter White from Breaking Bad could have become rich had his former friends not "betrayed" him. His resentment over being consigned to a monotonous, low-paying teaching job is part of what drives him to embark on a drug dealing career. It is eventually revealed that it was Walt's own choice to leave their mutual company for a measly $5,000.00 buyout before they struck it rich. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f0c816fb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f0c816fb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Breaking Bad | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f0c816fb | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f565604d | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f565604d | comment |
On Eyeshield 21, Doburoku Sakaki blew his chance at a professional sports career when he injured himself while recklessly trying to finish the Death March by himself. He seems to take it in fairly good stride though and respects the drive and camaraderie of the Devil Bats. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f565604d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f565604d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
Eyeshield 21 (Manga) | hasFeature |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f565604d | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f57525ab | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f57525ab | comment |
It's a Wonderful Life - everything in George Bailey's life conspires to trap him in Bedford Falls. He couldn't go to college because his father died suddenly and he had to take over the family business, so he sent his brother Harry instead. Then when Harry returned to take over for him, it was with a new wife whose father offered Harry a job that was too good to pass up, so George insisted he take it. He couldn't even take his own wife on their planned honeymoon because he had to use their savings to protect the family business in the wake of the stock market crash. Sure, he eventually realizes it was all probably better for everyone else that way, but Frank Capra doesn't sugarcoat the initial regret and frustration as it all piles onto George's shoulders. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f57525ab | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f8a7362 | comment |
Midnight Caller: Skip Fillmore from the episode "The Fall" went to college on a basketball scholarship. Five years and a failed tryout for the pros later, he returns to San Francisco a failure. | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_f8a7362 | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_fa44b9bb | comment |
Carrie (1976) according to Sissy Spacek. As she explains in A Decade Under the Influence: | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_fa44b9bb | featureApplicability |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_fb413485 | type |
I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_fb413485 | comment |
Inverted in Moneyball. Billy Beane is bitter because scouts convinced him that he could be a baseball star and he gave up a college scholarship to play Major League Baseball straight out of high school. Instead of ending up with a degree from Stanford, he ended up with a mediocre baseball career that went nowhere. | |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
I Coulda Been a Contender! / int_fe8ef766 | comment |
In the Captain America/Iron Man miniseries The Armor and the Shield, the two face a group of aspiring heroes who call themselves the Paladins, who were trained under the Fifty-States Initiative (Civil War) but never had a chance to do anything before the program collapsed. They were manipulated into assisting a conspiracy that would allow Veronica Eden to take control of Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. to eliminate or control all superhumans, but when their role in the scheme was exposed, they tried to attack Rogers and Stark to cover it up. Team leader Vox observed that the team never had the chance to prove themselves, but Rogers countered that every day was a chance to prove themselves heroes, and the problem was that some people just didn't have the sense of responsibility to be real heroes, affirming that the Paladins had been tested and found wanting. | |
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I Coulda Been a Contender! | |
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Many of the victims in Cold Case died before realizing their full potential. | |
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