10 "Foreign" Wrestlers Who Were Actually Born In America

Times when a ravishing Russian is actually American.

By Scott Fried /

It's been said many times, but wrestling is all about perception €“ the stories we see on the screen often seem far-fetched, but it's the believable details that make them work. We know that The Undertaker isn't a zombie, for instance, but there's a certain darkness about him €“ and an uncanny athleticism €“ that makes him seem like more than a mere man. Likewise, particularly heated matches or storylines may seem to have an element of true animosity that fools even the most hardcore of fans €“ for instance, when said "Deadman" nearly came to blows with Brock Lesnar at UFC 121. Deep inside, we all want to believe €“ in fact, most of us did, at one time or another. Therefore, the little lies €“ the ones that are completely credible, like the ethnicities of certain grapplers, or where they were born €“ are swallowed whole-heartedly €“ just look at Italian-American Joe Scarpa, who was famous for decades as "Chief" Jay Strongbow, the WWWF's Native American hero. With foreign grapplers €“ often heels, but sometimes "exotic" babyfaces €“ a staple of the sport in the U.S., it's no surprise that the truth has been bent in that regard so many times. Here are 10 (actually, 12) superstars that, despite the characters they played, are American citizens.