10 Strangest WWE Re-packagings Ever
2. One Man Gang Becomes Akeem
One Man Gang was a true bad boy upon entering the World Wrestling Federation, a huge man who was tougher than tough and had a tendency to destroy referees after his matches.
He dispatched his opponents in double quick time, and was quickly built up as a top level heel for Hulk Hogan and 'Macho Man' Randy Savage to vanquish. OMG did his job and he did it well.
Which makes it all the more perplexing that he would be re-packaged, and re-packaged in the way that he was. 'The Doctor of Style' Slick told the world that One Man Gang had returned to his African heritage (OMG was actually a native of South Carolina) and taken on the persona of Akeem, the African Dream.
Akeem wore a strange yellow parasol-type get up to the ring and danced the strangest of dances in the process. His hand mannerisms were not unlike those of Mike Patton of Faith No More fame.
There was something captivating about this huge man jiving around, but that may very well have been the racism of the whole thing.
Yeah, the whole thing was terrible. Akeem was revealed in a vignette where 'Mean' Gene Okerlund interviewed Slick in a location that was billed as 'Deepest, Darkest Africa' but was actually an American ghetto.
Tribal African dancers moved and chanted around a fire, before Akeem appeared and gave a promo in a horribly stereotypical black accent.
Awful.